Megan McKenna has been on the country music scene in the UK for a number of years now since the release of her debut album The Story of Me. We loved that album! It had so many good songs including a songs written by Catherine McGrath, Lauren Alaina and songs Megan wrote herself and with songwriters such as Amy Wadge and more.

Since that album Megan toured like crazy supporting the likes of Tom Jones, Alfie Boe and Michael Ball and more. Megan also won Celebrity X Factor where she released self penned song This.

The last few months, Megan has made a return to country music releasing a song every Friday including some truly stunning originals and some gorgeous covers.

The covers are country versions of well known songs such as Abba’s The Winner Takes It All, The Undertones Teenage Kicks, Fleetwood Mac’s/The Chicks Landslide (already a country song) and Britney Spears’ Every time. Megan makes each song her own. Every Time in particular is well done. I love the original though. Megan’s version doesn’t come across as painful as the original but it is well crafted with an 80’s style to it.

The originals she has so far released have all held a more mature sound with strong elements of both traditional and modern country so her music should appeal to country fans of both. This is such a great direction for Megan as it suits her a lot more than a more pop side. Her voice is very graceful and emotive which is why she fits the genre so well as of course, country is all about the stories, the truth!

Heart’s Letting Go, which reached number one on the Itunes Country Chart is one of the songs with that traditional country sound and also has a slight Texan country edge to it. A mid tempo song about letting go of a heartbreak as the title suggests, this song is wonderfully catchy with a sublime Spanish guitar accompaniment throughout. The traditional vibe continues with Baby Talk. A real anthem, this song paints a picture in its lyrics. A music video is definitely needed for this song.

Confetti tells a story that so many people can relate to with watching friends getting married and having babies and wanting the same as all of them but feeling somewhat left behind.

This song makes you listen to every single word and you can feel the storytelling emotion in Megan’s vocals. Megan has a beautifully expressive way of telling stories when she sings. The passion she has for country music is clear and the life experience she brings to her songs is incredibly raw and her songwriting skills are inspiring. This song has a cinematic way about it. It’s one of the best songs I have heard in country music for a while and I hope it gets the recognition it deserves.

Sinking Boats sees Megan where she is most comfortable at as is a breathtakingly good ballad. Her voice was born for these types of songs. Her melodic vocals are believable in each word and Sinking Boats is such a sad sad song about a failing relationship.

Single is a bit of a jingle. Probably my least favourite of the new releases. It’s a grower for sure but just not as strong as the other songs. It reminds me a bit of Eurovision.

DNA again has a traditional sound to it. A honky tonk loving anthem, DNA is deliciously addictive. Another slight Eurovision way about it, wouldn’t Megan be the perfect contender next year?

Swan Lake is another cinematic song that you can imagine being played on the end credits of a romance film. It definitely has that soundtrack vibe. The melody is somewhat peaceful, sleepy yet graceful and the words are of masked pain.

I’m on swan lake
Midnight to daybreak
Glide across the surface like
Nothing really hurts inside
Swan lake
Put on a brave face
Make it look so easy now
Like breathing in breathing out
Fragile I’m dancing on broken ice on
Swan lake

Megan’s original songs are well crafted, elegant and beautifully written. A truly gifted singer/songwriter, McKenna deserves a lot more recognition for her music as she surpasses a lot of the country chart toppers in our opinion. A lot of that comes from determination and hard work. Megan isn’t a reality tv star turned singer who just decided one day that she wanted to change careers. This is something she has always wanted and it shows. Teaming up with well established songwriters over the years, Megan is proving her worth, talent and place within these songs and I hope that she builds a long music career.

Good music is good music regardless of its genre and these songs are exactly that and should appeal to a wide range of music lovers, not just country fans. I would really like to see Megan on more country music festival line ups next year so she can be taken really seriously in the country music fanbase as she deserves. I think she will pleasantly surprise a lot of people.

I look forward to what she releases next.