If It's Too Loud...

Photo via Facebook We seem to be getting more and more enamoured with Heather Valley with every release. As we're also overly into cover songs, we've been heavily anticipating her upcoming covers album since we first heard about it in August. The album still isn't out yet, but we do have a new single from it: A cover of Sheryl Crow's "If It Makes You Happy." Valley's version is a faithful cover in that it's the same basic genre of adult contemporary Americana. That's really where the similarities end. The cover is a completely stripped to bare bones version. It's quiet and haunting instead of Crow's boisterous and uplifting version. It includes two other musicians on steel guitar and bass, but somehow it feels like even less than that.  You can listen to Heather Valley's take on "If It Makes You Happy" below. Wildflower Radio  may still not have a release date, but it's still one of our most anticipated of the year. For mo...

Jason Molina is Heather Valley's biggest musical influence, so if she's going to release a covers album, she is almost obligated to include a Jason Molina song. She's chosen "Whip Poor Will" from Songs: Ohia's 2003 album Magnolia Electric Co and Magnolia Electric Co.'s 2009 album Josephine.  Valley does a wonderful job with her version of "Whip Poor Will." While hers may be a little more straightforward folk/country than the original, she perfectly melds the two versions into one that is all her own. It also brings a new quality to Valley's voice. While her singing has always been one of the main draws of her music, it's particularly captivating here. Heather Valley says of the song:  "Jason was an Ohio singer songwriter who performed as Songs: Ohia and Magnolia Electric Co during his prolific career. We lost him to depression in 2013, but his music remains as a beacon to help others get through the dark times. I love this song becau...

Back in March, Canadian roots artist Heather Valley was on a writing retreat in West Virginia when lockdown happened. When she was able to return home, she quarantined alone on a farm and started recording covers of some of her favorite songs. One of the most interesting is a cover of Lucero's "The Last Song." Ben Nichols's voice is notoriously gruff to an almost extreme level. Heather Valley's voice is the exact opposite, with a warm feeling it's impossible not to be drawn in by. Musically her cover of "The Last Song" keeps the gruff feeling by dropping Valley's normal rootsy, Americana sound with a whining rock guitar solo that lasts the entire length of the song, provided by Matty Simpson. The result is this combination that shouldn't work at all, but ends up melding together perfectly. You can listen to Heather Valley's version of "The Last Song" below. Wildflower Radio , the upcoming album from Heather Valley, will be out i...

Heather Valley's 2019 album Desert Message  came out of nowhere and won us over. We couldn't help but get sucked in by her timeless yet somehow unique blend of folk and country. Now, she's back with an upcoming quarantine album of covers (one of the only good things to come of this year) and one original. This original, "Emily," is a gorgeously stripped down folk song. Valley's slightly above a whisper vocals give this song an intensely intimate and personal feel, which fits everything about it. Heather Valley explains "Emily" and her upcoming album: "In March, I was on a writing retreat in West Virginia when the borders were closed. I drove home to Canada and quarantined at a haunted farm. It was lonely living on 200 acres alone, so I started playing covers of my favorite songs for comfort, and overcome by nostalgia, I remembered Emily. When I was young, Emily cared for me one summer, and brought me to the lake in my hometown o...