So much good country music coming out of Appalachia these days.
I stumbled across The Local Honeys a few weeks ago, watching a Western AF session they shot a little over a year ago.
And I have not been able to consume enough of their content since. Their Kentucky bluegrass roots, deep-hollar vocals, and raw lyrics combine for some damn good music.
The duo is comprised of Linda Jean Stokley and Montana Hobbs, both Kentucky natives that know how to capture the essence of their people. In their bio, they describe their sound as speaking to the new generation, the new Appalachia, and those who understand the hardships of Appalachian living.
If you haven’t gotten on the Local Honeys bandwagon yet, here are my five standout songs that speak to their sound:
“Dead Horses”
In the nation’s horse capital, this song touches on the compassionate souls that animal owners are. These lyrics speak to the hardships of owning herd animals and making a living from them.
Standout lyric:
“Wild horses are in excess
Herds growing by the day
The once-prized domestic pet
Ain’t worth the price of hay”
“Dying to Make a Living”
This song takes you straight into the coal mines of West Virginia. The lyrics hit home with all the trials and dangers miners face to provide for their families.
Standout lyric:
“Way down in the where he earns his pay
It’s dark and unforgiving
Diggin’ his coal, diggin’ his grave
He’s dying to make a living”
“Better Than I Deserve”
This song plays off a phrase Montana’s grandpa used. The lyrics take you through her grandpa’s backstory, and the phrase means that even though times might be bad, there is always something better.
Standout lyric:
“But the only truth I’ve ever known
You can’t take it with you when you’re gone”
“Cigarette Trees”
This song hits on the topic of the mountain top tree removals. This affected the coal miners, so they sing from the miners’ viewpoint. The lyrics hit on their frustrations and anger of their work being disrupted.
Standout lyric:
“Dig out our coal
Turn it into cash
Starve out our homelands
But keep your wallets fat”
“My Old Kentucky Home”
The Kentucky state song cover on their 2017 album, Little Girls Actin’ Like Men, shows their pride in their Kentucky roots. Their harmonies perfectly pay homage to their state and reiterate their focal point of being a voice for Appalachia.
Standout lyric:
“We will sing one song for My Old Kentucky Home.”
The Local Honeys kick off eighteen stop tour in July. With stops at festivals, local taprooms, and intimate venues across the U.S., make sure to catch them while you can.