If It's Too Loud...

I've been a huge Bella White fan since I stumbled on her debut album Just Like Leaving a year after it was released. My fandom was so strong that I saw her twice on the same day at the 2021 Green River Festival. The bluegrass/folk artist had such a high potential during those two performances. She was great, but you just knew that some day she'd be really great. Friday night I ventured out to Brighton Music Hall to finally see her again four years later. Taking the stage with a retooled band (for this tour she's playing as a three piece with a bassist and a drummer), Bella White simply blew everyone away. She's playing with a lot more confidence these days and has transformed into a fantastic live performer. She's moved a bit away from her bluegrass roots into more of a folk-based sound, and it seems to fit her well. Her setlist on Friday night was the perfect blend for all fans, with an almost perfectly equal amount of songs from both of her albums as well as new, ...

I discovered Bella White's 2020 album Just Like Leaving  a year late, but I quickly became smitten with the singer's blend of traditional folk and bluegrass. She released her sophomore album this year, and Among Other Things may be even better than her first. The songs on Among Other Things  are still traditional folk and bluegrass, but for this album White updated the sound to a more modern version that at times stops just short of folk-pop. The Canadian native just has that kind of voice that sucks you in. White just sucks you in with her natural talent as soon as "The Way I Oughta Go" starts, and keeps you mesmerized until the album closes with "Among Other Things." The standout track for me is "Flowers On My Bedside," a song that stretches the genre of traditional folk just about as far as it can go while still being traditional folk, and is one of the most engaging songs of the year. As with any article about Bella White, I have to mention tha...

Artist : Valley Queen Album : Chord of Sympathy Quick Thoughts : This is some really solid indie rock this week. I enjoyed Supergiant , but it's been a while since we got new album-length material from the band. This latest effort doubles down on the soaring harmonies and interesting instrumental choices (the guitar in "Knife in the Trunk" is near-perfect), and results in an album that's a great and compelling listen. Make time for it. Songs of Note : "Knife in the Trunk," "Cassavettes" Artist : Twin Ritual Album : Allie Quick Thoughts : While the sort of disco/dance-tinged indie rock Twin Ritual presents here has taken a backseat in recent years, Allie is a great reminder that, when done right, it's a TON of fun. These songs will get stuck in your head in all the right ways, and it's one you don't want to miss. A lively, enjoyable listen. Songs of Note : "Carrion," "Avantsion," "Metaphor" Arti...

Photo by Bree Fish At the 2021 Green River Festival, Bella White played a new, unreleased song that completely floored me. "Flowers On My Bedside" had a more modern folk feel along with a little bit of a ramble to it that stood out from her other vintage sounding songs in her set. Now we can finally hear the studio version of that song, and it's just as mind blowing as it was two years ago. "Flowers On My Bedside" is a gorgeous take on contemporary folk with the slightest classic sound to it. It doesn't sound like anything else White has released to date, and it is an incredibly compelling listen. With such quiet instrumentation, the song focuses strongly on White's vocals which will simply suck you in. If there is any justice left in the world, "Flowers On My Bedside" will be the song that propels White into true stardom. You can listen to "Flowers On My Bedside" below. Among Other Things is due out April 21 on Rounder Records, and c...

Photo by Bree Fish Bella White has been experimenting with different shades of Americana and roots music, and expanding on her sound since 2020's outstanding Just Like Leaving. Her latest single, "Break My Heart," is pure country. This is the kind of classic country sound that you heard back in the 80's and 90's. It may have some slight pop leanings, but White is hardly pop country on this one. It's an upbeat sounding song that's about heartbreak (obviously, based on the title). White just has such a natural twang to her voice that a song like "Break My Heart" might be the perfect style for her.  Bella White says of the new song: "Out of all of the songs I’ve written, “Break My Heart” is probably the most explicitly about getting dumped. I wrote it with no intention of ever sharing it. I didn’t even feel any particular emotional attachment to it like I do with my other songs, because it was such an isolated experience, zooming in on one spec...

Photo via Facebook 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 windo...

Photo via Facebook We adored Bella White's 2020 album Just Like Leaving. If I hadn't discovered it in 2021, it would have landed quite high on my best of 2020 list. It had this perfect blend of classic, traditional bluegrass but with a fresh voice. On her latest single, White takes a bit of a turn into pure country. "The Way I Oughta Go" is a song about lamenting the lack of love in your life in the most classic country tradition. It's a sad song with that joyful sound that all the best lovesick country songs have. This one will stand right up with your favorites from Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Patsy Cline, and others. It's great to see a young artist like White take on a different style of music so early in her career, and knock it out of the park. In the YouTube post for the video, Bella White says of her new song: “'The Way I Oughta Go' is a song about not being sure where you should land, when you should take off, or even knowing how. Writing whi...

