This is a very rare occurrence, me doing a feature (or work generally) before 9am. However, with the rest of my family still asleep (they all got back from Italy in the early hours and are crashed out), and the cats now napping after their sleep, the house is quiet and I felt like diving in! Rebecca Richards is interesting, as she was an artist we have known almost from the release of her first single, and it has been interesting watching things progress to the point of an EP release now and being featured on a television documentary (more in the interview section).
First I will share the press release from the EP, next I review the four tracks on the EP and then close things down with my conversation with Rebecca.
Press Release
“Stories From The Stable” is a collection of songs to be heard together. They bring together Richards’s writing range from raging jealousy, regret, resilience and emotional reflection. All songs have been written by Rebecca and performed and produced with Stef Judd of the Stable Studios (the inspiration for the EP name). It is a collection which draws together cinematic country production, taking the listener on a voyage through every emotion.
My Review
The EP was released August 21, 2026, so is out on all platforms now.
There are four songs and the EP lasts just over 15 minutes. I have heard three of the songs as previous releases; “Bring it all Back” is new. However, I decided to give them all a listen again! It is almost a greatest hits in the sense that the three pre-released tracks are certainly some of the strongest released so far from Rebecca (although I would have slipped “Sorry not Sorry” in there too).
“Aces are High” – as I raised in the interview, I do see this track as both an outlier in Rebecca’s sound and also the best she has done. It is a song with a strong, sad and powerful lyric, a country rock punch and a fine melodic chorus. It is an obvious opener for the EP. I will also mention the guitar sound and the whole vibe of the piece, which takes you into a Southern bar with a bourbon. This is the track of Rebecca’s that I revisit in my personal listening; it’s very good.
“Amber” is far more the sound that Rebecca makes hers. It is uplifting, squarely country, smiles toward “Jolene” and is one of those tracks that you slip into and relax with (my cat has just rolled over to have his tummy tickled while listening) – it is gently pleasing.
“Bring it all Back” is the new track. It is based on the true experience of choosing ambition over love and realising too late that it was the wrong decision. The song is slower and utilises a strong drum heartbeat alongside the chorus, which works really well. It would make for great radio play, Breakfast radio I think; I enjoyed listening with my cup of tea and toast!
“The House” closes the EP down. It is a slower track, piano-led. I hadn’t heard it for a while and I had forgotten that I liked it a lot. This is the late evening song for the EP, a song of memories and mists. You gently sway and fall into it.
In summary:
“Stories From The Stable” is a very good little EP, and one which feels like a genuine snapshot of where Rebecca Richards is musically right now. There is a consistency running through the four tracks, but they each have their own character, from the darker country-rock of “Aces are High” through the warmth of “Amber”, the breezy and catchy “Bring it all Back” and the reflective, almost misty atmosphere of “The House”. Rebecca talks in the interview about still evolving as an artist, and that is perhaps the most interesting thing here: she has clearly found a sound that works, while still being willing to explore where it might take her next. If you like your country melodic, story-driven and with a strong sense of atmosphere, this is well worth a listen.
The Interview:
I have been dipping in and out of your music as the country reviewer on the team for a while now, so I have certain expectations when I come across your releases – what expectation would you want that to be?
Rebecca: And I’m so grateful for you! Really. Rock The Joint has had my back right from the start! And… ooh, it’s hard to project what other people are hoping for, but what I’d hope you’d be looking for and finding in my music is (in no particular order):
- A melodic tune. I get bored quite easily if a song doesn’t have a tune that keeps me hooked in.
- A story. I love something that tells a tale. It’s OK if it’s a little opaque, I don’t mind having my own interpretation of what’s happening, but there has to be something that has some sort of a story to it.
- A polished production. I like to hear something that sounds professional; I can get distracted if something isn’t quite right, like an instrument not in tune or not in time.
- A nod to the tradition. Country has such a wide spectrum across the genre, I think it can be difficult these days to define. However, I think that as long as good music is being written and released, it shouldn’t really matter too much and we can’t all like the same things, it would get really boring. However, for me, my taste is probably more toward the traditional style of country than the very modern end and I hope that comes through.
A little birdie told me something about a trip to Nashville and a television programme on the way… are you allowed to elaborate on that at all for us?
Rebecca: Yes! An extraordinary thing happened last Autumn. You may have read that my entry into songwriting and releasing music was as a consequence of joining an online songwriting forum called Talent is Timeless. There’s a whole backstory of how my first release was something of an accident (!) but after getting going I thought I might as well carry on! The founder of Talent is Timeless, Saskia Griffiths Moore, contacted me last September to say she loved my song “The House” (which is on my EP) and asked if she could see me at my home in South Wales, visit the house after which it was written and meet my parents who still live there.
“But Saskia, it’s just a three-bed semi in Newbridge” was my response.
It turned out this was something of an excuse to surprise me with a trip to Nashville to record the theme tune to a TV show they are producing, of which I will be the “star” of episode 2. I haven’t seen it yet, but the episode will feature the trip to Nashville and everything I did there, as well as Saskia’s surprise announcement and a headline show they filmed me performing at in London in March this year. It was an amazing experience and I’m excited to see what it looks like from behind the camera lens.
