Album review: THE LYNNeS – Heartbreak Song For The Radio

The LYNNeS [Release date 02.02.18]

It’s been a while since GRTR! last encountered Lynne Hanson – with her third album Once The Sun Goes Down (2010) – a finger picking folk/country/Americana artist with loyal followings in Canada, the States, Europe and Australia.

Fast forward almost a decade and she’s teamed up with fellow Canadian country/folk singer songwriter Lynn Miles, the two having toured and written songs together over the last 10 years and with Miles having produced two of Hanson’s last three albums – River Of Sand (2014) and 7 Deadly Spins (2015).

It’s what you might call a good ‘combo’, with the pairing’s vocals harmonies/sparring central to what is an engrossing listen. There’s basically three styles of song on the album – crossover numbers, what I would call ‘swamp’ music (i.e. numbers that sound like they originate in Tennessee, and would grace a True Blood soundtrack), and more ‘traditional’ country/folk fare.

For non-hard-core folk/country audiences, it’s the two former that are going to have the most appeal and the album opens with what must be one of THE songs of 2018 – ‘Cold Front’, which has just about everything a truly great song should – sensual vocals, irresistible hooks, and sumptuous playing. The only problem is it sets the bar at a level the album only subsequently achieves with the Fleetwood Maccy ‘Blue Tattoo’, and the equally infectious closer ‘Heavy Lifting’.

Featuring some excellent guitar work throughout from Kevin Briel (Norah Jones, KD Lang, Roseanne Cash), Heartbreak Song For The Radio is a highly impressive early 2018 release (even if the quality control dips a little mid-set), and The LYNNeS ‘ones to watch’. ****

Review by Pete Whalley

UK Tour Dates (Album launch tour)

Wed, Feb 21 – Hawth Theatre, Crawley
Thu, Feb 22 – The Hive, 5 Belmont Street, Shrewsbury
Fri, Feb 23 – Newbald Village Hall, Newbald
Sat, Feb 24 – Little Rabbit Barn, Essex
Sun, Feb 25 – The Green Note, London
Mon, Feb 26 – Kitchen Garden Cafe, 17 York Road, Birmingham
Tue, Feb 27 – The Musician, 42 Crafton St W, Leicester
Wed, Feb 28 – Biddulph Up In Arms, Biddulph

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)