Australian country folk music artist Charlie Powlinghas released his latest, Drive TheHighway.
The new track is an inviting expedition combining storytelling, genuineemotion, and a spirited musicality that targets a specific genre with unwavering accuracy. Charlie’s affiliation with Darwin’s live music circuit has cemented his reputation as a seasoned storyteller, with his crowning achievement materializing at the renowned 2019 Darwin Festival.
Drive The Highway unfurls like a folk-rock tapestry, effectively blending rhythmic components, dynamics, and a kaleidoscope of aural textures, from the smooth backing vocals to an aptly placed guitar solo. Charlie’s vocal delivery navigates a spectrum of vulnerability, restrained potency, and an undeniable connection to the lyrics’core.
His songwriting, anchored in his own experiences and personal interactions, melds elements of rock, folk, and country—first unveiled in his 2018 eponymous debut and subsequently expanded upon in 2019’s Traveller in the Storm.
Charlie muses, ‘My experiences of hard times, mostly caused through wrong choices, some just bad luck, have influenced my desire to write songs about hard times. Most of my songs are written from my own life experiences and people I have known.’
‘‘ Drive The Highway, Charlie Powling etches an indelible mark on the Australian folk and country music panorama.
As Charlie hails from a politically active lineage, his artistic sensibilities have been shaped by Australian folk, American civil rights icons, and legendary musicians such as Pete Seeger, The Beatles, Neil Young, and Leonard Cohen. Charlie breathes life into his vivid narratives by channelling the spirit of John Schumann, Paul Kelly, and Bruce Springsteen.
Drive The Highway, featuring the talents of The Black Pepper Band and his long-time partner and collaborator Melanie on backup vocals, delves into the ephemeral nature of existence, the vanishing of young love, and our innate yearning to seize the present, transcending past obstacles in pursuit of uncharted frontiers.
With Drive The Highway, Charlie Powling etches an indelible mark on the Australian folk and country music panorama.
LISTEN TO CHARLIE POWLING HERE ONCE RELEASED: