My bad…

Training to teach the next generation is busy and tiring and amazing but Craving Country has suffered. New Years resolution is to work harder at managing it all.

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Hengistbury Release Album Add Another Minute

Back in May, Hengistbury released catchy single, ‘What Folks Don’t Know’ to widespread acclaim with features, interviews and live performances on the likes of Russell Hill’s Country Music Show, Off the Record, The Music Scout, UK Country Music, Nexus Music Blog, Folking.com, Belles and Gals and right here on Craving Country. They were featured in Lyric Magazine’s Hottest Country and Spotify’s Country Mix 2018 playlists. They were also named Artist of the Week by Richer Unsigned and Q Magazine.

Now they’re back, with new single ‘Shooter on the Mound’ and a brand new, debut album, Add Another Minute.

Having formed in November 2017, Hengistbury – made up of Jessie Mary and Pete Briley – have been hard at work ever since, making their debut album Add Another Minute. Hengistbury have delved deep into the array of instruments available to them to create a sound that is “distinctly unique” (Nexus Music Blog) and “charmingly country” (Craving Country UK).  Their unique ability  shines through in each track, my personal favourites being the upbeat ‘Anybody’s Fool’ and ‘Don’t Leave’, each using harmonies and instruments to create their “charmingly country” sound. Each song from the album has something slightly different to offer, so give Add Another Minute a listen.

Kerri Watt Releases Solo Version of ‘Never’

Singer-songwriter Kerri Watt has released her own rendition of song ‘Never’ which she originally featured on with the band Embrace. Kerri’s voice is beautiful and lends itself to this track perfectly. Her version is somehow more emotional than the original, despite it being a solo track about the trials of a relationship.

‘Never’ was initially

American Young Sell Out Overseas

US Country duo American Young took to the Chengdu Auto Music Festival in China – the only foreign act to perform at the festival this year –  and performed to a sold out audience of 20k fans.

Following that amazing experience, the duo performed in Beijing at a banquet that was hosted in their honour. Chinese artists, TV executives, music producers and film directors were also in attendance, some whom took interest in collaborating with the duo. As a result,

Soundtrack To Summer

The sun, the heat, the dead yellow landscape.. it’s been YEARS but the UK finally got a summer we can brag about. However you’re spending your summer, road tripping, sitting out BBQing, celebrating the end of school/uni/work, what better than some fresh new country music as a soundtrack. There’s some songs that just give off those summery vibes, so I’ve picked out my Top 10 country songs you should be listening to this summer from my longer summer playlist, linked below.

New Single From Jon Dearing

UK artist and singer/songwriter Jon Dearing has released a new single, ‘Matter To Me’. This is a simple song that really showcases Dearing’s ability, as his vocals stand out against a guitar driven background. This song could fit into many different genres and has the potential to be successful among the growing UK country landscape.

‘Matter To Me’ comes a year after Dearing’s last single, ‘Chasing’. ‘Chasing’ was featured on the likes of iHeartRadio and BBC Introducing. Both ‘Chasing’ and ‘Matter To Me’ will be on his upcoming EP.

Originally from Dorset UK, Dearing moved to Southampton to further his musical career. Along the way he has

Gig Review: Lukas Nelson & POTR

Following his stellar performance at C2C 2018, Lukas Nelson returned to the UK with his band Promise of the Real, and a few of us were lucky enough to bare witness to his incredible show at The Garage in London on July 10th.

In my experience, the mention of Lukas Nelson to people over here in the UK is normally followed up with, “he’s Willie Nelson’s son”, and while he makes no secret of the fact, it is certainly not what defines him musically. Lukas Nelson is a rare talent, one of the few people on this earth who are musical down to their soul. This is evident on their self-titled album, released last year which features 12 songs each different to one another but each so so good.

The band opened with ‘Entirely Different Stars’, a new song which imagines life in outer space and has the best guitar riff. They then went on to perform ‘Die Alone’, ‘Fool Me Once’ and ‘Runnin’ Shine’ before killing it with crowd favourite ‘Carolina’. There’s something

Incredible Headliner Announcement For The Long Road Festival

As if brand new music and lifestyle festival The Long Road wasn’t already shaping up to be an amazing weekend celebrating the rise of country music in the UK, they’ve only gone and announced CARRIE UNDERWOOD as Saturday night’s headliner! I’m freaking out.

The fact that one of country music’s biggest stars is performing at a brand new UK country music festival is so so exciting

“I’m thrilled to be a part of this exciting new festival that celebrates the heart and soul of country music on a global stage!” 

Underwood emerged from the promise of her 2005 American Idol win to become a true multi-format, multi-media superstar, spanning

UK Artist Lauren Housley Releases New Single

Rotherham’s own, Lauren Housley’s new single, ‘The Sleeping Heart’ is out now! I love Fridays for new country music, and even better, new UK country music. I really, really like this one. I don’t think there is anything else on the UK country music scene currently, that’s quite like this new single by Housley.

Added to all playlists – check.

 

Without wanting to sound cliché, there’s something authentically country about Housley’s sound, in that it doesn’t

Why Bobby Bones New Female-Only Approach Is So Important

Bobby Bones, host of the aptly named The Bobby Bones Show in the US, is set to launch a radio show that features playlists comprised solely of females. SO many feelings about this. It’s 2018. It shouldn’t be necessary to take these steps to have to separate genders on national radio. But it is. There would be uproar if a station said they would only play males, but they’re essentially already doing just that.

Bobby Bones Launching Nationally Syndicated Radio Show Featuring Only Female Artists @allacess https://t.co/l3IeCPUwYV

— AllAccess (@AllAccess) June 11, 2018

 Bones wrote in a tweet that has since been deleted, that he always said he would do this if the environment didn’t change. It hasn’t and it needs to, if not just