This gorgeous new album from singer-songwriter Ralegh Long has been out for a bit but better late than never, we say!
Compared to previous album, the pastoral chamber-pop opus Hoverance (2015), this sophomore effort is a definite change of direction into more rockier territory for the London-based Long.
There are surprisingly fiesty guitar licks that drive the opening tracks viz. “Take Your Mind Back” and “Sleeping on my Dreams”, whereas the numbers that follow viz. the title track and “Big August” express a more alt-country approach.
This breezy country-rock sound is also captured brilliantly in “Take It” and “Into the Woods” where a heavenly pedal-steel soars above an insistent mid-tempo backbeat.
And the goodness keeps coming. After having taken it all in, Upwards of Summer seems like a logical next step from Hoverance. Long’s songwriting has deepened and he has taken positive steps to widen his sonic agenda.
Potent melodies and sophisticated arrangements make for a dynamic album that we recommend whole-heartedly for every loyal PoP visitor.
Don’t miss out on the pop-rock magic!
Listen:
… still there’s more …