CALAMITY JANE
“Devil Went Down To Georgia”
Feat. CAMILLA RAE
(Single Review)

Lucy Cantley began at her musical career at the age of 6 and some of her greatest musical accomplishments include touring Europe with the Princeton Orchestra as a featured solo artist, studying with renowned teachers from the Juilliard and Cincinnati Conservatories, and sharing the stage with the acclaimed artists Sarah Chang and Joshua Bell.

In 2017 Lucy moved to Nashville to pursue a different kind of musical career and soon made headlines forming and leading Troika, which went on to win the renowned NashNext 2018, a prestigious competition involving Big Machine Label Group (Taylor Swift, Reba McEntire, Rascal Flatts, Trisha Yearwood) and Nash FM. Shortly after, Lucy broke away from the group to pursue a solo career, which ultimately led to her forming Calamity Jane, a collaborative group project featuring various artists. This new track, a reimagined version of the classic Charlie Daniels Band song from the 70s, is Calamity Jane’s debut release and what a sure-fire tune to kick off the project with.

Lucy’s remarkable playing is bolstered here by Camille Rae’s impassioned vocal, injecting new spirit into the country-pop track. Utilising the song’s wonderfully enticing narrative and its jaunty melodic fire, Calamity Jane have blended their unique characteristics, in this case, Camille’s vivacious cadences and Lucy’s amazing virtuosity, to create a modernized and impactful version without detracting from the combustibility of the original 1979 track. It’s savvy and seductive without sacrificing any of the charm of the song’s internal engine. This cracks along at a rollicking pace, as infectious and fresh-sounding as if it were a track you’re hearing for the first time.

Folktronica is the term coined for the style of music Calamity Jane perform, and although this latest seems to have more country, pop and rock about it than folk or electronica, it presents a wonderfully engaging introduction to this fascinating new musical project.