Chloe Kimes
Chloe popped into my feed via Lola Kirke, who she is supporting this June on the US leg of Lola's tour. How I wish Chloe could come to London with the Lola band. Is there anything that can be done?
Chloe has a banging Lola Kirke sense of English humour. She is a ball of energy, sending reels from her bathroom during the morning routine. She is so active even her dog realises it's pointless trying to keep up. And why is the toilet seat white, Chloe?
The song choice this week is her hilarious new single, Afraid to Die. The funniest thing about her jokey music is that it hides very serious topics about death and drugs. That mix of funny on the surface, deadly serious underneath, has always drawn my attention. She's just got it!
Laci Kaye Booth
I've been waiting for the new single, George F****** Strait since I saw the live reel recorded on George's birthday. Laci has such a sultry drawl that communicates decades of wisdom yet she is still only 29. She's in a different phase of her career to many of the artists I write about, with around 300k Insta followers and a UMG deal through David Geffen. But LKB still likes and replies to my posts! She is so genuine and has clearly been through some things. This is high quality music. If anything she proves you can make the music you want from inside the Nashville conveyor belt, but I think it really depends on the people around you and a lot of luck.
I bet it's Texas, the way he's walking
Tall drink of water and a ten gallon hat
Faded ring on his pocket
Can't mind my business when he's looking like that
Boy, they still make 'em just like they used to
He got the manners of a Southern Baptist saint
He got a wrench, I got a screw loose
He got me bucking right out the starting gate
George Strait was born in 1952. He is only 73 and trust me in American music terms he is just getting started. He is one of the best selling artists of all time, and never mind within Country. I had never heard his name before I saw Laci's reel. But we have a lot to thank him for. In the 1980s when Country went all silly pop with high-pitched screamers and lots of electric instruments, Strait stayed straight. He stayed in the roots and retained his cowboy image. That he inspired an up-and-comer like Laci shows the strength and reach of true authenticity.
Valley James
I put this on to drive back from Pearl Charles in Hackney, East London. It's excellent driving music but listening in the pitch black after midnight on the day of its release, knowing I had it before anyone in America, was special. Valley has the perfect name and is the perfect artist for any fan of David Lynch / Twin Peaks Roadhouse style music. The less said the better. Her music cannot be captured in prose, but she has a kick-ass 80s style going on at the moment. Richard Gere suits with lipstick. Honestly, go listen.
Jamie Drake
The last of the four but not the least. This is a lovely electronica chugging driving song that fits well after Valley James and leads into Pearl Charles in fifth position. It's really catchy.
Weekly 12
I started a rotating Weekly 12 playlist last month. I had so many great songs on my Country playlist but when it hit 50 songs and kept growing I knew that nobody would ever listen to all of it. So the idea is you keep one link and subscribe once to the Weekly 12, but the 12 songs change every week on a Wednesday. The songs include some releases from that week and some older songs, but they are all either up-and-coming young artists or fully indie artists. I plan to write about the first four each week on a Wednesday and this is the first such article!