Photo credit Courtney Denelle
Rhode Island doesn’t typically come to mind as country music country, but Charlie Marie has never needed geography on her side. Her voice does the work — warm, commanding, and woven from the same thread as Kitty Wells, Tammy Wynette, and Emmylou Harris.
After her last album in 2021, she did what the best country songs are about: she packed up and drove. No plan, no destination — just American highways, mountain landscapes, and the music of John Denver, Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt, and classic country radio. She got lost in the landscape, the roads, and the music. It was apparently exactly what she needed.
She comes back strong with “Heart,” the lead single from her new album Signs. A relaxed country rocker with a gentle insistence, the song carries more weight than its easygoing feel lets on — a plea for humanity that becomes more potent once you hear the story behind it.
Says Charlie Marie about the song:
I went to a Black Lives Matter protest in Providence. I felt a lot of really heavy energy, rage and intense grief. It was the only protest I’ve been to. I went home, cried it out and wrote “Heart”. I wish I could say that I always felt unity consciousness, but that would be a lie. I can say I’ve touched it. “Heart” is a reminder of where we are all heading. At the end of the day we are all the same. We all just want to be loved and accepted. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of hurt people out there and so many don’t ‘really’ know what love is. The scary part is we first have to find it within our hearts before we truly share it with others. To do that you have to face all of the blocks and walls you’ve built to protect yourself. It isn’t easy, but you are worth it!
Twangville is honored to premiere “Heart” from the forthcoming album Signs (out June 5th).
About the author: Mild-mannered corporate executive by day, excitable Twangville denizen by night.