Music Minute - Angie Bohlke: Don't Give In

 “Don’t Give In” YouTube and Spotify

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Every once in a while, you need to hear a friend say, “Just keep going.” Would that they could all do it with the priceless gift for melody Canadian country upstart Angie Bohlke brings to the subject on “Don’t Give In,” a musical wellspring of support that’s the latest single from her debut album, The Best Part of Me.

 

It’s impossible to remain unswayed by Bohlke’s sincerity as she implores a loved on to persevere and vows the result will be worth it. Imparting thoughtful coping strategies like “trust in yourself” and “think of something beautiful; a place you’ve never been,” she makes the emotional stakes plain on the song’s absolute haymaker of a chorus.

 

The exquisite balladry plays out at a stately pace, affording maximum breathing room for Bohlke to show off her impeccable tone, sustain and vibrato. That’s not to mention the clearly heartfelt quality of the words—which, like those on the rest of the album, reflect a period of personal growth in her own life that paid off in spades thanks to a determination to keep going at all costs.

 

 

“The album comes just at the right time in my life when I am finally ready to share my experiences through my music,” Bohlke says. “From being in a dark place, to being a single mom, to not knowing who I truly was, to finally finding someone who somehow just put everything into perspective. And finally all the scattered pieces just fell into place.

 

“I think this album really is the best part of me.”

 

Along her path of self-actualization, she’s been able to seize a bunch of ancillary opportunities, like performing at the Live at Heart NL Global Music Showcase Sweden and participating in a province-wide tour of Newfoundland and Labrador arts and culture centres. She’s also been featured in the Voices of Placentia Songwriters Series. That’s all pretty good for someone who had sat on her original material for a decade—and the true yearnings of her heart for a good while longer. So when she says “Don’t Give In,” you can be sure she knows whereof she speaks.