SINGLE REVIEW: CHANDLER MARIE - RIDE AWAY / EMBERS

Coming on to the #TEAMw21 radar for autumn is Chandler Marie, with a couple of releases, though in truth she has been firing out singles all year. Raised in a small town in Georgia and now resident in Nashville, she is following a path that has served us well before.

Her latest is "Ride Away", a ballad style single bemoaning the fact that her cowboys keep riding away. It comes with an almost classic country opening, with fiddle, and guitars perfectly setting things up for Chandler.

There's a sense of awe and wonder in Chandler's voice as she describes the new man lighting up her life, even if he does have a corny chat up line or two! There's a nice touch in naming an actual bar which even if it's a complete creation, anchors the listener into a reality, and gives it a sense of verisimilitude.

"Met a rodeo star at the Hideaway Bar in Houston

He saw the blue in my eyes said they looked just like

an Amarillo morning sky

We talked all night watched that sunrise and his kiss felt like freedom

So we loaded up kicked up some dust threw that Ford in drive"

Things burn brightly but as the chorus quickly points out, there are flaws in falling for a travelling artiste, and Chandler is accepting of that, if a little wistful. There's a lot of equine imagery, with double meanings saddled into the chorus giving it lots to admire.

"Wild horses can’t keep me away

I hold on tight, cause it’s a hell of a high

But some things you just can’t break

He ropes and ties under Cheyenne lights

It’s where he comes alive

Who am I to try and make him stay?

I just wish God made cowboys who didn’t ride away"

The second verse really nails down the problems of such a turbulent relationship, it does so in such a realistic way, you can feel the relationship being pulled apart by respective desires. The end of the second line sees Chandler really emotionally accepting that things are not going to work out.

"I’m a lonesome dove he’s a tumbleweed rolling

I got half his heart but I want every part but I’m losing and I know it

I can tell he’s getting restless and he knows I want more

Now we’re a million miles past Texas and his boots ain't by my door"

The bridge leaves things in a sort of limbo

"Oooh oooooo - He’s gone with the wind

Ooooooo - Goodbye time again

The cover of "Embers" has an old photograph of Chandler Marie, atop a stool, with a t shirt sporting a rodeo rider and the word "Western" on it. She's in her shorts and cowboy boots and seems to be looking on approvingly at something or someone. If "Ride Away" confirmed that Chandler can easily polish of a balled, them "Embers" is here to let you know that she can rock as well.

It is another relationship based song, though this one feels more based on lust than love, it gives off a certain sense of deja vu.

Punchy guitar riffs and the sound of drums being ferociously thwacked, kick things off, once more Chandler builds the scene, the lyrics almost flashing us through the night's events at high speed. There's a definite flirty vibe in Chandler's voice as she proposes "Come on let's dance"

"Barstools shooting pool, another Saturday night 

Music’s loud, drinks are out, we can’t ignore the signs

Saw you walking in, come on let's dance

Cause we can’t just be friends, no"

The chorus points to a dysfunctional relationship, the "You're back in my bed" confirming that this relationship has been round the block before and presumably not worked out well.

"So don't let what we have go up in smoke

We burn out so fast, but I can’t let us go 

We both know that we shouldn't but you're back in my bed

ohhhhhh here we go again 

100 proof so we don’t remember 

Setting fire to the sheets like embers"

Produced by Robbie Artress (Priscilla Block), the production is bold and in your face, this is not one requiring subtlety. The second verse only reinforces that this relationship really only seems to work out well for one person.

"Sunrise through the blinds, wearing your t-shirt

Gut feeling that you’re leaving and it’s gonna hurt

And I know I'm stalling cause I want you to stay

Why pour water on a burning flame?" 

As the song comes to a close the flirty optimism of earlier is replaced with a grim acceptance that this isn't going to end well.

This is but two slices of Chandler Marie and there is so much more to dive into, we highly recommend the acoustic "My Give A Damn's Got Busted" or her "Live From Tigre Island Room" EP as starting points, so far Chandler Marie has proved to be the gift that keeps on giving.