Kirstie Kraus is a name driving a new vanguard of performance country with her album ‘Yes You Can,’ and singles such as “Something New” and “Tide Down,” pushing the sonic boundaries of modern country and allowing her to experiment with music styles and deliver a sound that is uniquely her own. We did a piece on Kirstie when she was in the UK on tour, a great little interview (link below), and it was a real pleasure to talk to her. She returned to the prestigious C2C Festival at the O2 Arena in London in 2024, marking her breakthrough year in the UK. After her five-week UK tour, her fan base has increased significantly. They are singing her songs back to her, including the duet track “Who Am I Gonna Love?” which received backing from Apple Music, Absolute Radio, BBC Introducing, CountryLine Radio, and numerous other radio and media sources.
In 2022, Kirstie Kraus released her debut album and accompanied it with a six-month headline tour throughout America, which served as the foundation for 2024’s increasing success. The album featured 11 tracks, including the big singles, and. Kraus received numerous honours, including seven nominations, for the LP, which was a hit. My personal favourite is a recent duet she did with Christie Huff, “Dab a Dolly.” You must check out the fun video for that one!
Mark Mulch is also based in Nashville as a singer-songwriter and producer. As far as I know, this is the first collaboration between the two artists.
My review:
It’s funny that this year I am doing two Christmas single reviews and both artists are based in Nashville! The single is out now on all platforms and is a spin on the classic Christmas song “Winter Wonderland,” a song written in 1934 by Felix Bernard and lyricist Richard Bernhard Smith. There have been some classy covers of this track over the years, a favourite of mine being by Broken Peach.
This cover takes a fun take on the classic that you can sing along to and take it as a fun pastiche.
“By the ocean we can build a sandman,
And pretend that he’s a circus clown
We’ll have lots of fun with Mr. Sandman.
Until the other kiddies knock him down.”
You know, with this type of song, I go to a base line of whether it makes me smile and it absolutely did. It’s a fine take on the track; gives it a refresh and if you are popping up those decorations or having that late-night piece of cake, then check it out; you will be singing along!
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You can stream music from Mark Mulch here
You can stream music from Kirstie Kraus here
By Anna-Louise Burgess