New Review from Emily Saxton's The Blog of Country Music!


Shantell Ogden
GHOSTS IN THE FIELD 
*****
Beautiful seven-song collection from one of Nashville’s favourite and finest, independent singer-songwriters GHOSTS IN THE FIELD (2015) is the exquisite new fourth release from one of the industry’s finest award-winning Americana singer-songwriters Shantell Ogden—a musically-stunning, twenty-two minute-long collection of seven lyrically-rich, emotively-woven, tunefully-gentle numbers, which sees her once again team up with her talented long-time pal and multi-instrumentalist producer, John Willis. Undeniably, it’s her best one yet!

A truly gifted songwriter—a quality she is notably (and frequently) acclaimed for—Shantell lyrically plucks at her listeners’ heartstrings; unafraid to take on those emotively challenging themes others deem difficult to express, and this is perhaps what beautifully ties all her work together. 
Refreshingly, the Nashville-residing singer-songwriter crafts carefully to ensure that each song has a distinct emotive zest of its own; songs such as the country-fuelled heartbreaker "Who Comes First"—a lulling, finger-picked tale about loving an addict—the musically-brilliant, anthemic "God Counts Every Tear"—a belief-driven number about never having to face the hard times alone— stunning album opener "Ghosts In The Field"—a nostalgic, harmony-led number, reminiscent of days gone by—and infectious country love song "Just A Little" provide such perfect examples of this emotive, creative ease.

Musically and vocally exquisite is the bluesy album closer, "As Long As You’re Mine." Amidst delicious guitar licks, bubbling undercurrents of organ, and a gospel backdrop mid-way through the song, Shantell sings words about falling in love; a song which beautifully demonstrates how much she’s vocally evolved since her last award-winning project.

Undoubtedly, two of the finest numbers on the record are the beautifully-sung "Be My Rain", with trickling acoustic guitar chords, flowing chorus and textured country backdrop, and the tunefully and lyrically infectious "Blossom In The Dust"—which tells a delicately-sung tale of a little girl finally finding happiness—both of which are gorgeous highlights on an album that will surely be award-winning.

A thoughtful and captivating collection of treasures from a singer-songwriter that could easily sit unrivalled amongst some of the best in the business. If you’re looking for that one special album to soundtrack your summer, then this delightful little bundle is certainly the one you’ve been searching for. - Emily Saxton