Plus Full artist & media profile
Release Date: September 2018
10 Tracks
Time: 29:35
Availability:
Physical copy at
gigs, PayPal via her website and at Jeans Country Music Store (Website | Facebook; 2 Scarffe's Entry BT78
1JH Omagh).
As a featured artist the album is also available on UKCountryRadio.com’s ONLINE Store - Here (£10)
As a featured artist the album is also available on UKCountryRadio.com’s ONLINE Store - Here (£10)
Track list:
Storms Never Last / Red River Valley / That’s What I Like About You / Good At Leavin’ / Jukebox Blues / Honky Tonk Girl / Cotton Jenny / I’ll Be Your San Antone Rose/ Luxury Liner / If The Devil Don’t Want Me
A rich knowledge and respect for the genre
Lovely Newry,
Northern Ireland based singer, TV and radio presenter Kerry Fearon has endured another busy year. As well as her media
commitments she has supported popular USA country singer Will Banister on his tour in Ireland, shared the stage with USA
country singer-songwriters Joni Harms
and Max T Barnes. She was featured
on the line up for the Susan McCann
String of Diamonds Festival weekend as well as appearing on the Hooley in the
Old Coach Inn line up every month and many other gigs.
Coming up soon she
will support Australian and Nashville based singer-songwriter Tamara Stewart on October
24 in Kent (Event | The Dancing Dog Bobbing, Nr. Sittingbourne, Sheppey Way, ME9 8QP).
She has also released
her 10-track debut album HONKY TONK GIRL
which came about following several years of playing gigs and recording
around her native homeland. As the name suggests this set comprises solid traditional-slanted
country music given her own fresh treatment which may introduce a younger
generation to the genre’s deep roots and modern-day classics.
Clive Culberston (former Van Morrison bass player) recorded and
produced the album in his own No Sweat Studio in Coleraine, Co.Derry.
The album kicks off in fine form with Storms Never Last drawn from
Jessi Colter’s 1981 album LEATHER AND LACE. Laced in steel, this toe-tapper
certainly makes the sun want the shine as those bad times melt away.
This was the lead-off single and appeared on the promotional
February 2017 Hotdisc (#218). It
made a debut at No.24 on the Hotdisc Top 40 and peaked at No.15 and No.6 on the
British & Irish chart (dated Feb 26, 2017) during a 10-week
chart run.
Watch Kerry's version of 'Storms Never Last' at No Sweat
studios in Coleraine. This video was produced and directed by Frank Keating. Credit
and thanks to Synge & Byrne Café Slieve Gullion & to the Old Coach Inn
Castleblayney for use of their premises in making this video:
Cowboy standard Red River Valley (Frank Mills; Marty Robbins) provided a delightful sweet duet with fellow Irish artist Jordan Mogey and was released commercially in April 2017 (iTunes)
The pleasing That’s What I Like About You (Kevin
Welch, John Hadley, Wally Wilson) with its sing-along hooks drenched in steel with
fiddle and electric riffs was originally recorded by James House for his 1990
album Hard Times for an Honest Man. Trisha Yearwood (No.8 Single) also took a
shine to it cutting it on her debut too!
Good At Leavin’ (Ashley Monroe, Jessi Alexander, Miranda Lambert) sounds like
it was drawn from a 70s/80s back catalogue when in fact Kerry digs into a more
recent archive from Ashley Monroe’s 2015 album The Blade. This weeper is a perfect
fit for Fearon’s velvet smooth chops.
Album closer If The Devil Don’t Want Me (Monroe,
Alexander, Stapleton) is another deep cut on The Blade and possibly overlooked
as the melody and lyrics on this lonesome heartache number are completely flawless
and is an absolute gem. Thanks Kerry for shining fresh light in the dark alley, what a fabulous number this is!
This is the latest single, again promoted on
Hotdisc (Oct 2018 #238) and has made a No.18 Top 40 bow and blew in on the top
5 of British & Irish rankings (dated
Oct 7, 2018). Fans should request track 5 to their favourite country station or
show.
It’s been album of the month on Denmark radio and being
played over 25 stations there alone!
Jukebox Blues (Maybelle Carter) was recorded by June Carter Cash and made a
showing in the 2005 film, Walk the Line, sung by Reese Witherspoon. With its
shuffling beat it zips along real nice, now where’s that nickle to drop in and punch
the play button again!
Title cut Honky Tonk Girl (Loretta Lynn No.14 debut
single) continues the jukebox theme this time rewinding back to the 60s and in
the hands of Kerry and her producer this is a slick 2018 winner.
