Introducing

...Karol Ann. ....... ... Dalane.......... ......Biz
LANTANA
They take their name, Lantana, from a prairie flower, and these three beautiful and talented ladies must have a blossoming music career in front of them. The Texas based group of Biz Haddock, Karol Ann DeLong and Dalene Richelle, has been together since 2005 but has undergone several personnel changes since it was originally formed by Biz in 2001

Biz originally worked in the telecom industry until she eventually found the courage to sing at a friend's wedding which led to 'open mic' and club sessions. Despite her musical ambitions she realised that a solo music career was not for her and hence the original formation of Lantana. By contrast both Karol Ann and Dalene started their musical aspirations at the tender age of 4 and their love of music and performing continued to grow over the years. Karol Ann was a solo artist some years ago and opened for Don Williams, Lorrie Morgan and the Kentucky Headhunters among others. Meanwhile, Canadian born, Dalene is an accomplished songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and has been a music teacher.

This trio of gorgeous women, who are all married with families, have a great passion for their music and this is evident from their excellent album "Unbridled". Since it's release they have been in great demand with numerous personal appearances, photo shoots, features in many newspapers and magazines including Country Weekly and Music City News and of course guesting on radio shows. The first single "Country As A Girl Can Be", a country-blues roots number, was the first from a female group to enter in the Top 10 of the Texas Music Chart since the Dixie Chicks. Other tracks on the album include "Ride 'Em Cowboy" - a slower paced song, "You Know How It Is" - a country rocker and "The Juice Ain't Worth The Squeeze" - written by Lantana. "Unbridled" is a truly remarkable debut album and highly recommended.

Lantana are the only independent artists to appear in The Dallas Morning News writer, Mario Tarradell's, Top 10 Shows and CD Picks for 2006 along with such artists as George Strait, Dixie Chicks and Willie Nelson. In the January 15th 2007 issue of "Country Weekly" magazine, the "Scoop" columnist, Larry Holden says of them "Lantana the oh-so-hot group made up of three mega-talented gals, is stirring up the Texas Music Chart -- and making inroads into the Nashville music scene" and "Unbridled is a true gem of an album, with the amazing honey-drenched harmonies of Dalene Richelle, Biz Haddock and Karol Ann DeLong driving every song".

Lantana's music has been described as "an edgy country sound" and "a polished yet roots-driven mix of country, blues, bluegrass and pop". For more information about Lantana and their music check out their website.made th lists.

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TIA McGRAFF
There are many talented country performers from Canada and Tia McGraff is certainly one of them. Raised in Port Dover, Ontario, Tia's love of music started at an early age when she performed in the '12 and Under' category in the Canadian Open Country Singing Contest. Her enjoyment of singing continued throughout her teens, being influenced by performers like Anne Murray and Linda Ronstadt. At the age of 19 Tia won the Female Open category in the contest which she had entered many years earlier. The prize money enabled Tia to buy a guitar, which she taught herself to play and her first song 'Mister' received major airplay throughout Canada.

Tia's first album, released in 1994, 'Small Town Life' was well received in Canada and Europe. Following the critical acclaim of her 1997 sophomore album 'Jewel's Cafe', Tia decided to move to Nashville in 1999. The move enabled Tia to not only hone her songwriting skills but also opened the door for her singing when she was asked to perform on a charity album 'One Tear Less' alongside performers like Olivia Newton-John, Kevin Sharp and Ricochet.
Tia has justifiably had positive comments about her songwriting and performing such as
"Tia McGraff is a fantastic singer with her own vocal personality which reminds me of an early Linda Ronstadt. She is a very intuitive songwriter who knows what a song needs to make it tick. A joy to work with. It's just a matter of time till that magic moment when everyone agrees it's Tia's time" - Randy Bachman
"I have seldom run into someone with a gift that needs to be heard as much as Tia. She colors outside the lines, and stands outside of the circle of tuned perfection. Tia McGraff is real and is really needed in today's marketplace of music" - Devon O'Day
Tia's latest album "Outside The Circle" is a must for anyone's collection and undoubtedly will be well received by reviewers and those who are wise enough to seek out a copy.
Tia and Tommy Parnham will be touring the UK - make sure you are in the audience as you will be in for a treat and certianly not be disappointed.
Check out Tia's dates on the tour page and for more information on this exceptional performer visit her website. Click here for details about Tia's UK Fan Club

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KELLY LANG
It was probably inevitable that country music would have a big influence on the life of Oklahoma born Kelly Lang because for many years she was exposed to the music of Conway Twitty, as her father was his road manager for 25 years.
In 1982, Kelly had a minor hit with "Lady, Lady" which resulted in numerous appearances on prestigious US TV shows such as "Ralph Emery's Morning Show", "Music City Tonight", "Statler Bros Show", Church Street Station", "Nashville Now" and "Star Search". She toured with many well known Country performers like Ronnie Milsap, George Jones, Ricky Skaggs and T G Sheppard.