Sierra Ferrell Photo by Ken Sears This weekend saw the triumphant return of the Green River Festival after the obvious year off. It was a month later than it has been in the past and at a brand new location, but you never would have known based on how smoothly things ran. It was a weekend of fantastic music filled with respectful, joyous music fans. Nothing could have run more smoothly, with the exception of a little too much sound overlap between some of the stages. Here were my musical highlights for the weekend! (Note: I was unable to attend Friday night, and I'm not including any artist I only saw a few songs of). Bella White This one can't be a surprise to anyone who has been reading If It's Too Loud... over the past few months. I've gone fully into rabid fan mode on Bella White, but with good reason. At only twenty years old, her stage presence and banter makes it feel like she's been doing this for decades longer than she's been alive. While last year...

With the Green River Festival returning August 27-29, we're going to highlight some of the lesser known artists playing that we're most excited to see. The bottom of the poster at any festival contains some gems you don't want to miss, and especially so this year at Green River! If you've been paying any attention to If It's Too Loud... over the past few months, you've probably noticed that I've become completely enamored with the music of Bella White. The twenty year old artist originally from Calgary but now Nashville based does this amazing blend of classic mixed with modern Americana. Her vocals are completely mesmerizing, and even if you just kinda like folk or bluegrass her 2020 album, Just Like Leaving , is going to quickly become an all time favorite. Pus, she's been releasing a series of bedroom recorded covers, which are totally our thing here. She's just such a compelling performer, and I've been excited to one day see her perform, so ...

Photo by Portia Burton I almost skipped Bella White's "Under the Covers" series this week. We've already brought you two other cover songs today. Plus, I've written about the previous two songs in her series, the second one just this past Monday. But, this week's cover is Lucinda Williams' "Fruits of My Labor." World Without Tears  is the album that made me finally admit that I liked country, and I can't think of a more perfect artist for Bella White to cover. And that's what makes this an interesting cover. White takes a classic song that is absolutely tailored for her and reinvents it by not adding anything to the song. The melody and tune to the song remain the same, but musically it sounds like White has deconstructed "Fruits of My Labor" into a minimalist, modernist folk song. It's amazing how much this song changes without other instrumentation, and White's decision not to fill in the spaces makes this a memorable ...

Photo via Facebook For the second installment of her "Under the Covers" series, Bella White has chosen a more classic song: Guy Clark's 1995 song "Dublin Blues." I'll admit to not being all that familiar with Guy Clark, but White's version has me intrigued. It's a spot on version, just White and her guitar doing a spot on stripped down rendition. Although, White's vocals more than make up for any missing instruments. It's a gorgeous, lush song that ups the at home cover series just as most are winding down. You can watch the video for Bella White's cover of "Dublin Blues" below. For more on Bella White, check out the artist's website .

Photo via Facebook Just as most artists are winding down at home performances and covers series, Bella White has started one up! This week saw the beginning of her "Under the Covers" series which will see her covering a song from another artist from the comfort of her bed weekly. The debut edition is a cover of Buck Meek's "Candle" from his Two Saviors album released back in January. It's obviously going to be a more stripped down version and missing the steel guitar of the original, but other than that it's quite true to the original. White takes Meek's song and makes it more of a traditionally folk song. It's a gorgeous cover that sounds far better than most bedroom covers, and we can't wait for week two! In a Facebook post, White explains her choice of "Candle": "when this song came out in January I found myself listening to it a lot. Perhaps I was relying on it (and the whole album) as a source for escapism to get through ...

We like to think we always bring you the best music out there without missing anything truly great, but then we miss someone like Bella White and our ego is brought right back down. The Calgary born/currently residing in Nashville artist released Just Like Leaving  way back in September. I saw Club Passim post about her taking part in one of their workshops last week, and I thought I'd check her music out. Once you listen to her album, you'll be thrilled I did. I'm going to have to mention that she's only twenty years old, which somehow feels important in the context of how great this is. Just Like Leaving is nine traditional bluegrass songs with just the slightest touch of modern folk thrown in. It's filled with these brilliant songs that are both classic and current at the same time. White is the rare artist with a captivating, powerful voice that doesn't let it take over the songs completely. It's definitely the focus, but her vocals and the instrumentati...