photo by Kelly Davidson; photo courtesy of Knyvet

Single Reviews of Girl with a Hawk: “#Vote (#Rock the Boat),” “Share It All,” and “No One Like You”

Girl with a Hawk is led by New England Music Hall of Fame inductee Linda Viens (lead vocals, guitar). She’s joined by Daniel Coughlin (guitar), Richard Lamphear (keyboard), Nancy Delaney (drums), and Dan Bernfeld (bass). The band’s sound is rock-centered but veers into folk and Americana, as well. Essentially, Girl with a Hawk is a talented group that’s able to go wherever the song takes them.

image courtesy of Knyvet

I suppose it’s not surprising a song-driven band would unleash an issue song like “#Vote (#Rock the Boat),” a song released last fall, shortly before the U.S. election, as a non-partisan message encouraging voting, urging voters to make sure their voices were heard. The song is lightly instrumented, with just vocals and guitar, plus guest harmonica from Jim Fitting (Treat Her Right, Session Americana) and backing vocals from the entire band. The song opens with a twang – more precisely, slide guitar – and strums along folkily with a nifty, knee-slapping rhythm.

cover art design by Nicole Anguish; image courtesy of Knyvet

“Share It All,” on the other hand, is a richly instrumented pop-Americana number. