Tami Neilson over for one exclusive European performance at Black Deer Festival

It's always fun to hear how people describe Tami Neilson when they first hear her perform. As one member of the press exclaimed, she is “a red-hot honky-tonker landing somewhere between Patsy Cline and Wanda Jackson with a little bit of Peggy Lee sophistication.” From being cradled as a baby in the arms of Roy Orbison, to performing a duet with Willie Nelson, you would think that Tami Neilson lived a country music fantasy life.

She’s laden with every music award her adopted homeland New Zealand can muster, but the queen of Kiwi country deserves a wider audience. "Kingmaker", her fifth album may help locate it, boasting a duet with Willie Nelson on Beyond the Stars, a waltz full of tumbling guitars and sweeping strings with Neilson soaring effortlessly above. Strong-voiced 50s divas such as Patsy Cline – of whom Willie is reminded – remain a central strand of Neilson’s work and she handles a potentially saccharine number with brio, its accompanying video exhibiting Neilson’s impressive way with gothic frockery.

Each of her releases has pushed the singer/songwriter’s boundaries, leading to this: her finest, most idiosyncratic, and captivating work which, to her credit, there are few comparisons for. The short 33-minute album closes on a percussive heavy, psychedelic wah-wah guitar swamp blues stomp as Neilson again confronts sexism in the music industry with the subtlety of a military tank. It's a smart, fun album with a lot to say. Tami Neilson is a reminder of the soul - shattering effect of the human voice at the height of it's powers.

This summer Tami Neilson will be in Europe of one exclusive show:
17/06: Kent, UK - Black Deer Festival