Lawson's Andy Brown and Crissie Rhodes Share New Single 'Landslide'

Following huge success as the front man of Lawson, singer-songwriter Andy Brown has now signed a major recording deal with the legendary Decca Records for his first solo material. 

His debut single ‘Landslide’ is out now and sees him team up with Crissie Rhodes from The Shires.

Having sold over 1 million records with Lawson, Andy is now working on his long-awaited debut solo album. Having spent the past 6 months writing and recording in Nashville, the album draws from the strong blues and country influences, as well as the traditional pop/rock sound that made Lawson so successful. His new sound takes inspiration from artists like Thomas Rhett and Chris Stapleton, as well as John Mayer and James Bay.

A duet with country music superstar and label mate, Crissie Rhodes, ‘Landslide’ showcases Andy’s knack for writing evocative and heartfelt lyrics, and draws the listener in with a huge sing along chorus. The Nashville inspired strings are harmonious with Andy’s smooth vocals, providing the ideal platform to explore deep, meaningful concepts of timeless love and companionship. These themes will not only resonate highly with his existing fan base, but will also establish him with a new audience who appreciate the fusion between Americana Soul and contemporary British Folk.

Andy says, 'Signing with Decca Records for my first solo album really is a dream come true. I feel so lucky for all the success we had as Lawson, but with this new album I can truly be myself and I have the chance to make the music I am passionate about. I hope my fans will continue to follow me on this journey, and that they love the new music as much as I do!'

Born and raised in the music-centric city of Liverpool, Andy grew up listening to a variety of music styles and conventions throughout his life. He soon became enamoured by Nashville’s innate sense of songcraft. With this album, Andy has discovered a new platform for personal expression, exposing a different, more sensitive side of his song-writing.

Andy Brown’s debut album is due for release in early 2018.

*

Follow Andy on Twitter to keep up to date with him, @AndyBrownMusic 

Single of the Week: 'Sippin' on a Coke' - Fifth Floor

Following on from their fantastic self-titled EP, Swedish duo Fifth Floor are back with their latest single - a single that's just perfect for the last few days of summer.

'Sippin on a Coke' stays very much true to what we've come to expect from Moa and Matilda - an electric chemistry, a toe-tapping beat and infectious lyrics. This single (the first from a forthcoming album) is a tribute to their hometowns. It's about escaping back there when they need a break from the craziness of life, and about a return to some of life's simpler pleasures - such as, as the title says, an ice-cold Coke. It's a message that I think we can all relate to, in some way.

About The Song

'Sippin’ On A Coke' is a feel-good, guitar-based country/pop song written by the duo in homage to their respective hometowns. The song was recorded at The Living Room in Ealing and produced by Jake Jason Read who also worked on Fifth Floor’s self-titled 2016 EP.

Fifth Floor on the new single: 'We are heading into a more personal territory with our new music and this song is a big step towards that – perfectly bridging the gap between our previous EP and the coming album.'

- - -

'Sippin' on a Coke' is available to download now. 

For more information about Fifth Floor, visit FifthFloorMusic.co.uk.

Ward Thomas To Release Final Single From #1 Album 'Cartwheels'

It's been almost a year since Ward Thomas hit the top spot on the UK Album Charts with Cartwheels and to celebrate the girls are releasing the last official single from the album - 'Almost Easy'.

A firm fan favourite from the album and live shows, the track is about the dreams ripped to shreds when a relationship ends. 'It’s not just losing someone that hurts, it’s losing the person you became when you were with them, your ‘best self’ as we call it. The future you thought you had and the person you thought you were going to be,' says Lizzy.

After wrapping their Cartwheels 2017 tour, their largest to date when they played to nearly 20,000 people across the UK, twin sisters Catherine and Lizzy enjoyed an incredible festival season, playing up and down the country at festivals including Glastonbury, Isle Of Wight, British Summer Time, Latitude, Platform, Cambridge Folk, Cornbury, and more.

Don’t forget you can catch the girls on tour with country superstar Miranda Lambert across the UK over the next few weeks!

'Ever since we both heard ‘The House That Built Me’ we have been massive fans of Miranda’s. To be supporting her now is definitely going to be one of the highlights of career so far.

We can’t wait,' says Catherine.

- - -

For more information about Ward Thomas, including upcoming tour dates w/Miranda Lambert, visit wardthomasmusic.com.

Kip Moore Announces 'Slowheart'

Friday September 15th, 2017 will see the release of Kip Moore’s new studio album, Slowheart.

After taking time out following a crazy few years of relentless touring, the Georgia native is back with the follow-up to 2015’s Wild Ones. 

Writing 11 out of the new album’s 13 tracks, and solely producing seven songs in the collection, the musical wayfarer has always emphasised the personal element of his work, and this is more apparent than ever with his latest release, which kicks off with lead UK single, ‘Plead The Fifth'.

'I definitely feel with this record you’re going to get a very clear sense of where I’ve been at for the last year and a half in my life...'

Moore was inspired to name his third studio album after a nickname given to him by his former guitar player, which in turn has been adopted by both his band and his loyal and growing fan-base.

The cover image, meanwhile, was taken on a trip to Costa Rica earlier this year during his extended break.

'My former guitar player called me a ‘slowheart’ many years ago, claiming I don’t just jump the gun and show all my cards or my emotions, what I truly feel,' explains Moore. 'He always said, ‘you’re a slowheart, man…you observe before you act’. I eventually named the band ‘The Slowhearts’, and my fans are the ‘Slowhearts’, too. So it’s only fitting that the record I’ve been waiting to make is named SLOWHEART!'

