Hello again
friends!
Thanks for checking in to check out part two
of “My Latest Listens”. In part one, I introduced Beck’s “Uneventful Days”, and Doe Paoro’s “Midnight Choir”, two songs that draw from the sounds of
alternative, folk, soul, and pop.
This time, I bring you a song firmly rooted
in the country genre, followed by a second tune that wouldn’t have sounded out
of place on a later day Tom Petty album.
So, without further ado, let the cartoon
begin!
“Whatcha drinkin’ ‘bout? Boy, let’s talk it
out. Did you lose your one and only, are you lonely?”
Our first
spotlighted tune is “Whatcha Drinkin
‘Bout”, coming to you courtesy of Stephanie Quayle, a member of CMT’s 2019
Next Women of Country class. A Bozeman, Montana native, Quayle began singing in
bands at the age of 16, and released her first solo EP “Stand Back” in 2013.
“Drinkin” was extracted as the second single
from her five song EP “If I Was a Cowboy”
in August 2019, (following the title cut), and currently sits at #59 on the
Billboard Country Airplay chart. Wake up country station program directors!
This is a charming and sweet-hearted single that deserves to get tons of play
on your stations!
Stephanie sings a story of an easygoing gal flirting
with down-on-his-luck fellow at her local watering hole. She offers to buy him
a drink, and provide him a sympathetic ear. She mentions that she can’t resist
his “tipsy, heartbroke eyes”, and she’ll be there all night for him, or at
least until last call. I wonder if she has actually done this before, or if it
is just a sweet fantasy?
Either way, I love Steph’s carefree delivery,
and the song’s mid-tempo honky-tonkish feel, it’s all so endearing to me. It
echoes some of the country crossover ladies from the late 70s and early 80s,
along the lines of Barbara Mandrell, Deborah Allen, and Dolly Parton. And her adorable
little giggle at the 2:19 mark… melts my heart every time! This is just a great
tune all around! Give it a spin!
Now we’ll turn our
attention to our second spotlighted tune, a soft and uplifting little verse
entitled “People Need a Melody”, by indie pop darlings The Head and the Heart.
Originating in Seattle in 2009, The Head and
the Heart was founded by Josiah Johnson and Jonathan Russell, and currently
includes Russell on vocals and guitar, violinist and vocalist Charity Rose
Thielen, guitarist Matt Gervais, drummer Tyler Williams, bassist Chris Zasche,
and pianist Kenny Hensley.
“People
need a melody to open their eyes… like a key to a memory frozen in time”
Pulled from the band’s 2019 LP “Living Mirage”, “People…” is all about how music has the power to unlock memories. We’ve all experienced
that… you hear a tune from your younger years and all of a sudden you are back
in middle school, or on a road trip with your best friend, or on that first
date (yeah, THAT first date), or any number of experiences or places you may
not have thought about in forever. It’s amazing that the mind just needs the right
prompting to bring the past to the present.
However,
I detect that “People…” may possibly harbor a second meaning. It seems to carry
a cautionary message about being too nostalgic for the past, and living
behind a persona that does not accurately represent you to the world. Lyrically,
there is also a reference to lovers looking back on a former relationship.
Hmmm, maybe this song is deeper than it initially seems. I’ll leave it up to
you what you get out of it.
I heard an interview with the band on the
radio, and Jonathan mentioned Tom Petty as a huge
influence on his work, which really comes through on “People”. It certainly
seems like “People…” could belong to Petty’s “Wildflowers” era.
Though there
is more than echoes of Tom here, as Jonathan’s opening verse strongly recalls the
rhythm to Pink Floyd’s "Mother",
and the chorus reminds me (and rather randomly, I might add) of Kenny Rogers'
soft rock/country classic "Love Will
Turn You Around". I’ve listened both to “People…” and “Love Will…”
back to back, and I can’t quite identify why Kenny popped into my head here. Perhaps it’s just the feeling I got listening to them. Both songs have a shared
easy going style with calm voiced singers. Yes, that must be it. There’s an
emotional similarity. It’s almost like “People…” was the key to my memory of
that Kenny Rogers song that was frozen…
oh…
Woah. That’s cool.
