Front Deck Boom Box Valentine’s Day Edition: Angus Gill

Angus Gill is one of the most exciting and prodigious acts on the scene, delighting audiences over the last 18 years with his distinctive voice, carefully crafted songs, well-honed showmanship and comic timing. He has an ARIA awards nomination, four critically acclaimed ARIA chart topping studio albums and eight #1 radio chart hits to his name. He has supported Kris Kristofferson, recorded with international music legends such as Steve Earle, Jim Lauderdale and Charles Esten and is the youngest Australian male artist to have performed on the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.

Off the back of a sold-out Tamworth Country Music Festival show, the CMAA Golden Guitar winner is hitting the road with Australian fiddle playing icon Pixie Jenkins for a string of must see shows. In addition, Gill is doing an exclusive run of shows with Golden Guitar winner Kevin Bennett (The Flood) and US Americana legend Kevin Welch, as well as a one-off show with rock legend Billy Miller from the band The Ferrets. See tour dates here.

We caught up with Angus Gill to find out what songs he’s listening to today for this special Valentine’s Day edition of Front Deck Boom Box.

-------------

1. Out Of The Blue - Anne Kirkpatrick

I’ve always loved this song, recorded by my friend, the legendary Anne Kirkpatrick, written by Russell Morris. It’s the title track to what was a landmark album for Anne in 1991, winning the ARIA Award for ‘Best Country Album’ and multiple Golden Guitar Awards. Produced by Mark Moffatt, it beautifully sums up the unpredictability of finding love with an infectious melody and some great musicianship.

2. Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do) - Christopher Cross

I was saddened to hear of Burt Bacharach’s passing the other day and I started to revisit some of his great works. Melodically and harmonically, this is another song I’ve always loved since I heard it, written by Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, Peter Allan and Christopher Cross. I live for interesting modulations, like ones in this song. The verse starts off harmonically in the key of C and then modulates to D in the chorus, before returning back to C. It’s very neat.

3. Always - Richard Marx

I really enjoyed Richard Marx’s latest album Songwriter, which spans pop, country, rock and ballads over 20 tracks… an impressive body of work. I was particularly drawn to this ballad called Always and later realised it was written with Burt Bacharach. Marx wrote the lyrics and collaborated with Bacharach on the music. A heartfelt, sincere love song, for Valentine’s Day.

4. Love Snuck Up - Buddy & Julie Miller

Buddy & Julie Miller were trailblazers of the style known as Alt Country or Americana music. The songs, their vocal blend, Buddy’s half dirty electric guitar sound… you can tell, I’ve been a fan of their music for yonks! Love Snuck Up was written by Buddy with a friend of mine, the incomparable Jim Lauderdale. It’s positive, catchy and great.

5. You Are Something Else - Melinda Schneider

This is a great song from a new friend of mine Melinda Schneider. I’ve admired Mel’s work years before we met and recently collaborated on our Christmas #1 hit single Don’t Get Your Tinsel in a Tangle. Mel wrote this one with Gordon Kennedy and Wayne Fitzpatrick, two great Nashville mainstays and it’s lifted from a recent project of hers called Love Songs.

-------------------

Keep up to date with Angus Gill, follow him on Facebook here.
And check out some more of our Front Deck Boom Box series here.