Reviewed by Ian Phillips.
By Gretta Ziller, Universal Music 2021.
Melbourne songstress Gretta Ziller blends many differing genres together in her interpretation of modern country music as her latest single, Fan The Fire, attests.
With a musical background that spans roots, rock, blues, jazz, pop and classical genres she has an impressive array of skills to call upon.
Like Kate Miller-Heidke she actually started her career as an opera singer but she was also a bagpipe teacher and apparently the bagpipes still find a place in her live sets.
It’s an unusual, one would say almost unique, combination.
Apparently she’s renowned for doing a great version of ACDC’s Long Way To The Top, after all there can’t be too many musicians who can emulate Bon Scott’s ability to both play the pipes and sing.
And like Miller-Heidke Gretta’s early classical training gives her great vocal flexibility.
However it’s her bowerbird approach to her music that I find so appealing. She defies being pigeonholed as a “Country Artist” although this latest single still draws heavily on country traditions.
Gretta’s 2017 debut album, Queen Of Boomtown, won substantial praise and was short listed for the Australian Music Prize as part of The Age Music Victoria Award.
It was the eclectic nature of her music that so inspired the music critics and judging panel and it’s these qualities that attract me to her music.
She has stated that she’s working on a follow-up to Queen Of Boomtown to be released sometime this year and maybe Fan The Fire is an early single release.
Fan The Fire is a good track and augers well for the up-coming album.
It’s got enough country DNA to satisfy the purists while being accessible to mainstream listeners.
