EXCLUSIVE! ‘Tough Ones To Love’ by Amanda Richards

Tonight’s exclusive is from the excellent Amanda Richards

Breaking from recent convention, we bring you a real treat tonight, with an exclusive album from an award winning songwriter

She’s the Grammy nominated country songwriter who’s competed for The Recording Academy’s Best Country Song, Record Of The Year and Best Female Country Vocalist and won a 2012 Independent Music Award-winning for her album Play Dead. Now Portland songwriter Amanda Richards is back with her fourth full-length album Tough Ones To Love and we’re giving you exclusive access to it tonight.

Featuring ten brand new original compositions from Richards, and a nod to her musical heritage by virtue of a cover of Terry Gilkyson’s classic Cry Of The Wild Goose, album number four finds the the gifted artist in fine fettle.

Speaking of Tough Ones To Love, Richards says: “Every song on this album is a story about a person or an experience that has been tough to love. I think there is some medicine in that. Lovers and experiences can be ruthless teachers that contort us and hurt us, yet those are the very things that help us grow into stronger, wiser and better people. I chose the Bull Thistle for the cover of this album because it is prickly and hard to handle, but it’s also a nourishing herb with strong medicine to offer. That’s how I’d like our music to be seen too: tough and prickly but also healing and nourishing.”

She’s been likened to Angel Olsen, Margo Price, Emmylou Harris, Neko Case, Bonnie Prince Billy and Mazzy Star. Without wanting to pour oil on the fire of expectation, we’re also going to add Sharon Van Etten and Jessica Pratt to that list of stars. As always, though, we’ll hand it over to you to make the final call…

Like that? Then find Amanda Richards on Twitter and Facebook or at her own website.

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