In my high school years Oxford American “The Southern Magazine of Good Writing” was a staple in magazine racks of our house. I was happy to see this morning that they included Angela Easterling in their Editor’s picks for Music. Angela is a native of upstate South Carolina and had her CD Release Party for “Blacktop Road” this past Saturday at Rhythm on The River. The thunder and rain threatened, but she got the show in.
Angela Easterling, we now know, is a quietly plaintive singer who rewards attentive listening. Her Blacktop Road, with its mandolins, dobros, lap steels, peddle steels, fiddles, etc., is out-and-out “alt. country,” a genre no longer in vogue but still kicking. A lot of the songs here sound like they’ve been around for years–that’s a compliment–including the sweetly yearning cover of a certain Wannabe Southern Man’s “Helpless.” Produced by the agile and sensitive Will Kimbrough.
For the rest of the Summer and into fall, Angela will be playing dates up and down the East Coast in support of her new album. There are a handful of dates in SC, NC and GA so look out for her when she comes to your area. I am confident that this album will make our Top 10 SC Releases for 2010 so go check it out now.
Otis Taylor at The State got to take a walk and talk to Angela last week. Check out that article, because it is good and you should read The State everyday.
