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Midland: On The Rocks

For 7 months I have been eagerly waiting for more from Midland. A trio, based out of Texas, boasts strong harmonies with the uncanny ability to transport you to another time period. It makes me proud of a genre I’ve grow up with all my life, that in a day and age of where our genre has progressed, we can also support a band that is reminiscent of the sounds of yesteryear. I cannot state enough how much I love these guys- as I sit here listening to their debut album I am blown away by the vocals, the instrumentation and the production it takes to create the kind of magic they have delivered.

Where country today favors themes of partying, drinking and the good times, Midland gives us the throwback melancholy vibes of the genre through out the album in “Lonely for You Only”, “At Least You Cried”, “Out of Sight”, . The country blues clearly inspired by their predecessors of another decade and filled with sounds of a steel guitar deliver chords of love and loss. Each one spinning a different take  and tempo on loss, they individually stand out as solid tracks. I find myself envisioning “Lonely for you Only” being played in bar where the memory of the lost love is remembered where “At Least You Cried” is a lighter hearted take on making fun of the girl who they don’t believe truly regrets her decisions- well at least she cried. “Out of Sight” a catchy tune, “all the kings horses and all the kings men couldn’t me and my baby back together again” because she’s gone while she’s out of sight, he’s out of his mind.

Make a Little”, the group’s current single, an upbeat tune about making a little love. A great follow up to the last single which carried slower, sadder notes, this one is likely to have you singing and dancing along to the spunky tempo. I can picture it now- if Gilly’s were still open today you’d catch the dance floor full of couples cutting a rug.

So we should make a little

Generate a little

Maybe even make the world a better place a little

We could turtle dove, Dixie land delight

You know it can’t be wrong when it feels so right

It all comes down to you and me girl

There’s just not enough love in the world

So we should make a little

Then make a little more tonight

Midland’s first single and third track “Drinkin’ Problem” was total success for the group. Written with Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne, the single climbed up the charts and hit number one faster than some of the artists with more well established careers who sat on the charts with them. For traditionalists of the genre, this single was a warm welcome to accompany today’s newer country.

Their album wouldn’t be complete without the smooth, sexy and velvety single “More Than a Fever”. I mean how can you not get hot hearing these guys sing this one. “Nothing is gonna cool me down, swimming in the sheets, let’s drown” the lyrics send you to another place.

You know you got me 

wrapped around your finger

and your body 

More than just a passive fascination

sends me blazin’

When I felt it

your hands all over me

Like they were velvet

there’s no way to temper this desire

I’m on fire

Tonight

More than a fever ooh ooh

Girl you’ve got the red line on the rocks

more than a fever ooh ooh oooh

I don’t want to break it tonight

Nothin’ New Under the Neon” more than just your typical drinking song, reminisces about the same old same old that goes on in life. But while there may not be anything new in the lives of the song, I believe this album is gonna be a game changer for the trio in their success in this business.

Instead of your average fix, “Altitude Adjustment” suggests heading out West to find a high. Nothing like living a little like John Denver, experiencing that cold mountain air and some good clean lovin’. A twangy tune about taking a little break, these solid harmonies will make you feel like you’re already there.

Along with the 8 new tracks on the album, the boys shared the 5 tracks from their EP that debuted last year. “Burn Out”, “Check Cashin’ Country”, “This Old Heart”, and “Electric Rodeo” and “Drinkin’ Problem” which debuted their sound to the world in the fall of 2016 proved it was only the beginning for the group.

Midland has proven again through this album that they are our very own modern day cowboys. “Somewhere on the Wind” which opens with string instruments and beautifully melodious harmonies takes us on another journey, like all of their tunes, through the West and life with their vibes and music. With their steel guitar, banjos, fiddles and rock solid voices these guys will transport you through this album to a time of viewing the world through amber colored glasses. Listen responsibly because you may get drunk on their sounds and never want to come back. Midland are definitely proving to be the time travelers of our genre, so grab a copy of the album and take the journey with us as they continue to remind us why country is the best genre around!

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Annette Gibbons
Hi, I’m Annette, I have been a huge country music fan since the early 90s those were the days we were lucky enough to have CMT in the UK. I enjoy nothing more than listening to country music whilst having a cold beer (or a moonshine) with friends. I try to as many gigs as I can here in the UK and in the USA; I think of Nashville as my second home and I am lucky to have made some amazing friends in Tennessee. Think Country is something I am very proud of, I just want to share my love and passion of all things country music related with you all.
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