Canberra-born and now resident in Sydney, Tara Favell has been writing and performing songs since the age of 14, and that teenage practice has turned into professional success, as Favell has appeared at the Tamworth Country Music Festival, Nelson Bay Country Music Festival and the Sydney Royal Easter Show three years running. And her new EP, Wild Heart, debuted at #1 on the iTunes Country chart.
Wild Heart is pure country pop – and if your tastes are anything like mine, that’s a very good thing. Favell’s voice is just right for this genre: adept, assured and with great range. Track 3, ‘Starting Over’, features rising country star Josh Setterfield, and ideally that won’t be their last collaboration as their voices work very well together.
Country pop and country rock are the genres that tend to drive audience attendance at large festivals around Australia. They may not suit the purists, but there has never been a form of music that has not evolved. If artists like Favell can bring their brand of country to new listeners, that is good for everyone under the country music umbrella, because she embodies some of the best qualities of country: she is authentic to her lineage and influences, and she produces great songs that are clearly constructed, written and performed from the heart.
Watch the single ‘Heart-Break’ on YouTube.
Wild Heart is out now.