New to Vodka, Maygen & The Birdwatcher present a beautiful blend between folk stories and styles, with nods to both bluegrass and country thrown in for good measure. Enter Antidote (seen/heard here), from the band’s recent long-player Moonshine (October 2021), which is a different twist on the classic love song. Lyrically, Antidote highlights the stubborn self-sufficiency of the protagonist, which is just fine with their status alone and in control, until someone comes along with the tools to crack open the protective shell: “It’s always been my way, or no way I’ve…
Read MoreOur world seems in shambles in many ways. One can easily lose hope when you look at all of the issues facing us. Casii Stephan’s anthem for dealing with life is found in These Hard Days (seen/heard here) and it is an anthem worth taking to heart! Stephan’s beautifully natural alto vibrato says it’s OK to scream in frustration, to let your emotions out, but calls on us to remember that no matter how hard these days are, “they are still our days.” The message here is that you…
Read MoreJust a little bit bluesy, Vodka newcomer Emily Henry’s wonderful The Sound suffers just a tiny bit from some instrumental over-production, particularly later on in the track (somewhere around 1:58). It wasn’t bad enough that it meant that I could forgo reviewing this little gem, however. I’m always a little put off when the music is pushed too far forward or too loud in the mix. That’s what volume controls are for, but luckily Emily Henry’s vocals are strong and shine through clearly, so she gets a pass-this…
Read MoreVodka favorite rocker Courtney Barnett, has been releasing singles furiously for the past couple of months in preparation for her new long-player Things Take Time, Take Time due out November 12th, 2021. Enter Write A List Of Things To Look Forward To (seen/heard here). Vodka has been following Barnett since the beginning (2012) but I’ve been sidetracked with other things of late and haven’t been keeping up. Though Courtney Barnett doesn’t fit neatly in the Vodka philosophy of shining a lite on…
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