I’ve said before that I believed that Emily Barker’s excellent A Dark Murmuration Of Words was one of the most important albums of 2020. It stands out as a beacon of caution for everything that is going wrong with our world, but it does so beautifully, with conviction, and also with love. To compose such beautiful music, to perform it so well, and to have a cohesive message throughout, would seem like a hard act to follow. Barker seems to have acknowledged that with her reinterpretation of this excellent LP in…
Read MoreDo you remember country-pop-rock circa the 1970′s? If so, then you will recognize the homage paid to that style in newcomer Tara Kelly’s new single, The River (seen/heard here). Reminiscent of the artists of that time, such as Linda Ronstadt, an artist that Kelly has been influenced by, it is a song about infidelity in the strictest form. It’s about the heartache of learning the truth and then dealing with it. To find out about this song and more, we caught up with Tara Kelly through her marketing agency and…
Read MoreI’ve been a fan of the folk-pop of Emily Barker for a number of years now. There is always a good story in the lyrics and the melodies are beautiful as is Barker’s voice. This single, a tribute to the Kenyan activist and founder of The Green Belt Movement, is a masterpiece of Emily’s music to date. The Woman Who Planted Trees (seen/heard here) is a beautiful tale of Wangari Maathai’s work in empowering women in local communities in Kenya and beyond. To get an…
Read MoreIf you are a woman, what should the world’s expectation for you be? What should they think you are capable of? The answer is anything and everything and Raye Zaragoza plants that message firmly in the new and delightful folk-pop single, Fight Like A Girl (seen/heard here). The video samples video and stills of women demonstrating their abilities to do what is needed and is a rock-solid statement of new feminist activism in an age of resurgent oppression. The message is loud and clear: Women are…
Read MoreLong-time Vodka readers may remember The Corner Laughers from a couple of previous posts starting more than 7 years ago. If not, know that this band has a real talent for capturing a retro-style of feel-good pop-folk Their style is delightful and accessible no matter what era you are from. Enter The Accepted Time (seen/heard here), from the band’s latest long-player, Temescal Telegraph (June 5, 2020), a finely crafted piece of pop genius. When you hear The Corner Laughers for the first time, you might think you…
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