![\"Sasha_CD_Cover_1_front_cover_1600pix\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Sasha_CD_Cover_1_front_cover_1600pix.jpg?resize=640%2C640&ssl=1\")
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Hello!<\/p>\n
I first met Sasha McVeigh at Country 2 Country this year, she was doing a signing after her set and I went over to talk to her; she was just as lovely as her songs! So I feel very privileged and very excited to be reviewing her new album \u201cI Stand Alone.\u201d Sasha is making waves in the UK Country music scene and has been supported by BBC Introducing and Coast to Coast AM in the States. She has played on the main stage at some major Country music festivals around the world and her latest release will surely back up what Sasha has done so far as well as bring in new fans and followers.<\/p>\n
The album begins with \u201cMr Brown Eyes,\u201d the intro is filled with traditional Country instrumentation, introducing us to the rest of the album and what we can expect from it. The verse hears Sasha\u2019s warm, mature vocals come in and in true Country fashion it\u2019s a storytelling song, starting with the line \u201cOnce upon a time.\u201d \u201cStupid Girl\u201d follows then, the intro reminding me a little of \u201cI Hope You Dance\u201d by Lee Ann Womack and features the line \u201cFor the first time in a long time, I let my heart hold the reins.\u201d In the verses Sasha demonstrates her lower vocal range, and this gives her space to allow her vocals to build throughout the song. This is your classic Country-Pop song in every sense of the word, from the instrumentation, structure and the catchy chorus which will be stuck in my head for the foreseeable future!<\/p>\n
The third song on the album takes a typical topic, love, and addresses it in a different way. \u201cSomeone To Break My Heart\u201d features some fantastic and effective backing vocals and clever lyrics. There is some call and response between the vocal melodies and the pedal steel. My only complaint about the song is that it\u2019s not long enough! The title track follows and keeps the momentum up. The song gives a strong message and Sasha\u2019s vocals are strong too, you can tell its sung with passion. It\u2019s a song about accepting yourself even if people put you down or push you out. It\u2019s very relatable for many young adults and teenagers today. It\u2019s the first opportunity we get to hear Sasha\u2019s more Country-Rock side and it\u2019s certainly the highlight of the album for me!<\/p>\n
\u201cYou Only Live Once\u201d is a feel good number with cleverly written lyrics. The song is on a similar vein to Tim McGraw\u2019s \u201cLive Like You Were Dying.\u201d In fact many of the songs on the album could be by the Dixie Chicks or The Band Perry or even younger Taylor Swift because the calibre of the songwriting and production is as good as these top class, number 1, Country hit makers! \u201cHot Mess\u201d is an edgier track about rebellion, another Country-Rock number with a catchy chorus and \u201cTime of My Life\u201d features effective use of backing vocals and a wonderfully-executed fiddle solo. Then we hear \u201cCrooked Road\u201d and we\u2019re introduced to the softer and perhaps more delicate, emotional side of Sasha\u2019s songwriting skills. It\u2019s a strong song on the album and one of my favourites.<\/p>\n
Once again we see Sasha\u2019s more feisty side in Country-Rock song, \u201cNo Strings Attached Romance.\u201d Another song about love and rebellion featuring the line \u201cWhat happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.\u201d The verses are filled with small details which builds the scene in your head and after the second verse there is an impressive electric guitar solo. \u201cTwo Ships\u201d is a song many of us can relate to, about a person who was once so present in your life, a lover or friend, and asking do you think of me at all? And acknowledging that they\u2019re now strangers \u201cjust two ships passing in the dark.\u201d We hear Sasha\u2019s higher vocal register in this song and I like the fade out to conclude the main body of the album.<\/p>\n
Then we have two bonus tracks, an acoustic version of \u201cStupid Girl\u201d which is a great addition to hear a stripped back version of the song, after all this is probably how the song was first written. Then there is a work tape of \u201cYou Only Live Once\u201d similar to what Taylor Swift did on the Deluxe Edition of 1989, it shows a snippet of how the writers work on songs which I think is a fantastic idea for fans and is inspiring to budding songwriters hearing how their favourite songs were created.<\/p>\n
Overall I think this album will be my summer soundtrack! It has everything you\u2019d expect from a Country album of today, with production dominated by electric guitars and pedal steel melodies with fiddle, banjo and mandolin playing a huge role throughout the album as well. But Sasha\u2019s vocals are unique as is her songwriting. Though we hear some typical Country themes throughout her lyrics she takes your usual everyday topics and addresses them in different ways. \u201cI Stand Alone\u201d oozes with positivity and I\u2019m very excited for Sasha and what the future holds for her as I believe this album will be well received both in the UK and the US!<\/p>\n
Thanks<\/p>\n
Just Zoe x<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Zoe reviews ‘I Stand Alone’, the new album from Sasha McVeigh.<\/p>\n