Five #LetTheGirlsPlay artists gathered in downtown Nashville recently to deliver their own version of Little Big Town‘s current single, “Better Man.”
The Song Suffragettes always pay tribute to the musical importance of a female performer, and nobody has been more single-handedly important in breaking down barriers, in country music and elsewhere, as Taylor Swift, who conquered country before leaving to go pop. Swift was recently revealed as the songwriter behind “Better Man,” and the five aspiring stars give the song a treatment that is somewhat different from LBT’s, while still honoring the spirit of it.
Kalie Shorr seems to be more and more the ringleader of the movement; as usual, she kicks off this performance and anchors it with acoustic guitar, delivering the opening lines in a muted, introspective near-whisper. Tenille Arts takes the next section, helping to build the intensity, and Lena Stone ratchets up another notch to set up the chorus, for which the ladies join in for the kind of group harmonies that LBT brought so beautifully to the song.
Ashley Gearing jumps in for the first part of the second verse, followed by Stone again, who gives way to Savannah Keyes as the group keeps ebbing and flowing in volume and intensity, crafting a performance that actually takes the song somewhere instead of simply singing it. Gracie Schram sings lead on the second chorus, again accompanied by group harmonies.
The Suffragettes consist of a rotating lineup of the best up-and-coming female singer-songwriters in Nashville, and their Monday night performances at the Listening Room offer them a platform for their original songs, ending each time with a group cover. Taste of Country features a new cover weekly, as well as a monthly feature article on one of the talented women. This month’s featured artist is Tenille Arts.
