Awesome, Canadian Music Week, Country, country music, High Valley, Jess Moskaluke, Madeline Merlo, The Great Hall, Toronto Entertainment, Music, Reviews
Saturday night at Canadian Music Week is a big one. Big shows, big crowds, and the unofficial end to a week jam-packed full of music. So it should come as no surprise that the country music show at The Great Hall was busy, loud, and pumping out fantastic music that everyone in the room was into.
The SiriusXM House lineup of Madeline Merlo, Jess Moskaluke, and High Valley brought a heap of hits, energy, and star power to the stage. Canadian country fans know their music, buy their albums, and see them on tour whenever they come through town. So it was no surprise to hear cheers and sing-alongs through the night.
What was an awesome surprise was hearing brand new, unreleased music from both Madeline and Jess. We've been lucky, as fans, to hear everything these two women have released to date, and all of their fans are going to be lucky to hear these new songs... because they were good, and a lot of fun.
And while it was no surprise at all, High Valley was awesome. But more on that coming up.
The first on stage, and very clearly ready to put on a show and get the Saturday party started, was Madeline Merlo.
With her energy up, a big smile on her face, and the band ready to go, Madeline started with Honey Jack, which is always a good choice for her. The crowd, full of energy, just as much as Madeline on stage, sang along to the radio hit and set the tone for what was to come.
And what came, was awesome. Brand new music, including Fresh Out and Flamingo Motel, which will be her next single radio single, was awesome to hear. The upbeat track is a lot of fun, and got feet moving and heads nodding and people excited for what's next from the Maple Ridge, BC artist.
We already knew that Madeline was good, Canadian country fans already knew, but the strength in her voice and performance on Saturday night at CMW was as much confirmation as we'd ever hope to see. She killed it and proved that her name belongs in the conversation with any of the top female artists that anyone can think of or name or want to see and hear.
Job well done!
Madeline Merlo, CMW 2017 Set List
✰ Honey Jack
✰ Whatcha Wanna Do About It
✰ Motel Flamingo
✰ Over And Over
✰ Fresh Out
✰ Sinking Like A Stone
✰ Summer Made Me Do It
✰ Neon Love
✰ War Paint
Jess Moskaluke, the 2014, 2015, and 2016 CCMA Female Artist of the Year and 2017 Juno Winner for Country Album of the Year hit the stage in the middle of the show.
Adored by the crowd, and her fans from coast-to-coast, Moskaluke hit the stage and got a full buy in from the Toronto audience at The Great Hall. They loved her. Loved her voice. Loved her band. Loved her energy and willingness to give everything she had in her show.
And her voice... in top shape, and impressing the hell out of everyone, was sweet and powerful and exactly we could have hoped to hear. But the best thing we heard from her was that there will be a new album in 2017.
That's right, Jess Moskaluke will release a new album, full of new music, in 2017!
To see where Jess is now, from where she started and where she was when we first met and featured her with a Q&A. She's amazing. She's talented. And she deserves every single bit of success that finds its way to her.
High fives and hugs.
Jess Moskaluke, CMW 2017 Set List
✰ Night We Won't Forget
✰ Used
✰ Save Some Of That Whiskey
✰ Kiss Me Quiet
✰ Good For You
✰ Kill Your Love
✰ Take Me Home
✰ Elevator
✰ Lightning Bolt
✰ Drive Me Away
✰ Cheap Wine & Cigarettes
Brad and Curtis Rempel, the farm boy brothers from Alberta that are High Valley, closed the show and were the main event headliners that we knew they were.
These guys are the real deal, earning a reputation for themselves in the United States the way they have in Canada since we first heard songs like On The Combine and I Will Stand By You.
On stage on Saturday night, High Valley hit the ground running. They were there for the Toronto crowd, and were clearly prepared for a big night. The crowd was prepared too, they were loud (like really loud), and they sang along (like really loud), and it was easy to see that these brothers were loved.
And even early in the set, before they'd had a chance to get to some of their biggest hits, there was an energy spike when they turned County Line into Fishin' In The Dark, just for a minute.
We've seen High Valley a few times over the last few years, and we will continue to see them whenever we have the chance. They are that fun to watch. They are that good on stage. And album by album, they continue to put out music that we can get into - and that country fans in Canada, the United States and beyond can get into as well.
High Valley, CMW 2017 Set List
✰ Dear Life
✰ Come On Down
✰ Rescue You
✰ County Line
✰ Be My Baby Tonight
✰ Young Forever
✰ Every Week's Got A Friday
✰ Roads We've Never Taken
✰ Father's Love
✰ I'll Fly Away
✰ Love You For A Long Time
✰ She's With Me
✰ Make You Mine
✰ I Be U Be
