NEW ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Gloriana

Established through club gigs in North Carolina as a duo, brothers Mike and Tom Gossin moved to Nashville in 2007 and soon after hooked up with Rachel Reinert. Working now as a trio, they connected with Cheyenne Kimball, a member of the audience during one of their gigs at Nashville club 3rd & Lindsley; instrumentally as well as vocally, she proved the last ingredient in the sound of Gloriana.

They rehearsed for six months before sending a demo to Emblem Music Group. Matt Serletic, founder of the new record label, responded immediately, welcomed them to the roster and got to work lining up material for their debut album. With Stephanie Bentley and Josh Kear, he co-wrote their first single, "Wild at Heart." Rock-solid chords are their vocal trademark; on this track, they sing in a single, high-impact sound, roaming over a restless rhythm bed and climbing between verse and chorus to a peak of exuberant intensity.

Produced by Serletic, Gloriana overflows with an upbeat, attractive energy. Much of it stems from the material, from the electrifying opener "How Far Do You Wanna Go?" to the groupīs one co-write, with Kyle Cook, on "Time to Let Me Go," set over a relaxed train-track beat and sweetened by fiddle and steel. A lot owes to the positive qualities of the groupīs main influences, which range from Ryan Adams to Fleetwood Mac and Keith Urban. But ultimately itīs the performance that distinguishes this foursome — a union of voices so confident and strong that it seems guaranteed to succeed.

2009 CMA Close UpŪ News Service / Country Music AssociationŪ, Inc.