The Shires – Brave
- Written by Rosie Duffield
I blame the TV series Nashville for getting me - somewhat reluctantly - interested in country music. For years, the thought of Patsy Cline on repeat filled me with dread - but now I’m all for a bit of Dolly Parton or Johnny Cash, and can’t help but love the show’s youngest stars Lennon & Maisy, with their harmonious covers of well-known songs.
So when The Shires’ album was on offer, it felt rude not to give it a go. Their name has been bandied about for a while - most recently they toured with Ward Thomas (another fantastic country breakthrough act), and they’re set to play the upcoming C2C Festival in March.
The duo is made up of Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes, who hail - rather surprisingly - from Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. Surprising, because they have an American look about them, they certainly sound like they’re from the US, and they have songs called things like ‘State Lines’ and ‘Nashville Grey Skies’. It wasn’t until I got to ‘Made In England’ and looked at the press release that I discovered they were British - whether or not that’s a good thing I’m not sure (does all country music need to sound American?).
Regardless, Brave is a good debut. There’s a mixture of upbeat stuff and the expected country ballads - but it’s the up-tempo tunes that really stand out. Album opener ‘Tonight’ is a catchy number that immediately introduces you to Earle and Rhodes’ wonderful harmonies - and while both their voices are nice, it’s Rhodes’ crisp vocals that really attract attention. Another highlight comes in the form of their latest single ‘Friday Night’ - probably the most commercial track of the collection, it’s quite anthemic and the antithesis to Dolly Parton’s ‘9 to 5’.
The title track is a gentle duet that builds up momentously, starting with a whisper of a piano accompanying Rhodes on her own, before Earle joins and a driving drum beat kicks in. “It’s not the first time I’ve seen you cry/You don’t have to be so brave tonight,” they sing; “Let me bring you back to the world, back home/Let me mend your broken soul."
It’s a nice sentiment, and sums up what The Shires are about - friends who make uplifting music, who can envelop you with kind words and the sort of people you would want to go out and drink shots with on a Friday night. Traditional country fans may not warm to the pop sound of Brave, but if Parton can go from ‘I Will Always Love You’ to ‘9 to 5’ then it’s certainly worth a listen. If, like me, you’ve never been very sure about dipping your toe into the genre, this would be the perfect way to start.