In the wake of popular country stars such as Taylor Swift and Sugarland, Gloriana blends the original sounds of country with the youthfulness of today’s generation. They can be compared to Lady Antebellum with their sound varying from slow love songs to the amped-up energy of a much needed breakup track.
Brothers Tom and Mike Gossin founded the band in the clubs of North Carolina, but after finding Rachel Reiner, the two decided they loved the concept of adding a female voice to their sound. Later, Cheyenne Kimball was added to the group to complete their harmony as well as for her skills on the mandolin. Each of the artists is not just gifted vocally, but they display instrumental talents as well. It is a unique quality in this group that they specifically focused on their live and in-person sound versus how they sound in a studio. While listening to their lyrics, melodies and harmonies, it quickly becomes apparent how talented the group is and the pertinence of quality in their music.
The band’s first single, “Wild at Heart,” is an upbeat, full-of-energy debut that young country fans can easily relate to. With the lyrics, “Stick your hand in my back pocket/ Light me up like a bottle rocket/ I just want to free fall for awhile,” this carefree, warm weather anthem has appropriately filled airwaves of country radio stations throughout the summer. Their youthfulness is contagious and carries throughout the album with each song having its own type of energy.
Steering away from this single’s summer energy, “You Said” starts with a whining electric guitar made complete with an accompanying violin. Focusing as an angry breakup song, the track features the vocal talents of the two female artists in solos and never loses any of its drive or angry adrenaline.
“Come and Save Me” banks on Gloriana’s harmonizing capabilities, but is one of their more calming pieces. The lyrics, “Hold me close/ give me back my reason to believe/ come and save me,” feature a more vulnerable side to the group. Featuring both male and female solos also gives the song a more personal touch. Songs like this one have an advantage in the sense that the deep, meaningful lyrics seem more realistic and personable thanks to the contributing variety of male and female vocals.
The album’s energetic intro, “If You’re Leaving,” combines a young country sound with 80s pop music. It is definitely an interesting combination and works in their favor. Gloriana has that type of musical range where they can perform country bluegrass, but still effectively add rock or 80s music to their songs. It gives this band a lot of free-range and gives their fan base a larger potential.
Gloriana’s self-titled album consists of songs that feature the group’s range of musicality with each song seeming heartfelt, allowing fans to connect with the lyrics. Unlike other groups, they wrote their songs with intention of playing them live, which makes their songs phenomenal to listen to due to the amazingly written melodies and harmonies. Gloriana has already started to make their mark on country music, and fans should expect even greater musical accomplishments from this fresh faced group.
4.5 stars out of 5
