Balsamo Deighton – Steve Balsamo and Rosalie Deighton – released their debut album Unfolding earlier this month to rave reviews.
The rising country-pop duo will be performing at this year’s C2C: Country to Country following a successful appearance on the pop-up stages during last year’s festival. They will also be heading out on the road in April to support Colin Blunstone (of seminal 60s rock n’ rollers The Zombies) and will be performing at the first Under The Apple Tree Festival in May.
Ahead of their C2C performance, Steve and Rosalie have each put together their Top 5 feel-good songs for EF Playlist. Keep reading to find out what they’ve chosen…
Steve’s Top 5 feel-good songs
1. Finn Brothers – Wont Give In
I think the Finn brothers are some of the finest songwriters on the planet. They have an incredible melodic understanding, and their lyrics are sublime. Played this so much when my daughter was born.
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2. Warren Zevon – Accidentally Like A Martyr
I think Warren is one of the most underrated songwriting geniuses of all time. Witty, acerbic and funny as hell, Warren is known mostly for Werewolves Of London, but this love song is one of my all time favourite lyrics. Killer players too.
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3. Joni Mitchell – Both Sides Now
This song makes me cry. Written when Joni was a girl and revisited as an older woman, with her gorgeous smokey voice, for me it shows how great a writer she is. It’s like she wrote it for her older self to eventually catch up and make it make beautiful sense.
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4. Maria McKee – Breathe
I love this woman’s voice and songs so much. So much soul. Richard Thompson plays guitar, and it’s incredible. Love the mood, lyrics and I urge you to seek out her first solo album, where this is taken from, as it’s a lost classic!
5. Peter Gabriel – Here Comes The Flood
I think Peter Gabriel has an immense voice, songs and vision. I recorded an album at his Real World studios with my old band, The Storys and got to meet him. Late at night, after our sessions in the big room, I would sit watch him at work through the window into his small studio in the grounds. I remember thinking that he was like an alchemist, conjuring up songs like this…
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Rosalie’s 5 feel-good songs
1. Bruce Springsteen – Born to Run
I just love the words, the vibe the energy, the way Bruce delivers it! Such a feel good sexy song- reminds me of amazing road trips in the summer.
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2. Emmylou Harris – Luxury Liner
The musicianship on this is so out of this world – Emmylou is my hero – this has all the best players on it.
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3. Counting Crows – Mr Jones
This whole album is the sound track to my 18th year on this planet. I have a friend who’s an amazing banjo player called Tony Furtado. He came over to the UK for a tour with his band and my friend Tamsin Austin and I went to to see them play one night. We ended up on the road with them while they were on the tour and this was played constantly in the van.
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4. The Eagles – Take it Easy
Always lifts me up. I go off into a dream world where I’m driving down a freeway with my sisters and brother laughing and singing along to this.
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5. Lady Antebellum – Need You Now
I never had a singing into the hairbrush song until I heard this. You’ll find my little sis and I do this often to this song.
Balsamo Deighton’s debut album Unfolding is available now. The band will be performing for Bob Harris’ Under The Apple Tree stage at C2C: Country to Country on Sunday 13th March at 12.40pm. Watch the music video for Light in the Dark below:
