In September, singer-songwriter Judy Blank made history by becoming the first Dutch artist ever to play AmericanaFest. She released her piano-driven debut album, When The Storm Hits, in 2014 which earned rave reviews and quickly positioned her as an international artist to watch. We covered her excellent single Mary Jane last year.

With new track 1995, Judy Blank delivers a classic Americana-inspired mix, crossed with folk-pop, on the back of her soaring lead vocal and emotional vibrato. She is a well-established artist in the bubbling roots scene that curries talent between Amsterdam and Nashville, and delves deep into the jazz and country roots of American folk music along with fellow Dutch artists Lotte Walda and Octave Lissner, just to name a few. Judy Blank fell in love with folk music when she interned in an elementary-school music class in Louisiana, but for so many songwriters around the world, all it takes is a little taste of Loretta Lynn, or June Carter Cash, or Bill Monroe, to fall in love with that Southern lilt, and the musical legacy of a bygone century. 1995, the latest from Judy Blank, explores the opposing forces of love and freedom as she muses on where her heart will lead her, backed by a live acoustic ensemble and the vague conviction that this is not yet her time to settle down.

This song is featured on our Country playlist.