It has been a couple of months since I last did one of my round ups of what I had seen and heard on YouTube, so it feels about time for another. In no particular order, here are some of the tunes I’ve enjoyed hearing, all of which have been uploaded to YouTube within the past month.

Let’s get started with a band I have written about before and have played several times. They are Little Quirks, from Australia, and have just released a new single. It gets us off to a lively start:

Like everything Little Quirks do that video is a lot of fun, and you can see their enjoyment in making it. The song belts along too, with all of their usual energy. Game Boy is a track from their new album, She’s Wild, which comes out on 30 October. The band plays a lot of concerts in their homeland but occasionally venture further afield, and have been to the UK before, in 2023. To support this album they are touring again, in late November/early December, with two dates in The Netherlands and six in the UK. I’d love to see them but am unable to get out these days, but if you are anywhere near one of their shows don’t miss out: they are as energetic live as you would expect from this video!

Slowing the pace right down now. I’ve never played anything by this next singer before, which is a real oversight on my part, as this is beautiful:

That was Rhiannon Giddens with Hope Is The Thing With Feathers, the title track from her new album, which was released earlier this month. She is an American musician, actress, and author, and was a founding member of the group Carolina Chocolate Drops, where she was the lead singer and played fiddle and banjo. She now has seven solo albums to her name, and if this has given you a taste for her music I can recommend trying more: she is a quality act.

My next two tunes are both covers. The first of them is by one of the best Fleetwood Mac tribute acts, who go by the name of Rumours of Fleetwood Mac. Not especially subtle, but it works! This is a lovely version of one of my favourite Mac songs:

A faithful performance of Songbird, which has always been one of the tracks I loved on the Rumours album. Christine McVie sang it beautifully, and I’ve played a version by her before, when it was the closing song at a Fleetwood Mac concert. Sophie Worsley really does it justice, I think, and the orchestral backing adds something too.

My second cover is a tribute performance. I posted my own tribute last month to the late, great Dolly Parton, and this is two of my favourite acts doing their tribute for her. This is from the recent Americana Awards event, complete with a pre-recorded introduction by the lady herself:

That was Brandi Carlile and I’m With Her playing Dolly’s Coat Of Many Colours. A lovely tribute to a lady who is much missed.

This next one is another from an upcoming album. I love this guy’s music, and he never disappoints:

That was Mike Rosenberg, better known as Passenger, with Boomerang, which is a track from his sixteenth album, Wild Love, due for release on 6 November. He is one of the more prolific acts around, as those records have been made in little more than nineteen years: no long waits for albums with him! I’ve enjoyed everything he has done: there is such a gentle, relaxing feel to his voice, and his songs are lovely. He currently lives in Brighton but chose to go further afield for this video, which was made in Polperro, in Cornwall, hence the lovely scenery: he wouldn’t have got that in Brighton!

Regular readers will know that I really like this next band and have featured them a few times recently. I couldn’t resist this one:

That was Blossoms with Husband, a track from their sixth album, Songs From The Wedding Cake, which comes out on 2 October. The song and video are typical Blossoms, with lots of fun and humour: I just love the “burn appetit” line at the end of the spoken intro! The album takes its name from Stockport Town Hall, which is nicknamed “the wedding cake”, and is where lead singer/songwriter Tom Ogden got married. The album was announced with a video last June, and in the following days the band crashed three weddings across the north-west, where they rocked up in a van to play short sets. This track hasn’t yet been released as a single though I expect it may be, as it is featuring in the new video game EA Sports FC 27, which is due out tomorrow. Footy fans everywhere will be hearing them!

I would have closed there, but then came across another in YouTube’s recommendations that I thought I’d play for you. A favourite song by a favourite band, given a new treatment with a great guest vocalist:

Little Feat released Willing on their eponymous debut album in January 1971, and then re-recorded it for their second record, Sailin’ Shoes, which came out in February 1972. The song was written and originally sung by Lowell George, who we sadly lost in 1979 at the age of just 34. I think Maggie Rose does a great job on this, and it’s good to see the band finally making an appearance at The Grand Ole Opry after all those years. The other main vocalist on this is Scott Sharrard, previously of The Gregg Allman Band, who joined Little Feat in 2019.

That’s it for today, and I hope you have found something here to enjoy. I’ll see you again for Song Lyric Sunday, so until then take care and stay well 👍