Cotton Jenny (Gordon Lightfoot) is indeed a joyful sound and provided Canadian
great Anne Murray with a Top 20 hit and has been recorded by Irelands Mick
Flavin. With a plaintive piano, pleasant guitar licks, a lamenting fiddle and
Kerry’s respectful vocal this makes the wheels of love go 'round.
I’ll Be Your San Antone Rose (Susanna Clark, first cut
by Dottsy in 1975) is a lovely update and Kerry joins a star-studded list of
artists with Don Williams, Kathy Mattea (No.1; 1989), Emmylou Harris and Miranda
Lambert who were drawn to this charming slow waltz.
Luxury Liner (Gram Parsons) well-known to Emmylou Harris fans features some
smart guitar work and fiddle interplay to maintain that old-school brew.
Overall these are 10 cast iron country cuts from sad ballads to
toe-tappers. Fearon shows a rich knowledge and respect for the genre doing each
track justice with her warmly vocals backed up by with some commendable production.
It employs a bit of a safety-first doctrine but should prove a hit with
traditionalists and have broad appeal from county-holics.
Adrian Clark
What others are saying
“I
think it’s beautiful” – Keith
Greentree BBC Radio Norfolk
Fearon will, without doubt, continue
her ascendancy in the music industry in Ireland or abroad. Whether her career
path travels the roads of presenter or performer, or a combination of both
remains to be seen. She most certainly has the vocal ability, personality and
drive and if those talents crossover into song writing, watch this space. - Declan
Culliton Lonesomehighway.com
It’s
not ground-breaking, but it’s not supposed to be. Punters at her show will lap
it up - Duncan
Warwick Editor Country Music People (September 2018 issue
| Rating 3.1/2 STARS)
Every once in a while, seemingly out of
nowhere, a singer crosses my radar and just about knocks me sideways. One such
singer is petite Kerry Fearon, a genuine down-home Irish country girl raised in
a loving family on a diet of music, fun and hard work. Her great passion is
country music, mainly the more traditional sounds with pedal steel guitar and
fiddles and lyrics that pack an emotional punch as they explore the kind of
relationship issues we all face in our lives.
Though
Kerry is a relative newcomer to the music scene, she’s experienced a lifetime
of ups-and-downs. This energetic bundle of talent seemingly never stands still.
- Alan Cackett Former editor of Maverick Magazine, 2008 Wesley Rose
recipient and pending BCMA 2018 Hall of Fame inductee
CONNECT
with Kerry Fearon:
ABOUT
Kerry Fearon
Hailing from South Armagh, Kerry Fearon grew up in a household surrounded by country music.
She took up singing in 2015 and in 2016 reached the final of the TG4 talent
show Glór Tíre.
Her singing career was prompted by the influence
and loss of her father Motor
Neurone Disease. He was a singer of note and Kerry felt the desire to continue
the family tradition after he lost his ability to speak or sing.
Private
recordings for the ears of family and friends led to a recording shared on
Facebook and Soundcloud platforms. Her initial gig was opening for the
ever-popular Dominic Kirwan and Mary Duff at the Waterfront in Belfast in March
2015.
A conversation
with Dominic’s then Musical Director led to a home studio recording of 'What
Would Dolly Do? and an
entertaining video followed which was filmed in a hairdressing salon and was
shown regularly on the Keep It Country TV channel.
Published
on Aug 27, 2015 (33.K Views; directed by Aidan Farrelly of Bad Apple
Films)
.
One of her 2016
highlights included opening up for Marty
Haggard (son of the late Merle).
Her eponymous EP dropped in 2016 and she went on to snag the prestigious Horizon Award for Most Successful British and Irish Newcomer in the HOTDISC Country Music Awards 2016
Her terrific cover of Highway 101’s Bing
Bang Boom was included in the Hotdisc compiled album Best of British &
Irish Country 2017.
 |
| Kerry Fearon pictured with Joni Harms (L) and Joni's daughter Olivia(R) |
Kerry has had an
incredibly busy last few years. She graduated
(Aug 31) with a Ulster University Diploma in Irish Language which
involved a commitment of 2 nights a week for 2 years to complete this qualification. She also held down a demanding tough job as a special need’s teacher!
In May she received
the Johnny Loughrey award at the Hot Country TV awards for
her hard work as a country artist.
In July Kerry was
out on tour with Kelly
Willis.
As a TV presenter Kerry
hosts Kerry’s Gold Country on Keep It Country (Sky 389, Freesat 516,
Freeview 87 | Friday 20:00-21:00 repeats Tuesday 16:00 - 17:00) and her highly
likeable, friendly and bubbly personality makes this a must see each week
On radio duties she presents The Homegrown Hour (Mon-Fri from 10pm) on Downtown Country with an hour of the best Irish Country music.
Recently Kerry attended the 2018 Canadian Country Music Week Awards.
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