With the release of her second album, Two Kids and a Radio, Melody Moko provided further proof of what had been clear on her debut album, The Wreckage: that she is a songwriter prepared to delve into the stuck places of life as well as the glorious open spaces, and that as a singer she will passionately deliver the stories she writes. For the single ‘Like Hank Would’, from that second album, she won a Golden Guitar earlier this year. That album is full of gems, and it was hard not to listen to it and wish that there was even more of it.
Moko may have heard those silent wishes, as she has now released a new single, ‘Good Man’, that was a demo recorded for Two Kids and a Radio and didn’t make the final cut. It’s a cautionary tale about believing someone’s actions instead of their words, especially if it’s someone insisting he’s a good man when he’s clearly not. ‘I wrote this about a close friend,’ says Moko. ‘It was my comment in a conversation that wasn’t mine to have, a great way for a songwriter and friend to give their advice!’
The single was released with two other tracks. One is ‘In My Father’s House’, which is another demo for a song that didn’t make the album. Both songs are powerful and immediate in their original state, and absolutely deserved to have an outing. The third track is Moko’s cover of Dolly Parton’s ‘Hard Candy Christmas’ which appeared on the compilation A Merry Alt. Soul. And in a way this whole release is like an early Christmas present for Moko’s fans, so that seems appropriate.