Once in a blue moon a song comes along that truly takes my breath away. Now I have reviewed several Steffany Beck numbers and I am absolutely sold on this artist as a truly talented and professional performer, singer, songwriter, guitar player. I’ve reviewed one absolutely brilliant Miranda Easten single, and this lady is equal to Steffany for all of those things. They’ve just released a duet called Hell & Back.

Produced by my buddy (or butty if you’re Welsh like this chap and me ) Greg Haver and recorded at world famous British studio Rockfields and world famous Kiwi studio Parachute, it was mastered in Nashville, Tennessee (where else could it have been?) at legendary Sterling Sound studios by Ryan Smith. This has got to be the single that pushes these two artists into the stratosphere, because it is exceptional.

Written about the hardships of being a self-managed female performer in this often clique-dominated, nepotistic entertainment industry. It’s about finding an ally who is walking in the same shoes, a lady who has your back and whose back you have in return. It’s biographical of the relationship these two peer performers struck up with one another. It’s an homage to Girl Power. I will put that in capitals. Women, even in what some like to call these enlightened times, still have to fight for equality in all fields. The strength a woman has to display and act upon to succeed supersedes what us blokes have to do. I won’t accept arguments there. This song captures this in spirit, in lyrics, in the soul of the song.

Its production work from the abovementioned virtuosos of the twiddling desks gives this song the space it deserves to display the raw, emotive feelings Steffany and Miranda obviously wanted to convey. The melody is mesmerising, upper-mid tempo yet haunting. Not sugary, but ridiculously commercially savvy and catchy. The orchestration is spot on, and the mix and mastering is brimful of goods. And then comes the vocal.

The blend these two have in their performance of this duet is second to nothing I can think of that I have heard this year. While being able to split which singer is singing which line, the ease of their combined voices to fit with each other is the real gel that makes this song.

They’re touring right now as a double headliner, and are in Wellington next, at Meow on Thursday 20th June. This single is going to blow you away if you manage to make the show – and if you are a Country Music fan, you have GOT to go to this show. The song is due for commercial release the day before, so again I am lucky to have been given a preview listening. This has got to have a promo vid ready for it, and has got to be pushed across the USA, Canada, Aussie, anywhere that has a decent audience for this genre, because I cannot praise this song enough. It’s got the goods across the board.

I wonder if Miranda will be arriving in her DeLorean? Single of the year for me so far. Forty three out of ten.