Abby Christo first came to prominence when, in 2015, she appeared on X- Factor NZ as part of duo Mae Valley who has significant success with their debut EP and played alongside country stars such as Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood and Kelsea Ballerini.
Abby released her debut solo EP a few years ago and is now working on the second. Note To Self is the first to be taken from that. I must confess, the first time I played this I was not a fan of the production as it seemed too over the top and poppy for a country song, but the more I listened the more I realised she has a wonderful voice and the song comes across very well indeed. I know I have a personal dislike of songs I feel are too produced, so to get a second opinion I played it to my amazing wife who immediately said, “I REALLY like it”, which is very high praise indeed.
The video is in the same country/pop crossover vein in that we find Abby on a farm, sometimes driving an old American car, sometimes laid on a sofa (amazing what you can find on farms), miming in a field, or on a road, changing outfits three times, and it has the polish which comes through on the song, while also maintaining a very modern feel. Country purists may find this too close to the pop scene in one way or another, but I can guarantee that after a few plays you will also be singing along on the chorus.
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About the author Kev Rowland
From 1990 – 2006 I ran Feedback fanzine in the UK, writing about bands that were rarely covered in the mainstream press, many of whom were in the underground scene. I built close ties with many British Progressive groups in particular, including writing the newsletter for Freewill, getting gigs for Credo and writing the introduction to Galahad’s OCMDII compilation. I reviewed literally thousands of cassettes and then CDs from bands from throughout the world, and was lucky enough to interview many of them. During this period I also contributed to the French progzine Acid Dragon, wrote for the music newspaper Rock ‘n’ Reel and was also involved with the Ghostland website. In 2006 I moved to NZ, and stopped running Feedback (which was then renamed Amplified after I left, at my request) having produced over 80 editions with more than 11,000 pages of print and heaven knows how many reviews
More by Kev Rowland
Gig Review: Crushfest @ The Tuning Fork, Auckland – 07/07/2023
Single Review: Love and War
Single Review: All This Time
Single Review: Sons of Savages
Gig Review: Stray Dogs @ AUX, Auckland – 26/05/2023
Gig Review: Turkey The Bird @ The Ministry of Folk, Auckland – 27/05/2023
Single Review: Beautiful Creature
Gig Review: Emily Rice @ Your Local Coffee Roasters, Pukekohe – 24/05/2023
EP Review: Bridge City Crew
Single Review: Your Heart of Gold
Single Review: The Strangest Dream
Single Review: No Funeral Blues
