Danika Holmes - Lock Me In Tonight

Hear The Track Here

As crazed as this review list was at Soundclick is duplicated this month by requests from the Rebel Riffs blog which, over the past year or so, has actively contributed to the amazing amount of music I get to plough through. Up from the blog now, via the good word from Cyber PR, is Midwestern singer/songwriter Danika Holmes. Funnily enough, when I was over at her site the other day, I think I slobbered more over her guitars than her (she is very good looking) so I guess I really must be getting old huh? Aaaawwww poor me. So, like many of us, it would appear that music played a central part in saving her life and right there she has a fan in me. Anyone who can say that about music and actually mean that is a friend of mine. Moreover, again as I discovered at her site, she claims to be of the Americana persuasion and regular readers will know I am going to approve of that.

Big fan of Americana here.

Except that Lock Me In Tonight isn't Americana, at least not by my definition. What it is is country tinged pop music, aimed squarely at the American market from both the tone and style of the song, and the glossy sleekness of the accompanying video which you can see here. Having worked in the American music business on the ground, I learned one thing real quick. if you don't approach the thing wholly professionally you don't stand a chance. On that score, Danika has - to use a phrase - all her ducks in her row, and as good and entertaining as the video is, it's the song that counts in these quarters and no problem on that either. Lock Me In Tonight is a prime slice of American country rock that deserves all the attention it should get. I watched the video more than once or twice (from a professional view of course, not perving. No sir) and noticed that Danika has a more than passing resemblance to Dana Delany (China Beach anyone). OK so I was perving, shoot me...

As I say, as much as I do love a bit of terrific eye candy, what really counts is the music and - given time - Lock Me In Tonight comes on in gangbusting style. I admit that I had to listen to it a lot more than other tracks because - to be honest - it was a little too slick for my own personal tastes. However, when all is said and done, what counts more with me than anything else is conviction and style and that is what finally got me into the track. It's a track off her new album Second Chances which you can hear at her Reverbnation site. I listened to a couple of tracks and it sounds very good to me, particularly Second Chances itself and - an immediate fave with me - Pockets Full Of Gold. That is what I call Americana, in every way. A thing of beauty.

Commercial, sure. Highly Recommended country rock.