When Sara Storer released her single ‘Under Darwin Stars’ last year it was lyrically within the pantheon of her work – wonderful details that created a world and a story told from the heart – and musically moved things along, as did its successor, ‘Layers’.

I spoke with Storer for both releases and in the ‘Layers’ interview she mentioned that some people thought she didn’t ‘want it’ enough – didn’t want a music career as much as others did – because she had taken time to raise her four boys and, well, live life. That subject emerges in her song ‘Sing Her Heart Out’ from new album Worth Your Love, and in it Storer reaches straight out of the song and into your heart – as she always does, and as she does with each song on this album that is about the colour and darkness and joy of being alive.

There is no other artist in Australian music – in any country’s music – like Sara Storer, and while that can be said of other artists, there’s a certain magic to her songs which makes her special. Some of the clues to that are in her upbringing, which we speak about in this new interview. Mostly it’s just her and that creative flow that is so much a part of her life that she’s now an exhibiting painter. She is curious and thoughtful and always learning, always trying new things as an artist. That makes for a great experience for a listener – and for an interviewer, because there’s never a dull moment!

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While they’re not currently releasing new music, McAlister Kemp remain one of the most popular acts in Australian country music, renowned for their blend of high-energy country rock with great vocals from both Troy Kemp and Drew McAlister, and songs that touch on a range of subjects that people can relate to, meaning they take those songs into their own lives.

So fans are abuzz with the news that the pair are to play a show on 22 January at the 2026 Tamworth Country Music Festival at one of the festival’s favourite venues, Blazes at West Tamworth Leagues Club (full details below). The show is called Night on Fire, after one of their songs, and it promises to be just that.

Kemp now lives in Nashville, and when we spoke recently he filled me in on the story of how he came to move there – during the pandemic, no less – and how it’s going for him. And the interview came during what might be the last quiet time in Kemp’s life, because his wife is due to give birth to their first child any day! Suffice to say he is beyond excited about the arrival of his daughter, who will be accompanying Dad to Tamworth in January.

It's been a while since I’ve had the chance to interview Kemp and he was, as ever, great to talk to. And I may or may not tried to cajole him into recording more duets with female singers, an artform I believe he excels at (for reasons I state). Of course, duets with McAlister are baked into the McAlister Kemp sound, and thankfully there will be plenty of those in January.

Tickets are on sale now for what promises to be an absolute festival must-see and a night on fire to remember!

McAlister Kemp | Night on Fire

Thursday, 22 January 2026, 8.30 p.m.

Blazes Showroom, West Tamworth Leagues Club

Tickets available from Wests: https://wtlc.com.au/event/mcalister-kemp/

Cost: $50 Adult, $30 Child

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Every now and again - when I have time - I like to put together an episode with new tracks I'd like to bring to your attention, and embed those songs in this podcast episode. So I hope you enjoy listening to the following tracks:

Roo Arcus – ‘Lonesome for the Lone Star State’

Loren Ryan – ‘BOUNTY’

Jay Santilli – ‘Rewind’

The Kunins – ‘One Way Flight’

Nathan May – ‘Darwin Son’

Brooke Schubert – ‘What Next’

The Pleasures – ‘Was it Something I Said?’

Lyn Bowtell ft Kate Ballantyne and Karen O'Shea – ‘I Don’t Wanna Say’

Nathan Lamont – ‘What Comes After’

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Sweet Talk are a six-piece band from Melbourne who combine passion for their craft with a phenomenal work ethic, mixed with camaraderie and curiosity, to create songs that aren’t definably one genre but which could be described, fundamentally, as highly entertaining. Their debut album, Switch On, is a vibe – a cool, entrancing vibe that draws listeners in and keeps them there.

Lead guitarist Soren Walker and fellow guitarist David Turner are the co-founders, co-songwriters and heart of the band, and I’ve interviewed them together before, so it was great to have the chance to talk to them as a duo again to find out more behind this collection of songs, several of which have been released as singles.

There is a lot more to discover on the album, though, with several songs addressing the vagaries of life as a musician – and, more broadly, what it means to decide to commit oneself to a creative path.

Sweet Talk took their time creating this album because, as they say in the interview, it’s their first record and they didn’t want to rush it – they were making it for themselves. They worked with producer Robert Ellis, and there’s a great story about how that came about – you’ll have to watch/listen to the interview to find out what it is!

Switch On is an embodiment of the high standards the members of Sweet Talk hold themselves to, and which have taken them to festival stages and on tour, most recently supporting Red Clay Strays. They are certainly building momentum, a welcome consequence of the work and dedication and talent that has gone into their music.

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Amber Lawrence is one of the busiest Australian country music artists working today and the reason why could be summed up simply: she’s excellent at what she does. That would really simplify things, though, because the ‘excellent’ and ‘what she does’ parts have history and work and application and talent behind them.

Since the start of her career, over twenty years ago, Lawrence has been a notable songwriter, combining story detail and emotion to create songs that resonate with all sorts of people. Her latest single is ‘Comeback Queens’, which was written with Melanie Dyer, and the detail of it is what makes the fun of it so effective – and fun is the dominant emotion in this song, which is one of the things we discuss in this new interview.

These days Lawrence is also a touring artist with an extensive schedule that has taken her around the country for the past year or so, playing towns and cities and all sorts of venues. Just as her songs appeal to people of all ages, so do her shows – and that’s not even including her children’s shows, which contain songs from her Kid’s Gone Country albums.

