Reviewed by Harry Kaplan

I want to pull the curtain back a little bit. In the short time I have been doing reviews, I have already listened to hundreds of artists. Right now, I am limiting reviews only to those releases that really inspire me. Low Country by Dear County is one of those special releases. The first thing that resonates with me is the very strong and beautiful vocals of Arrica Rose. I admit it, I am a sucker for a lovely and powerful female vocalist. And this definitely meets those criteria. It is a very easy listen. The first time through I really connected with the songs. Mark Lynn’s guitar parts complement Rose’s voice perfectly. As if the guitar was made for Rose’s voice. By the way, there is a nice cover of Neil Young’s Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere. That doesn’t hurt.

I like all of the songs, but I keep flipping back to Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere. It is one of my favorite songs by Mr. Young. That is dangerous because I already go in with a bias. But, I really love Dear County’s version. Similar enough to recognize, yet diverse enough that it does not compete with the original. Baby Let’s Dance is a delightful number as well. It has some twang, yeah!! Also, well-crafted vocals and perfect instrumentation. On And On, the opening number, is a perfect choice for Track 1. Again, great vocals with guitar parts that were made for her lovely voice. I love the chorus:

Summer or Winter, Spring or Fall you’ll miss her

as much as time keeps traveling on

Summer or Winter, Spring or Fall you’ll miss her

as much as time keeps traveling on

and on and on and on.

August 26th is the release date for their first album. It won’t be their last. They have something quite special here.

Preorder the CD and listen to a track here.