Coffee and Conversations with Charlotte Young – New EP Release
Charlotte Young has released her second EP today – Coffee and Conversations. Charlotte has already topped the UK Country iTunes chart with her album Blown Away and recent singles Praying for Rain and On the Loose. Hailing from just outside Birmingham, UK, Charlotte’s contemporary country-pop sound and crisp production beautifully frames her classic country story-telling songwriting.
Charlotte’s journey started very young from singing as a toddler and picking up her first guitar at 11 years old, starting writing songs at 14 and performing at open mics from 15 years old. She’s had an incredible debut year for releases in 2020 and is continuing to wow audiences on her live streams and with her latest collection of tracks on this new EP.
Track List : Coffee and Conversations
Remedy
On the Loose
Praying for Rain
Early Light
Whiplash
Charlotte’s sassy vocals come in strong for the electric guitar driven first track, Remedy. This up-tempo ode to an unresolved relationship singing about the on / off nature but still wondering if they are meant to be.
The next track tees up with an old-style radio intro, unashamedly taking you into the celebratory and country rhythms of the heart breaker song On The Loose. The multi layered production brings in echoes of diverse influences with keyboard riffs reminiscent of Motown.
Praying for Rain feels like Charlotte’s country ballad moment of this EP, bringing the tempo down for a more contemplative number where the singer is watching her lover leave after another argument. Not knowing where to turn, the singer prays for the universe to bring the rain to either make him turn around or even let them wipe the slate clean and start over. A beautiful electric guitar solo builds into the bridge and then a stripped back moment before the gutsy sorrowful outro.
“Nothing better than the smell of the rain
Feel it wash all our troubles away yeah
I see dark skies, I see clouds, and I see hope
but there’s only so many ways to go down this slippery road”
Early Light is a lighter, uplifting number perfect for those long summer drives which tells the story of a love affair to be cherished and remembered. This track remembers the coffee and conversations in the lyrics that the EP is named after and contains Charlotte’s unfamiliar lyrical rhythms within the song structure, keeping the listener holding on for the tension and release.
“Just take me wherever you wanna go
Let’s get lost in the old dirt road
The stars know your name and the worlds not the same
When you’re far away so
Stay one more night and we’ll just keep it right
We won’t leave til early light”
Whiplash is the final track on Charlotte’s excellent new EP with Charlotte’s crisp vocals given room to shine against the more acoustic track and with Charlotte also playing guitar, bass and banjo. This crowd pleaser of a track tells the effect of a relationship where you never know quite what’s going on in the other person’s head the perennial country story.
The first four tracks were produced with Drea Succi of Puzzle Maker Studio, Bristol, UK with a team of familiar country musicians including Danny McMahon, Scott Wesley, Karac Nelson, Dan Plimmer, Brad Harper, Harry Cook and Tyler Spicer. Tyler Spicer also took charge of the production of final acoustic track Whiplash with Charlotte.
All together this is an accomplished EP bringing together Charlotte’s various single releases in recent months, but I would recommend you give this body of work a listen – it is sure to make it into your playlist!
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Review by Ann Kenney (twitter.com/annkenneysongs)