Tracklisting

1. 'Plead the Fifth' (Luke Dick, Josh Kear)

2. 'Just Another Girl' (Kip Moore, Westin Davis, Ben Helson)

3. 'I’ve Been Around' (Kip Moore, Dan Couch)

4. 'Fast Women' (Kip Moore, Blair Daly, Westin Davis, Troy Verges)

5. 'Bitter Sweet Company' (Kip Moore, Josh Miller, Troy Verges)

6. 'Sunburn' (Kip Moore, David Garcia, Josh Miller, Steven Olsen)

7. 'More Girls Like You' (Kip Moore, Steven Olsen, Josh Miller, David Garcia)

8. 'The Bull' (Jon Randall, Luke Dick)

9. 'Blonde' (Kip Moore, Steven Olsen, Josh Miller, David Garcia)

10. 'Good Thing' (Kip Moore, Josh Miller, Troy Verges)

11. 'Last Shot' (Kip Moore, Dan Couch, David Lee Murphy)

12. 'Try Again' (Kip Moore, David Garcia, Josh Miller)

13. 'Guitar Man' (Kip Moore, Dan Couch, Westin Davis)

Moore is back out on the road now, and will be returning to the UK and Ireland this summer for Harvest Country Music Festival in Westport and Enniskillen, ahead of a string of UK headline dates in the autumn, culminating in a special show as part of Country Music Week in London.

UK/Irish Dates

26/8 – Westport, Eire – Harvest Festival

27/8 – Enniskillen, Northern Ireland – Harvest Festival 

2/10 – Birmingham, O2 Institute

3/10 – Manchester, O2 Ritz

4/10 – Glasgow, O2 ABC

6/10 – London, O2 Shepherds Bush Empire

- - -

For more information about Kip Moore and Slowheart, visit KipMoore.net

Blue Rose Code Announce New Album 'The Water of Leith'

Blue Rose Code, aka acclaimed singer-songwriter Ross Wilson, releases The Water Of Leith, his first album for Navigator Records on October 27 on CD, download and album stream.

A nomad both geographically and musically, Ross writes from the heart eschewing any specific genre and the twelve new songs on The Water Of Leith, addressing themes of love, loss, travel, home, accepting the past and embracing the future, are painted with colours of folk, jazz, soul and pop; an eclecticism that has become a hallmark of Blue Rose Code and has seen him compared to John Martyn, Van Morrison and Tom Waits.

Underlining the sense of movement and place in Ross’s work and The Water Of Leith is rooted in his return to his Scottish homeland. There, he reconnected with the stellar musicians who were to become an integral part of the new album’s sound: multi award-winning singer Julie Fowlis, celebrated Gaelic singer Kathleen MacInnes, BBC Folk Award Winner, Ross Ainslie, 2017’s Scottish Jazz Awards’ instrumentalist of the year Konrad Wiszniewski, leading violinist Seonaid Aitken and three of Scotland's finest jazz musicians; John Lowrie, Colin Steele and James Lindsay, to name just some of the contributors. Grammy-winning American singer-songwriter Beth Nielsen Chapman features on the opening track. Ross co-produced the album with Angus Lyon.

Tracklisting for The Water Of Leith

1.Over The Fields (for John) 

2.Bluebell 

3.Ebb & Flow 

4.Passing Places 

5.Sandaig 

6.Nashville Blue 

7.On The Hill Remains A Heart 

8.Love Is…. 

9.Polaris 

10.The Water 

11.To The Shore 

12.Child

The album is available to preorder here.

Blue Rose Code will tour extensively around the release of The Water Of Leith, including concerts at Edinburgh Queen's Hall on November 3, London Bush Hall on November 14, Perth Concert Hall on November 20 and two nights at Harbour Arts in Irvine on November 24 and 25

- - - 

For more information, including a full list of tour dates, visit bluerosecode.com.

Single of the Week: 'Kiss Somebody' - Morgan Evans

Aussie Morgan Evans took the UK by storm last month on a whistle-stop tour.

With the worldwide release of his new single 'Kiss Somebody', the latest addition to the Warner Music Nashville/Warner Bros. Records family proves that he's ready to take the country world by storm too.

'Kiss Somebody' is a catchy, warm summer anthem. It's not difficult to decipher what this track is about - the title gives it away - but not all tracks have to be lyrically complex. This one isn't but doesn't need to be - the hooks, the carefree message and Evans' natural, and irresistible, charm is more than enough to make this an instant hit.

You simply need this track on your playlist this summer.

About Morgan Evans

Just two years ago, the singer/songwriter/musician moved halfway across the world in order to chase his dream of becoming a country artist in Nashville. Citing Keith Urban, Garth Brooks, Led Zeppelin and The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band as his formative influences, Evans has been crafting his sound since the age of 13.

His raw talent and undeniable on-stage charisma earned him spots early in his career touring with artists such as Alan Jackson and Taylor Swift while still in Australia. Now having signed with Warner Music Nashville/Warner Bros. Records, Evans is bringing his engaging live show all over the world, including a recent visit to the UK with stops in Manchester, Glasgow, Bristol and London. Built around a loop pedal, which he demonstrates flawlessly in his recent #MEMashup series, the setup allows him to play solo with the presence and energy of a full band.

Evans is currently in the studio working on his forthcoming album with Chris DeStefano (Carrie Underwood, Brett Eldredge, Dan + Shay, Luke Bryan) and on the road for select dates with Josh Turner, Lee Brice and major fairs and festivals throughout the summer.

- - - - -

'Kiss Somebody' is now available via all digital music platforms.