Country-rock and Americana bucktail riff-maker KYLE DANIEL creates vibrant barley-grain chord mandrels, ‘n’ rowdy beats with subversive hard cider vocals.
We love his witty guitar-play and artistic dynamism, so we’re happy to share his stripped-down, say-it-as-it-is, heartfelt rendition of new song “Hollerin’ Hills” with lyrics by Grammy nominated songwriter Adam Wright.
It tells a recent story about striking coal workers in eastern Kentucky blocking the railroad tracks leading to one of the former mine companies, thus blocking the progress of a train hauling $1 million worth of coal until they received due payment.
The song has an elbowing countersway as the gravelled verse emerges across a pile of roughdry guitar chords, some slippery bottleneck, and with lots of yellow-ochre harmonies.
The lesson of this American folk-tale is: Forget syndication, forget unionization, forget labor movement… Cos this ain’t about collectivism. This ain’t about political sympathies. It’s just about holding a tycoon accountable for his actions. It’s about maintaining a community and it’s about reasonableness. Kyle suggests we shouldn’t trade ideologies for fairness.
“As a Kentucky boy,” says Kyle, “I love to talk about my roots. I wrote this [alongside] one of my favorite writers in Nashville: Mr. Adam Wright with Carnival Music. Adam’s rooted, literary style has earned him a stellar rep. in Nashville…”
“He and I have connected on a songwriting level and I’m very impressed with the creative content we have been able to put together between us. I feel like all of our songs have unique storylines, and therefore they keep the listener’s attention for longer.
File alongside: Steve Earl