Three Singer/Songwriters to bring you into the New Year

Now my lovely reader friends, you know I would never recommend music to you that I didn't think was soul soothing, beautiful and worth investing in, right? Now three of my favourite people have been busy writing and releasing songs for different purposes and for those of you who like to have something a little more intimate than the top 20, let me recommend to you three brilliant artists.

Kate Truka

I met this girl on my travels in Düsseldorf last Autumn. She is funny and deep and incredibly brave. An American girl, who is becoming more European everyday and is preparing for her big move to Australia to study music at the C3 college in Sydney. She is a fellow adventurer. She has recently recorded a demo track to help her raise money for her tuition fees, you can donate as much or as little as you like, but every penny counts. Her soft angelic whisper of a voice sings bold truths and tells stories that are worth being listened to. Please, please, please take a look at her site and if you feel compelled enough by her story or her music to donate a little to her cause, then please do. I can't think of anyone more deserving.

Dave Salisbury

This man has a way with words. He is eloquent without embellishment and his music is beautiful without complexity. I first heard his song Clover Street (one of my favourites!) in a beautiful old church in Nottingham and its echo has sat in my heart ever since. Dave has such a wonderful heart: he always greets with a smile, an excited gesticulation and an encouraging word. He's also dating the lovely Kerry - they make me burst with happiness on a daily basis. The album is full of smooth vocals, stirring strings and comforting guitar strums. All the profits of this CD go straight to Tearfund so again it's definitely worth investing in! Here's the link  so get downloading for some GORGEOUS tunes.

Mary Spender

Photo by Jamie Corbin.

She's featured a lot on this blog already, but I just can't get this girls' voice out of my head. Her recent EP features two of my all-time favourite Mary Spender songs: Spire and Ignite (which recently won the UK songwriting contest) They are full of harmonies and beautiful biographical lyrics, weaved together with some warm guitar plucking and Mary's rich alto tones. The EP is free but if you fancy throwing an aspiring artist a bit of dollar then you can donate towards Mary's career. Well worth it if you ask me. Here's the link.