In her late teens, Kelly surprised many people when she married, leaving the music behind her and spent several years bringing up her two daughters. However, that early exposure to Country Music did not die and she started writing songs drawing upon her personal experiences. The songs came to the attention of Lorrie Morgan and this encouraged Kelly to start recording again which eventually resulted in the excellent album "It's About Time" on the Destiny Row label. There are some great and moving tracks on the album including "Goodbye Darlin" a tribute to Kelly's early influence - Conway Twitty and the very personal "Single Mother". The album has been well received by radio and fans and just as it seemed going her way, in January 2005 Kelly announced that she had undergone an operation following being diagnosed with breast cancer. Kelly has to spend quite some time having chemotherapy and radiation treatment but she is determined that this will not stop her from pursuing her dreams.

For more information about Kelly and her visit her website

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KAREN TOBIN
Another talented singer/writer from the west coast of America,
Karen Tobin originally came from the Philadelphia area where she performed at local venues with her own band. While Karen took time off from from performing to bring up her two daughters, she stated writing and shortly after forming her own duo, 'Crazy Hearts'. The duo became widely sought after in the Los Angeles area. While performing at the Palamino Club, Keith Steagall saw her and it wasn't long before Karen was recording demos followed by an album "Carolina Smokey Moon".

Karen is a prolific songwriter and her songs have been recorded by various artists around the world and she can be heard singing on various film soundtracks. Karen's current album "That's What You Get" was released in 2003 and is certainly worthy of a place in anyone's record collection. It has received excellent reviews not least from the main UK Country Music magazines "Country Music People" and "Maverick.

For more details about Karen and her music then visit her website

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EVE SELIS
From the west coast of America, Eve Selis has been impressing audiences from Hollywood to New York and many places in between with her powerful and distinctive vocals. But it's not just audiences this lady has had an effect on. Eve has received excellent reviews for her albums including two reviewers in the UK's "Country Music People" magazine for "Long Road Home" and her current album "Do You Know Me".

Eve decided from an early age that she wanted to be a singer after listening to Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" and dreamt of appearing on a stage and playing to thousands of people. Little Girl's dreams? Not so with Eve. Growing up, performing at family get togethers, listening to folk and rock and singing in church eventually led Eve to join a band while in college. Eve, who wasn't singing Country at the time, started writing with Marc Intravaia and listening to the likes of Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams, Emmylou Harris, Hank Williams and Johnny Cash.

Judging from the three albums, I have heard, the praise given by the reviewers is spot on. Eve certainly knows how to write, has the ability to deliver the songs with passion, emotion and a great dynamism. The current album "Do You Know Me?" includes co-writes with Marc Intravina, Doug Crider and Kim Patton-Johnson, who incidentally also produced the album.

Eve is not only a writer and performer but is also committed to helping less fortunate people and supports various charities including one for battered women and abused children. Not only that she is a wife and mother and has great support from her family. This lady is obviously not short on talent, compassion and an enthusiasm for whatever she does. Her philosophy is "Do what you love and love those who are closest to you. Tell them you love them. Be in the moment and don't waste the precious time you have".

Eve visited the UK late in 2003 and in 2004 came twice including an appearance at the Americana Festival with her unique mix of Country, Americana and roots music. Eve is scheduled to be back in the UK in 2005 for the Americana Festival but until then visit her web site and give a listen yourself to the lady who has reviewers and audiences clamouring for more.

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SUZANNA SPRING
The respected American journalist, Robert K. Oermann, writing in "Music Row" magazine said 'Somebody give this lady a deal'. Much the same thing has been said in the UK by Alan Cackett when he reviewed Suzanne's album "She's Got Your Heart" in the March 2003 edition of "Maverick". So who is Suzanna Spring?

