Saskatchewan Country Closeup – Will Ardell

Will Ardell’s powerful and immediately recognizable voice is a testament to the expression of art and to yearning in all of all of us to be heard above the din of our surroundings. Born and raised on the prairies of Saskatchewan, the beauty and realness of rural life is brought alive in the lyrics in a way only Will Ardell can.

Will Ardell entered the professional music scene in 2009 and was a musician of note from the moment he stepped on to a professional stage. In a world where stories are told of professional musicians first picking up a guitar at age 6 and entering every music and talent show in the area by age ten, not only was Ardell’s sound different so was his story. Never picking up a guitar until the age of 19, his unique voice and gift were hidden from the world. What his family and friends did know was Will was a national award-winning poet. In the quiet of his room after the long days of working the family farm Ardell was an avid poet and had amassed a vast collection of poetry at a young age. His poetry won him local and national awards. Perhaps the years of poetry writing helped Ardell become the prolific songwriter he is today.

By 2015 Will Ardell had an amassed an astounding 15 SCMA nominations and the title 2013 Rising Star. Despite the awards and almost breaking the Top 50 Canadian Trax charts the music Ardell was putting out didn’t feel completely legitimate to him. There are some songs off his first two albums Will still takes pride in, “Make Me A Man” “Give em Hell”, “Chains”, and he has a certain amount of pride in his unique double album “All About The Ride”, with its country music A side and Heavy Rock B side, a feat never accomplished by any other “country artist”. Will has always been at heart a humble man and was never comfortable with the image or brand being put out in the early part of his career. After a two-year hiatus from the studio, but not the stage, Will released his first song foreshadowing his new look, sound, and brand. His posts were often accompanied with the hashtag Raw, Real Authentic. A fan of writers such as Chris Stapleton, Jamey Johnston, Waylon Jennings, and Jason Isbell their influence and Ardell’s eagerness to write music with timeless meaningful lyrics would soon be evident in his first release since his last album in 2014. The song released in 2016, “Breakin Fences” is an autobiographical song of Ardell’s journey in the music industry and life to date. It would be another four years before Will would release another song.

Throughout 2020 and 2021 Will has been releasing music off his upcoming album his upcoming “The Truth”. Embracing the artist within him, and his authentic sound. Now more than ever, “Raw, Real, Authentic” is not just a Brand it is Will Ardell. It is who he is in life and who he is in music. Making his listener and audience feel, is his goal, not awards. his single “Spokes in The Wheel” is humbling and “cool” but touching people through music that’s humbling and powerful.

Unrestrained is the fourth single off Will Ardell’s upcoming album the Truth. A song written from the heart, paints the story of a man who never loved a woman enough and finds himself facing the end of a relationship. Ardell has the ability like few others to write from deep within his soul and bring the listener in and feel the pain, the joy the anger every emotion being emitted by the song. Unrestrained is a mournful song so many can relate to. The pain of loss of love, the end of love, and the futility of trying to love someone who is unreachable. The deep soulful power of Will Ardell’s voice along with the mix makes this song a masterpiece of Americana music.

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