THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “There is something undeniably powerful about a great country music duet. Just think of George and Tammy, Dolly and Porter, Gram and Emmylou — two soaring voices expressing deep-rooted emotion in the most human way possible.
Edmonton singer-songwriters Sammy Volkov and Dana Wylie realized from the first moment they sang together that they shared such a connection, and they are now allowing us into their world with their first collaborative album, The Day Had To Come. Its 10 songs, produced by Harry Gregg, present a classic country sound with modern flair, but at its heart is Volkov and Wylie’s unquestionable chemistry that results in simply unforgettable performances.
This probably shouldn’t come as any surprise to fans of either Sammy or Dana. Since releasing her 2017 album The Earth That You’re Made Of — which earned her a Canadian Folk Music Awards nomination for Contemporary Singer of the Year — Wylie has managed to balance her other work in live theatre with more recording that led to her 2023 double album How Much Muscle. Meanwhile, Sammy’s 2022 debut album Be Alright! firmly established him as an artist on the rise, topping charts and earning comparison to legends such as Roy Orbison and Charlie Rich.
It seemed as if Volkov and Wylie were destined to sing together, as Dana explains. “I mostly write folk stuff that leans in the direction of blues and jazz, but over the last several years I’ve written a few country songs and haven’t really known what to do with them. I’ve also always loved country duets, and have a particular soft spot for the Gram Parsons records on which Emmylou Harris is featured heavily. It was getting to know Sammy over the last few years that spurred the idea of a duets album, because I consider him to be the ideal singing partner, and I had a feeling he had a few country songs up his sleeve as well. And as it turned out, he had way more than me!”
Sammy adds, “Dana and I met at an Edmonton open mic about eight years ago and instantly hit it off talking about our love of Ray Charles, Joni Mitchell and a few others. Since then I have looked up to her as an artist who is unwaveringly committed to her work and uncompromising in how she expresses herself. She’s the kind of artist who, I feel, is in it for all the right reasons and I like to be around people like that. Sometime during the pandemic we got to talking about our love of classic country and realized we could probably make a nice record together.”
Recording The Day Had To Come turned out to be a revelatory experience for both of them, as each quickly became the other’s number one fan. When asked about the title track, Sammy says, “I think that song is what made me excited to get this album going with Dana. She was playing it for me in rehearsal one day and I thought, damn, this is brilliant. It feels classic but I know it is entirely rooted in Dana’s own experience.”
For Dana, a highlight was creating the album’s opening track, Secret Subway Conversations. “That one’s an instant classic, in my view,” she says. “Sammy’s melody soars in a way that was perfectly conducive to harmonizing, and it’s resulted in something that is both lush and quirky, in the most beautiful way.”
Among the many other standouts on The Day Had To Come are Dana’s bouncy Ain’t Found Heaven Yet and Sammy’s devastating ballad Saw The End Before We Started. In all, the album clearly displays how the pair brought out the best in each other, a flame they don’t want to extinguish anytime soon as they plan on taking their show on the road following the album’s release.
If you are someone who appreciates the pure artistry at the core of country music for the past century, The Day Had To Come is sure to be one of the best records you’ll hear this year. As Sammy says, “What we were both going for was making songs that fit into the country-folk-roots tradition without sounding contrived. I really think we achieved that and you can hear a wide variety of influences in our writing and singing. It’s like a menu of comfort food and a love letter to the country artists we love.”
Watch my video interview with Sammy Volkov & Dana Wylie HERE.
