Editor in chief Graeme Smith runs down some of the best music we’ve heard in the last few months, featuring Courtney Marie Andrews, Evie Barrand, Madilyn Bailey, Kymberley Kennedy, John John Brown and Astral Cloud Ashes.

By Graeme Smith

Feature photo by Andy Argyle

It’s been a busy year so far. We’ve reviewed more tracks in the first part of 2018 than ever before, more than making up for the little break we took at the back end of last year.

The artist we’ve reviewed more than any other is Courtney Marie Andrews. With her new album May Your Kindness Remain out in a few days, Jane had the pleasure of listening to the full length while I had a play of single Kindness of Strangers. We both agreed this was sublime, lively country from a singer we’ve grown quite fond of.

A little closer to home, we also discovered local singer songwriter Evie Barrand. Blue ran the rule over her debut single Summer’s Warm and found it “zephyr-like” while Andy caught her live at The Bell and Crown in Snaith earlier this month.

Our tastes are pretty eclectic so it wasn’t all acoustic. American pop singer-songwriter Madilyn Bailey hooked us with new single and lyric video Tetris. It was the combination of a catchy chorus and clever, old school video game video that really made us smile.

York RnB star and one of our favourites Kymberley Kennedy will also release her latest single Don’t Pacify Me this month on the 26th. We had the pleasure of a sneak preview and feel Kymberley’s style is just getting better and better. Live, her voice is amazing, and recorded is no different in this groovy, thoughtful song. You can pre-order in on iTunes now.

John John Brown was another singer-songwriter that had us coming back for me recently. His video for Dollar General Blues seemed to intelligently capture the political mood in America right now and follow up single Where The Good Buzz Goes included such deft storytelling we were utterly immersed.

Last and definitely not least are Jersey emo-rockers Astral Cloud Ashes. I’ve come back to their song Dallas Knows The Reason more than any other track I’ve heard recently. It’s old school emo at its best and a perfect intro for anyone who might be wary of the genre after it’s popification.