Bella White - "Rhododendron"

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With her latest single, Bella White continues to move slightly away from her bluegrass roots to a more general Americana sound. "Rhododendron" isn't quite the departure that "The Way I Oughta Go" was, but it's still more of a classic country sound than her 2020 album Just Like Leaving was. The true focus of any of White's songs is her voice, and I'm pretty sure she'd be captivating in any genre. "Rhododendron" is filled with tons of steel guitar and twang to dance into classic country while still maintaining a bit of a more neo-folk sound. Modern mainstream folk doesn't typically have this much twang, so White is keeping her sound completely fresh on this new single.

In the YouTube post for the video, Bella White says of her new song:

"I wrote ‘Rhododendron’ on Mother’s Day while staying at my mum’s house during the middle of the pandemic. She was away and I was missing her. I looked out of her bedroom window and saw a robin building a nest. I began to think of the importance of mothers and daughters, and how hard our mothers -- or anyone who wears those shoes -- works to keep us alive. I felt wistful and melancholy."

You can watch the video for "Rhododendron" below. The song is available now as a single via Rounder Records. For more on Bella White, check out the artist's website.