Sara Shiloh Rae & Bluebird Junction - The Butcher's Daughter
Country, Americana
United States
Overall Impression: Sara Shiloh Rae & Bluebird Junction serve up lively Americana, on their release of “The Butcher’s Daughter”. This uptempo track features a rousing alt-country sound that blends rock'n'roll guitars with a hint of Nashville twang, courtesy of pedal steel and a toe-tapping two-step rhythm. Sara gives a stunning performance here, backed by male harmonies as she conveys a bittersweet narrative that closely examines the beauty pageant scene, warts and all. Americana and alt-country fans can find Sara Shiloh Rae & Bluebird Junction’s “The Butcher’s Daughter” now available as a single on all major music streaming platforms.
Strongest Point(s): Outstanding production, great sounding mix. Excellent clarity and tonal balance. Nice intro riff, grabs the listener by the ear right away. Wonderful blend of acoustic, electric and steel guitars. Drums and bass are locked in tight, brushes sound great here. Good variation between verse and chorus. Awesome vocal performance; fantastic country-style delivery and presentation, incredible phrasing and articulation. Love the little accents and ornamentations you used on certain syllabic beats, such as "chiffon" or the "beaut" in beauty queen. The male harmonies sound great on the choruses, adding a terrific texture and color. Brilliant lyrical content; incredibly visual and descriptive, while also taking a good-natured poke at one of the most hallowed of Southern traditions, the beauty pageant (as well as beauty standards in general). Lyrics also have a nice natural flow and allegorical sensibility, along with some great individual lines. Nice bit of real audio at the end, leaves a playful and flirty impression. Overall, this is a tremendous bit of song craft and a fine finished track that should appeal to alt-country and roots rock audiences in particular. Stellar work, by everyone involved!
Target Audience Appeal: Fans of Country, Country-Rock, Alt-Country, Roots Rock, Americana
Artist target suggestions: Lucinda Williams, Sierra Ferrell, Margo Price, Jenny Lewis, Kacey Musgraves, Pistol Annies, Iris DeMent, Lainey Wilson, Miranda Lambert, Brandi Carlile, Honeyhoney, Gretchen Wilson, Emily Nenni, Morgan Wade, Ellen Langley, Sarah Shook
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About the Reviewer:
Steven Azami is a multi-instrumentalist with over 25 years of experience in the music industry. Both as a touring/session player and as a producer, his career has spanned nearly every genre from bluegrass to jazz, from rock to reggae. In addition, his work as a music educator has allowed him to cultivate and foster talent among the next generation of musical explorers.