The Telstra Road to Tamworth reached the final corral on Tuesday night.

Gorgeous, talented Tenielle Musulin, 22, ex train driver from Karratha won out over hundreds of country music hopefuls to win the major performer’s prize, and Luke Webb, 26, from Blaxland in the Blue Mountains of NSW, won the songwriter’s prize.

Both have heaps of charisma and are amazingly talented and focused young people who are headed off to Nashville later in the year to help push them up the star charts. They’ll both look great on album covers too – though Lyle Lovett is living testament to country’s capacity to look beyond skin deep.

As Tenielle and Luke said, every one of the 10 finalists*, who performed two songs each for the final judging on the night, was a winner.  Poised, great voices, charisma, and all with a confident sense of self and purpose that adds rather than sucks life from a room.

For me, equally impressive was their capacity to do two things I fail to do well, at once – sing and play the guitar, or in Luke’s case also that trusty old country harp, the harmonica.

Most of their songs were self penned, and while love won, lost or gone off the rails dominated the subject matter, it was refreshing to hear a few new themes. David Agius’s ode to his grandmother – grandmothers got a couple of mentions – struck a chord with the mature crowd with the line:

“Will you remember me when I’m 83?”

David also got my vote in the People’s Choice award for deftly including a sponsor message in his song “Australian Breed”, a celebration of Aussies’ support for each other when the going gets tough, with the line:

“…maybe just a phone call to a friend in need…”

Luke Webb’s “Sudden change in the weather” and Craig Sinclair’s “Fertile Land” didn’t deliver on what I hoped would be some of the big country issues, like the drought, declining wheat prices…I might email Luke with a few suggestions to work on I while he’s in Nashville.

All the women artists frocked up – pity some of the male finalists looked more like they were taking a trip to Bunnings – stylists take note: we’re not looking for fringe-sleaved shirts, but dress them up a bit please!

Country glamour queens The McClymonts set the standard for heel height, and gave the night’s most spine tingling moments of harmony in their set, which convinced me to buy their new album, and Kick it up another notch on the Stairmaster – what legs! Brooke, Sam and Mollie have been travelling round the country adding heat to the Heats, and mentoring the finalists. Their music is more kick-ass new country, and you’re my Favourite Boyfriend of the Year is a damn sight more empowering than I Wouldn’t Want To Live If You Didn’t Love Me.

Hey…glory, glory, hallelujah, its Welcome to the Future as I feel myself coming round, and warming up to this new country music. 

Gallery

Photo credit:  Paul Spencer

* The Telstra Road to Tamworth Top 10 finalists, pictured in the main banner are [L-R]: Craig Sinclair, Luke Webb, David Garnham, David Agius, Aaron Bolton, Makaylie Foodey, Kristal Collins, Tori Darke, Imogen Clark, Tenielle Musulin