Shantell Ogden
SONG SAMPLER Vol 1
Hip Farm Chic Records
Razor Sharp Contemporary Country From the Heart Of Nashville via Utah.
It doesn’t seem five minutes since Shantell Ogden released THE ROAD THAT DRIVES ME, but it was actually 2016!
Since then; like most other musicians she has spent her time playing gigs all over the place in a quest to make a living in this crazy industry.
I didn’t get to see her on her concise UK Tour last year; but I’m assured she made a host of new fans every night……. which is no surprise at RMHQ.
Apparently this EP was on sale at those gigs; but is getting a full release in 2020 via her website; and the world is a better place for that fact.
When I first heard Love on The Fast Track; my heart actually sank; not because it’s a poor song ……. the opposite in fact; because it’s such a good ‘Contemporary Country Song’ I was left wondering why Shantell is still playing in the back room of pubs in towns I can’t find on a map; when lesser entities are sharing middle to top billing at Country Festivals like C2C and Buckles and Boots!
Sorry to be so grumpy so early in the year; but it’s true.
Shantell has a lovely crystal clear voice and can write songs that will break your heart; then put it back together again 3 minutes later ……. you know; like you think aren’t available anymore?
If you like Laura Cantrell, Mindy McCreedy and/or Ashley Monroe you are gonna love Shantell’s The Heart That Breaks Me and On a Haystack; but don’t wait for those stars to discover them first; nothing will beat the subtle production that allows these songs to breathe and envelop your heart and soul.
The all too short record closes with an intensely punchy song; Outrun My Faith is as Country as Country should ever be …… a great melody and a story that will make you smile as your eyes fill up with tears.
One of my Favourite Ever songs is the sadly undervalued Beach Boys song Heroes and Villains; and Shantell’s song of the same title easily wins the accolade of Favourite Track here too. Atmospheric, impassioned and deep too; what a fiery song it is too and deserves to find its way onto a Film score or at least an HBO TV show very soon.
Shantell Ogden ticks every box we have here at RMHQ, not least her distinctive and rather lovely voice; but the way she weaves magic into the construction of her songs, of which no two ever sound the same is as refreshing as it is exciting.
Released January 7th 2020
https://shantellogden.com/home
https://shantellogden.com/track/2039592/heroes-and-villains?fbclid=IwAR0ubjw5VcdP8sBx0R1Zzux-Sb3XZrtepkTSikogkWL-jO3XXUpZfnT1IMI
The Rocking Magpie 