Raised in Northern California, Suzanna was exposed to the music of Emmylou Harris and Tom Petty which later led her to discover Steve Earle and Lucinda Williams. Whilst working in an ad agency as a graphic designer, she found her music and joined a Country rock band 'the Mustangs' as lead singer and writer and not only toured the US but also came to Europe. After the break-up of the group she started writing and a home made CD earned her a "DISCovery Award" and for 2 years was the lead singer with an alt. country band 'Ghost Town' and opened a show for Hal Ketchum. A publishing deal with Bluewater Music and working at Sound Emporium studios in Nashville resulted in Suzanne's excellent debut album "She's Got Your Heart". The album not only shows Suzanna's vocal abilities but also her superb writing skills as both a solo and co-writer.

During 2004, Suzanna has continued to raise her profile by appearing on WPLN's "Singwriter Sessions", performing on "Nashville's Folk Festival" and at Durango's Songwriter's Expo in Santa Barbara. She, who is an active member of NSAL, also took part in lobbying in Washington D.C. on behalf of writers' issues as well as performing at NSAI's songwriter showcase ay the US House of Representatives on Capitol Hill. Suzanna's song "The Sweetest Part" was included in a FoxSports compilation cd and one of her songs "Time" is the first single to be released form Doug Stone's forthcoming album

If you want to know more about Suzanna and why she is receiving rave reviews then visit her website where you can download some MP3s and her album can be purchased from CDBaby

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STEPHANIE URBINA JONES
She's been described by various Texas media as "one of the most talented individuals around" and having a "unique and superb voice that is a sheer delight on the senses". In the UK's "Maverick" magazine the editor Alan Cackett, in the review of her album states "Stephanie Urbina Jones is star material and this stunning album is proof a plenty"

So who is she? Undoubtedly, Stephanie is a beautiful lady but she also a very talented songwriter and singer. She has has songs recorded by artists including Lorrie Morgan "Shakin' Things Up", Jon Randall and Loretta Lynn's twin daughters, the Lynns. Born in San Antonio and brought up in Fredericksburg, Stephanie was exposed to a variety of music in her grandmother's house, with the sounds of Mexico and German oompah bands and to the songs of singer/writers in local dancehalls. However, following a family upheaval, Stephanie found great solace and comfort from music and this is cited as the catalyst for her great love of music in later life.

Heading for Nashville, following graduation from UT in Austin, it wasn't long before Stephanie got a publishing deal with "Shakin' Things Up" and although she continued to write, she wanted to sing and reach people's emotions. It was through another family event, the death of her grandmother, that Stephanie decided to trace her family heritage and explore her Texicana roots. This started her performing around Texas and eventually recording her debut album which consists of many autobiographical views of Stephanie's informative years.

Stephanie is hoping to visit the UK in the future but in the meantime we hope this brief resume of Stephanie Urbina Jones will encourage you to find out more about this talented performer and visit her website

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MELODY GUY
If you are a reader of UK's Country Music magazine "Country Music People", you may have heard of Melody Guy, as her album "Shoulda' Loved Me" was favourably reviewed in the January 2003 issue.
It's from her father , Bobby, who had dreams of making music, that Melody has inherited her passion for writing and performing. Strangely, much like her father, she was forced to put her dreams on hold when a family came along but personal circumstances meant she began to write and sing again.
Following a decision to attend a songwriters' conference she took a gamble on her songwriting skills and this subsequently led to a publishing deal and the making of her first album "Ready For Sunshine" in Nashville, which won her 3 awards in 2000.

The album "Shoulda' Loved Me" is semi biographical and follows the trials and tribulations of a mother who is going through a period of being 'single' to eventually finding a new love. However, that doesn't mean the songs are morbid, they are full of passion and a mixture of ballad and up tempo numbers. All the songs are either written or co-written by Melody, quite a few with 'the love she found', Matt Egert.

From performing at fairs at the age of 9 and writing songs at 15, Melody has progressed as an all-round singer/writer with her writing skills being compared to the likes of Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Kim Richey and Maria McKee. She has shared the stage with Martina McBride, Keith Urban, Lee Ann Womack, Rosie Flores, Sheree Austin and many more and the coming year should see a new album being released.

Melody is certainly an artist to watch out for in the future and you should definitely visit her website to listen to her music and find out more about this talented lady.