Coles Whalen: OurStage Artist Of The Week

posted in: Artist Features • Country

Coles Whalen is our latest Artist of the Week here at OurStage. The country singer and songwriter has been on our Best of the Best charts for over 140 weeks, and perched at #1 on the Best of Country chart for the better part of that time. And it’s no surprise. Whalen’s voice is strong and commanding, but without the usual grit many singers employ when striving for power. Often delivering her lyrics in a kind of hushed whisper, they only come off as more insistent.

Whalen has just released her newest LP, Come Back, Come Back on XMG Records. It’s a collection of alternately seething and jubilant country songs. The Denver-based musician straddles the line between commercially accessible and alt-country, hitting the sweet spot for an artist possessing both soul and ambition. The lead single, Catch Hold captures this perfectly, with a flowing melody atop a clever arrangement that adds harmonies, banjo, shaker, and a subtle, phasey guitar solo to some roomy drums and bass as the song builds.

Having crossed the country many times, opening for the diverse likes of Rufus Wainwright, Paula Cole, and Joan Jett, Coles Whalen is no stranger to the road. Starting in May, she’ll be out again in support of the new record. Check out her tour dates below.