Highlander Calum MacPhail's country-pop cover tops the iTunes Country Chart
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Highland singer and accordionist Calum MacPhail found himself and his new single at the top of the iTunes Country Chart – knocking Kenny Rogers The Gambler off the top slot.
The Gambler was out of aces after Calum and his band released his cover of The Bellamy Brothers' Let Your Love Flow on Friday and it went to the top of the country chart.
Calum – who is also a member of award-winning trad folk band Hò-rò – puts a fresh spin on the classic 1975 track.
"It's a bit crazy!" he said revealing the song went top ahead of tracks by Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton and Shania Twain, before slipping from the top spot. "It was number one for three days which I thought would be the case."
It's a song Calum says he remembers hearing on old records at home.
"It hasn't been covered for quite a few years. I was asked to sing it for a first dance at a wedding in June, and had started a country-pop project at the start of the year. When I started singing it, it seemed like a classic upbeat cover to take to the boys and to play at festivals.
"Not many people have covered it recently. We just thought we would get it released and see how we got on.
"It’s one of my favourite country songs from The Bellamy Brothers, an old classic country song that I have always heard and sung along with and wanted to create a fresh sound. It has a feelgood vibe to it.”
Calum was delighted with the single getting to number one in the ITunes Country Chart and it has reached number 42 in other genres.
On the track, Calum features on vocals and accordion, alongside Sean Cousins on acoustic guitar, Calum MacQuarrie on bass, Mark Scobbie on drums, Cathal Murphy on electric guitar and Ivan Steele on saxophone.
Calum released his first solo EP in 2017 and now has a new album coming up next year – he aims for it to be out on March 23. Calum says it will be a bit of everything – Scottish and Irish, country pop and folk, and also some funk in there as well.
"And there will be older Scottish and Irish song given a modern twist."
Calum, who originally comes from Fort William but now lives in Inverness, won the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards 2021 for original work of the year for his single 7 Years Old, which told the story of a child coping with a parent's addiction.
Recently, Calum released his first video singing Dougie MacLean's She Loves Me, with the song going viral on social media platforms. He has performed in Italy, Belgium, France, and Germany.
And this summer, Calum and the band played Belladrum and will be back next year.
Let Your Love Flow was recorded at GloWorm Recording Studios and was mixed and mastered by Ross Saunders in September. It's available to download and stream on all usual platforms.
