Remember Kelleigh Bannen?
She played the Boise Music Festival in 2014. Her single "Famous" was on the radio. She came to Boise, opened up the BMF that summer, and then....what happened? Well, when her single "Famous" didn't make it up the charts like she had hoped, she stepped back, regrouped and has been working on new material the past couple of years.
Country music has gone through so many phases. There was the "class of the 90's" with Garth, Clint, Alan, George, Reba, Martina, etc. Then the "new kids" came into the picture. Tim, Faith, Kenny, Toby and others. That sound stayed pretty solid for a while.
Then we hit the next new crop. Luke, Jason, Blake, Miranda and Carrie. Then, "bro-country" came along. Country music evolved again. It seems that the sound of country music changes as much as the trends in our nation.
Lately, it seems to be swinging back to a more traditional sound. Artists like William Michael Morgan, Cody Jinks, Easton Corbin, Midland (at Cowgirls 4/14) have started the pendulum back the other direction. Personally, I like the balance! Great artists and great songs. Story songs that touch our lives on different levels.
Kelleigh Bannen has evolved with the format. Those of you that remember her singing "Famous" at the 2014 Boise Music Festival will see a new, more mature Kelleigh singing a song with some powerful lyrics, and touching on a subject a lot of people can probably relate to. Check out her new song "Church Clothes" and remember, sometimes the new artists you don't know that perform at the Boise Music Festival, go on to do bigger and better things. You can say, "I saw him/her before anyone really knew about them!"