The single I recorded in Nashville, “Never Too Late”, was released in March to coincide with the headline show. I’m not entirely sure when the episode will be available to watch, it will be sometime between now and Christmas. Watch this space!
In 2022, when you last spoke to us, you said “As for finding my sound, I don’t know. I feel I’m still evolving, although my passion will remain in telling a tale (usually from a first-person perspective) with lovely chords to underpin the melody; everything else is the dressing on top and will depend on the producer I’m working with.” Does that still hold, or would you amend that now?
Rebecca: I think that in working with Stef Judd, the producer for this EP, we’ve definitely created a style for these particular songs and I love how he’s produced them. He’s been incredible to work with and works really closely with me to help create my vision for these songs. To me they feel quite cinematic and full. I can imagine these being the soundtrack to a movie or a drama.
I still think it’s an evolution for me though. I’m already recording my next project with a different studio – Inspire Studios – and it will sound a little different, probably even more in the traditional vein but definitely British Country. I’m trying an approach which is a Nashville style where all the instruments are recorded at the same time to give it more of a live feel. This is the approach I used to record in Nashville, so I’m playing with it to see whether it’s something I’d like to do more of in future.
As for my songwriting, this continues to evolve and I’m exploring doing much more co-writing, which has been really enjoyable. I’ll be releasing another single at some point, co-written with someone I met at a songwriting weekend in North Wales. It’s not Country and lyrically is very different to anything I’ve written, but you will probably recognise that tuneful, well-produced approach when you get to hear it!
I was pleased to see “Aces are High” on the EP, I’m going to stick it straight out there and say it is my favourite of anything you have done – it is actually (in my view) an outlier in sound, more angst, less dreamy, and kicks into this adventure lyrically – tell us about it please – where did that come from?
Rebecca: You know, I really worried about releasing “Aces” once it was produced and ready. I mean, I absolutely love it, Stef nailed the brief to be exactly how I wanted it to sound, but lyrically it’s so damn dark!! Even now when I play it live I worry about triggering someone in the audience!
It’s based on a conversation I heard at the pub one day. Two teachers (who didn’t name the person they were talking about) were discussing a past pupil who had been brought up in very difficult circumstances. A father in and out of prison, drugs present in the family home, crime being committed by other family members, lots of comings and goings. One said to the other, “goodness knows what that girl has witnessed and yet she’s turned her back on it all, wants nothing to do with how they are living and decided to live her life entirely differently. Can you imagine what strength that must have taken?”
From overhearing that conversation I invented the story behind “Aces are High” with a little twist of revenge at the end. I’m so glad you love it!
You can invite one artist – past or present – into the rehearsal room for a day, who would it be, and why?
Rebecca: Oh, I think that might have to be Glen Campbell. I don’t know why, but his voice moves me so much. I’d want to see him sing up close and personal. Talk to him about what he’s thinking when he sings, what he does to create such a presence in the way he tells the story with his voice. Magical!
There is one brand new song on the EP, “Bring it all Back” – to me that was very you – very country girl and very melodic with this breezy chorus – was it written recently or one you had in your back pocket?
Rebecca: It’s actually one of the first songs I wrote, so it’s been with me for a few years. I hadn’t sung it live until this past year though (somewhere on YouTube you’ll find me and my friend Kath singing it about 5 or 6 years ago!). I just thought with my expanding repertoire of songs, it’s quite a catchy one to sing live and fits well into a set. I’ve noticed people humming the tune after we’ve been rehearsing it or joining in when we’re performing live, so it made sense to record it and hopefully people can sing along when they come see me.
It is based on a true story, I did actually tell someone I was dating not to fall in love with me because I was going off to do bigger and better things at the end of the summer. How rude, lol. Again, I love how Stef has produced this with me, that banjo really sets it off.
I know you balance the day job alongside your music career, do you find your work colleagues more aware of what your other life is nowadays?
Rebecca: At first I think people felt awkward to ask and still lots of people have no clue that when I go home I become Rebecca the country artist. But I do occasionally get caught off guard when someone asks me if I have any gigs coming up or mention something they’ve seen me do online. My immediate team and boss have been great though, really supportive and I think pleased for me that I get to pursue something I love doing outside of the day job and generally loving life!
Lots of people ask me when I’m giving up work to do music full time and although it would be a dream, it just doesn’t pay well enough to be able to do that at this stage, maybe one day……
It is a hard winter’s night. The tour van has broken down and a harsh wind blows through the darkness. Nearby you discover what appears to be an abandoned house. There is a roaring fire, a table laid with hot food, electricity still works… and somehow nobody is there.
Rebecca: I call out to see if there’s anyone in other rooms or out the back but still there’s no-one. At first, I’m hesitant at taking what isn’t mine and for a while go back to sit in the van hoping someone comes along the road that I can safely flag down for help.
After a while I’m cold and hungry, so I venture back to the house. I still can’t bring myself to eat the food that’s been prepared, so I look in the cupboards and find a tin of soup that I heat in the microwave, making a note to repay the debt once I’m back in civilisation.
I eventually fall asleep beside the fire……
When I wake, it’s early morning and the dawn-lit windows tell me that frost arrived in the night. Still no-one has come to claim their home, but there is a note on the table that I could have sworn wasn’t there last night, and it has my name on it……….
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By Lorraine Foley
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