One of the biggest live commitments she has coming up is as the host of this year’s Deni Ute Muster, which is taking place in Deniliquin, NSW, from 3 to 4 October. Details at https://www.deniutemuster.com.au. We also have a chat about what that involves, and also about past Denis.

Before that there’s a range of shows to play and new music to plan, working with her longtime producer Stuart Stuart. Lawrence’s previous album, Living for the Highlights, was released in 2022, so fans – including this one – will be keen for more new music. Lawrence isn’t making a comeback, because she’s never been away, but ‘Comeback Queens’ is a fitting way to lead us towards the music to come. And it was, as ever, great to catch up with her ahead of a big second half of the year.

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Where do you start with an artist like Jenny Mitchell? That is, how does one start writing about her? If I were to listen to all the tips and tricks for SEO and engagement and whatnot, I’d run this piece through AI and ask it to incorporate keywords. For a little while I tried to make this Sunburnt Country Music content SEO-friendly because that’s what a person is supposed to do these days, but it took longer than writing it the old-fashioned way and it wasn’t fun to do and it had no heart and what I’m really in the business of here – what the artists I cover are in the business of too – is heart. And soul. And stories. And magic.

Magic is where we should start with Jenny Mitchell. The Aotearoa New Zealand-born and raised country-folk artist has produced three albums of it – The Old Oak, Wildfires and Tug of War – and now adds a fourth, Forest House, that was named after the place where it was created, and that’s a story she tells me in this interview in which we also talk about her lengthy Australian tour with Kasey Chambers; about her musical father and sisters; about creating a song for her mother that appears on the album. About Mitchell being the den mother to her band as they assembled in the forest house. Or, as I see it, Mitchell creating the circumstances for this glorious album to arise.

Magic is not so much baked into Forest House as it is part of Mitchell’s fabric. Her voice – that voice! – comes from a place beyond this planet and her songs are right there to meet it. Anyone who has seen her perform live knows that she is an extraordinary artist who is both ethereal and grounded. That’s what comes across on Forest House too – there’s the growly, gutsy part of her and the part that floats above and around us all.

Magic is what AI can’t make. This piece of writing may not be magic – it’s not actually designed to be – but AI didn’t make it because I couldn’t possibly tell you what I want to tell you about Jenny Mitchell if I used AI for it. AI certainly can’t make her music. It can’t be her live on stage. If you need an anti-AI argument just go to her upcoming shows and you’ll see it there onstage. Yes, that’s a little bit of promotion for those shows. I can do that because I’m in charge of this piece of writing, and this platform, and I’ve interviewed Mitchell again – we’ve had a few chats now – because you should know about her if you don’t already, and you should really go and see her live. Right after you’ve listened to Forest House on repeat. Because magic is invisible and intangible yet it makes life so much better, and she has it.

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When I spoke to northern New South Wales artist Katie Brooke about her single ‘Can’t Fake That’ she described it as being inspired by some people who fall into the ‘big hat, no cattle’ category. Country born and raised, and now living back on the land after a few years spent in Tamworth, Brooke was in a position to assess both the size of hat and the amount of cattle, and she did it with a wry smile.

Those bona fides, however, are still in effect and in evidence on her second album, Relentless, which she recorded with longtime collaborator Rusty Crook. And it’s not just the bona fides belonging to her life on the land but her life as an artist Brooke is qualified to sing about being relentless, and how that’s required when you decide to be an artist.

The title track came about after she had a period of doubt. She then learnt to trust her instincts and the result is an album that is about living with heart, holding your nerve and staying connected to the things you care about.

In doing this Brooke has cultivated her own sound, which we discuss in this interview. As she says, ‘I think I really needed to find that space that's just mine, and I feel like hopefully this record has achieved that.’

We also talk about what happened to her and her loved ones during the floods in Lismore, NSW, from which the town is still recovering, and captured in the song ‘Higher Ground’.

Relentless is an experience rich in story and emotion. In the course of our chat Brooke said she hopes to create ‘a heart-led legacy’, and there can be few goals more worth pursuing. This album is part of the legacy, for her and for anyone who takes it to their own heart.

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Jacynta’lee is a country-pop artist from Far North Queensland who released her debut single in 2021 and has released several songs since. In our recent interview, to chat about her latest single, ‘That’s Alright’, Jacynta’lee talked about working with in-demand Melbourne producing pair MSquared – Michael Delorenzis and Michael Paynter – on the track.

The song was inspired, says Jacynta’lee, by a personal experience where someone commented on her tomboyish behaviour, leading her to write a song about self-acceptance and the importance of not changing for others. The experience of writing it with MSquared was so positive that while she used to prefer to write solo, Jacynta’lee is now a convert to co-writes.

Growing up in a musical family – her mother is a vocal coach – Jacynta'lee taught herself to play guitar at age 12. Of her early exposure to country music through her parents’ record collection, she says:

‘I ended up just falling in love with it. And I've also ended up falling in love with songwriting because of that. I love the songs where you can paint a picture in your head.’

At age 16 Jacynta’lee attended Camerata, as the Junior Academy of Country Music was then known, on a scholarship after the original recipient, Nathan Lamont, had to decline it!

Of the continuing influence of that Camerata experience on her life and music, Jacynta’lee says, ‘I think just being surrounded by music for … two weeks with people that are aspiring to do what you're doing at such an impressionable age – they're lifelong connections, I think.’

Looking ahead to the rest of the year, Jacynta’lee has plans to release an EP and she also has several big events coming up. With her high-energy country-pop sound and fantastic voice, she is sure to win even more fans at shows and with her new music.

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