Ellen Kibble

There is a whole world of music. Every country has a unique style and sound but music as everyone knows is the universal language. Cliché but true and that is probably one of the many reasons I love music so much. I have featured artists from England, Norway, Ireland, Scotland and now my favorite country, Australia! One side of my family is Australian so I’m an Aussie at heart. Diving into the Australian music scene is something I have wanted to do for some time and we start of with the young artist Ellen Kibble of Melbourne, Australia.

Ellen Kibble was a great find on Bandcamp.com by just searching for Australian artists. You can purchase her Calvary EP for just over $4 USD. She is a very new artist trying to make a name for herself in Australia and has a very similar sound to another Aussie artist, Missy Higgins, who has made some waves in the U.S. According to her website her rocking chair is her favorite place to write music where she writes songs that are simple, and beautiful acoustic folk storytelling. She apparently is just a down home girl who isn’t afraid to talk back to hecklers at her shows. Then again what Australian isn’t?

Listening to Ellen’s music just makes me want to transport to some dimly lit pub in Australia with friends where she is playing live in the corner. If you are interested in buying Ellen’s music you’ll have to purchase it from Bandcamp as it is the only place where it is available in the U.S. Link provided below.

I hope you have enjoyed this little journey to the land down under. Make sure to leave your comments below with what you think of Ellen’s music and show your support if you are enjoying it and purchase her EP! Have a wonderful week!

http://www.myspace.com/ellenkibble

http://ellenkibble.bandcamp.com/album/cavalry-ep

Photos by Rachel Cook

Jenny & Tyler

Summer is finally here and my uber-white winter skin is finally showing some signs of a tan. Summer brings a whole new soundtrack to me as the mood is much different then winter or fall. This week’s new duo, Jenny & Tyler, is starting off the summer playlist. This young married couple met on a bus ride from their college (University of Deleware) to church in 2004 and almost immediately started writing music together. Several years later they were married, released their first album and were officially a duo.

After releasing their first album, A Prelude, in 2007 they decided to move to Nashville, TN to pursue their music career even further. This cute couple has a fresh and authentic sound that really shows their personality and heart. Jenny & Tyler have combined their individual styles of Jazz, bluegrass, pop and country to create their own unique sound. They released a second album in 2009 titled, This Isn’t A Dream and will be releasing a third album this fall.

This music is welcoming, friendly, and warm as well as deep. Many of their tracks explore the depths of our world, like their track, “Product Of Culture” about a girl who seeks love and affirmation in all the wrong places. Their track, “One Eyed Cat” is a whimsical song about the compromises and changes made when you fall in love. Jenny & Tyler will be a great addition to your summer playlist. So don’t forget to put of your sandals, wear your sun block, drink lots of water because summer is hear!!

http://jennyandtylermusic.com/

http://www.myspace.com/jennyandtyler

Don't forget to check out last week's giveaway post. Help me come up with a new name for my blog and win an iTunes giftcard. Contest will stay open until I give notice that it will be closed. I want to give you all plenty of time to use your creativity. Thanks all!

James Morrison

This week’s artist comes from across the pond where is has made a name for himself in the UK. James Morrison was introduced to me by a friend who was so affected by Morrison’s voice that even her husband was became a little annoyed. After hearing his music I couldn’t blame my friend for being so moved by it. James Morrison’s soulful and raspy voice as well as his passion filled song-writing make for music you can’t help but love.

James Morrison was born in 1984 in England and in the short years since he started his musical career has already, performed for Prince Charles, toured with Corinne Bailey Rae, and has recorded duets with Nelly Furtado and Jason Mraz. You can find the duet with Furtado, “Broken Strings” on Morrison’s new album and with Mraz, “Details In The Fabric” on Mraz’s latest album. Morrison is currently on tour in the U.K. and Europe. While he hasn’t taken the U.S. charts like he has in the UK it is only a mater of time before he takes the red, white and blue by storm.

Morrison attributes his unique voice to a case of whooping cough that almost killed him as a baby. It was years later as a teenager that his uncle introduced him to the guitar teaching him how to play a blues riff. Eventually Morrison started writing his own songs and began playing at a local pub in England for several years building up a following until he was signed to a record label. In 2006, his debut single "You Give Me Something" became a hit in Europe, Australia, and Japan, peaking in the top five in the UK and New Zealand. His first album Undiscovered came out that year and in 2007 he had several U.S. television performances which resulted in is album reaching #24 on the charts when is was released here. His second album, Songs for You, Truths for Me, was released in September of 2008 and it did tremendously well on the UK charts.

http://www.jamesmorrisonmusic.com/

http://www.myspace.com/jamesmorrisonmusic

I hope you have enjoyed this week's featured artist. Be sure to leave you comments below of what you think. Also, if you would like to help and support this artist be sure to share this with your friends. There are some new buttons below to help with that. Have a wonderful week!

John Paul White & The Civil Wars

We have a bunch of pencils in our supply cabinet at work that say "Who is this Josh Groban and why is his voice haunting me?" But for me this question should be applied to John Paul White and his music. The first time I heard White's music was while listening to Pandora radio at work. "Can't Get It Out Of My Head" started playing and I stopped everything I was doing to check in with Pandora to find out what I was listening to. Even today, if that track starts playing I set everything aside and just take in the music.

The first thing that comes to my mind when trying to describe White's music is that it is hauntingly beautiful. His first album is titled The Long Goodbye and features his songwriting talents that he not only uses to release his own music but also for other artists such as Rascal Flatts, LeAnn Rimes and many more. Sadly, "Can't Get It Out Of My Head" is only available with the purchase of The OC Vol. 6 soundtrack, but The Long Goodbye is definitely worth purchasing. His acoustic style incorporates some of his folk roots as he was born in Alabama. He is also using that influence with his new music project, The Civil Wars.

John Paul White is teaming up with Joy Williams forming a duo group called The Civil Wars. They just did their first show this April and from the small glimpse of their music I know I'm going to be a huge fan which is why I decided to include them in this feature. Check out a video they just released of one of their tunes. I'm in love...



Along with the video I'm including The Civil Wars' first tracks and you can find out more information and even download some of the tracks free.

www.johnpaulwhite.com
www.thecivilwars.com






Hope you enjoyed this installment of new music! Please feel free to leave any comments on what you think of the music as well as any music suggestions you think I might like.