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John Van de Mergel

Sounds | Colter Wall - Cypress Hills and the Big Country


Ik had nog eens zin in goeie ouwe country&western, zo van het type waar ook een Johnny Cash zich lekker in wentelde. Toeval of niet, Colter Wall heeft ook dat timbre waarmee meneer Cash zich kon onderscheiden en gaat op eenzelfde verhalende manier tewerk in zijn nummers. Een dikke portie nostalgie dus en dat tweemaal.



Lees


September 21, 2022 - Battle Creek, Saskatchewan - As much of the world turns a romantic eye to the West—with television shows like Yellowstone driving popular culture toward a fictional depiction of life on the ranch—singer and songwriter Colter Wall continues to deliver a realistic lens into the West and cowboying, with his distinguished, authentic voice. Today, Wall surprised his fans with the release of two new songs on La Honda Records; a Wall original called “Cypress Hills and the Big Country” and a cover of “Let’s All Help the Cowboys (Sing the Blues)” written by country music titan Cowboy Jack Clement. Audiences saw Wall’s performances at the Stagecoach Music Festival and legendary Canadian rodeo, the Ponoka Stampede, in June, and glimpses here and there on social media of his work on the ranch, but these new releases reveal that he’s also been writing and recording new music this summer, much to the delight of Colter’s dedicated followers.

“Cypress Hills and the Big Country” was written by Wall about his native country of southwestern Saskatchewan, Canada. With images of the regional landscape decorating the song’s narrative, Wall revels in the expansiveness of the prairie that he upholds, and he calls for the solitude and comfort afforded by the hard work of cowboy life. Wall is joined by Patrick Lyons on mandolin, dobro, and guitar for this sweet, easygoing ode to where he calls home, singing, “You can duck underneath all your trials and troubles for a time, like a pronghorn underneath a bottom wire.”

With “Let’s All Help the Cowboys (Sing the Blues),” Wall performs a stripped-down version of the song once popularized by Waylon Jennings. In his version of the song, Wall presents a vocal range yet to be heard. The whimsical, smooth nature of the lyrics breaks as Wall leads the chorus with a wail, his voice almost breaking itself. Backed up again by Lyons on mandolin and dobro and Jake Groves on harmonica, Wall’s brawny guitar playing is matched only by his obvious love for the song in its execution.




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