VanRamblings has loved Allison Moorer since the first time we heard her, when we were one of the few music critics in Vancouver writing about progressive country, when she was married to Doyle “Butch” Primm, an Oklahoma-reared musician who became her frequent songwriting partner and producer, and right around the time she had her first big hit (well, ‘big hit‘ is a sort of relative term when it comes to Ms. Moorer — but damn if we don’t love her), A Soft Place To Fall, from her debut CD, Alabama Song (still one of our favourites), which was tapped for Robert Redford’s oater, The Horse Whisperer, in 1998. Moorer also appeared in the movie.
Without further ado, then, here’s just a bit of Allison Moorer, from her most recent album, Crows …

In 2007, six-year-old British singer Connie Talbot wowed the audiences of Simon Cowell’s Britain’s Got Talent.

In this then and now posting, we see the pint-sized Ms. Talbot when she first came to the attention of the world; the second video shows Connie at age 10, as she performs Someone Like You, from Adele’s new album, 21.

Grammy winner in 2009 for Best New Artist, we’ve been waiting for an awfully long time for Adele’s new album, 21, to drop.
For those of you who have found the wait excruciating, we present a video of Adele performing at Liverpool’s Cavern Club on January 5th.
Update: Adele’s sophomore release, 21 — already available in Great Britain, where it’s topping the charts and earning rave reviews from the critics — is set for release in North America on Tuesday, February 22nd. Can’t wait!

Was surfing around the ‘Net, and ran across the fair-skinned, blue eyed Katie Costello whose new indie album Lamplight is garnering much praise.
Variously described as quirky, retro and melodic in her approach to her craft, and sometimes compared to Laura Jansen (who we love) and Regina Spektor we think, upon an initial listen, that Ms. Costello is an utter original.
From what we’ve been able to glean from her Facebook page, Ms. Costello hails from Hermosa Beach, California, currently resides in Brooklyn, New York, has not signed with a record label (don’t you just love the Internet for exposing you to new artists?), and will release Lamplight February 22nd.
Everyday, we’re bombarded with new music, and it’s difficult to choose the wheat from the chaff. VanRamblings believes Ms. Costello’s music to be hearty, sustaining, infectious and entirely enchanting. Thus, we present the video below, and two SoundCloud tracks, for your listening enjoyment.