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John McDonough Blends Folk With Rock Royalty-Inspired Vocals On “Shooting Star”
Country singer/songwriter troubadour John McDonough is back with a new single off his We’ll Answer The Call EP, named Shooting Star. This outlaw country gem has shades of blues, folk, and traditional country infused into a narrative while being performed in an almost theatrical approach. What this means is a rough groove, a visceral guitar, and a saloon-style sounding piano all pulled together with a voice worthy of Broadway. Shooting Star tells many tales to outline the overall theme and message John McDonough is trying to convey; “Never stop looking for your shooting star, Never let others decide who you are”. Shooting Star follows a strict groove throughout the verse and chorus section, a bluesy, deep groove, one with a defiant edge to it. This groove becomes separated in the bridge section. With a light piano interlude breaking up the guitar melodies this allows the recapitulation to be expressed with an almost acapella feel. This contrasting melody coupled with the overall presence of the vocals gives this track so much power, a power that keeps the listener glued to each passing stanza, eager to see where John McDonough is going next.
Shooting Star is a highly professional and mature offering, each lyrical line is expertly annunciated while each chorus section pulls the entire musicality together giving this track a pop-inspired structure. With that said, Shooting Star would make an excellent addition to any contemporary Country, Adult Contemporary, and even Rock radio format. I do not believe John McDonough was intending the Rock market for his target demographic, but with vocals reminiscent of the late Meat Loaf, and guitar harmonies channeling Steve Earle, classic Rock enthusiasts will flock to this modern, and catchy sound. A perfect lead-off track to his latest album, Shooting Star is a great jam to set the tone for the rest of the offering John McDonough has in store. A highly enjoyable track, coupled with a wonderfully uplifting message, Shooting Star should be an addition to any upbeat playlist.
–Lee Callaghan
Artist Spotlight
“Subterranean Homesick Blues” finds a new direction through Ghost of Panama
Rearranging a song that carries six decades of cultural weight is a creative challenge, but Ghost of Panama approaches “Subterranean Homesick Blues” with clear purpose. The rock band radically reworks Bob Dylan’s counter-culture hit, reshaping its identity while keeping its rebellious spirit. It’s a tribute to musical heritage and a statement of artistic independence all in one.
This new interpretation is very much shaped by the production, made at Ghost of Panama’s home studio in West London. The setting allows an intimate approach to reinterpreting a familiar song and lets the group engage directly with the material, taking it in a new artistic direction.
“Subterranean Homesick Blues” centers on the tension between conservation and transformation. Ghost of Panama is true to the song’s rebellious spirit without adding to its legacy, and this approach gives the release an adventurous feel, grounded in countercultural energy but driven by a desire to see what the composition can become in a different musical context.
Their version of this 60-year-old classic shows that respecting a song’s history can also mean breaking the rules and finding new ways to express its spirit. Fundamentally, “Subterranean Homesick Blues” presents Ghost of Panama as artists who want to engage with the past without being tied to it. The release’s strongest identity is a familiar heritage reimagined through a singularly forward-looking creative vision.
Artist Spotlight
“NO MORE” by Amanda Holley connects healing, awakening, and survival
“NO MORE“ carries that kind of emotional weight, and some songs feel like they come from lived experience but reach for something bigger. Amanda Holley blends R&B and soul, turning a lifetime of survival into a vision of healing, awakening, and the determination to move beyond what caused the pain.
“NO MORE“ is a healing anthem for people who have gone through bad experiences and reached a place of higher awareness, but it’s also an emotionally charged protest. The duality is introspective and outward-looking at the same time, turning personal survival into a broader declaration that some experiences, conditions, or cycles should end.
Holley had a premonition of the song six months before the world went into global shutdown. In the vocal booth, working out melodies with her collaborators, she pictured people in the streets. Those images were hard to imagine at the time, but subsequent events would make them painfully familiar.
“NO MORE“ is given a particularly contemplative underpinning by the context. The identity of R&B and soul leaves room for emotion. The song’s themes link survival, awakening, resistance, and the need for change. Amanda Holley is an artist using music to process personal endurance and a broader sense of social awakening. It’s got a complicated significance, and its release feels like a glimpse of a moment when personal intuition and public reality collided in an unexpected way.
Photo Credit: Yulia Shusharina
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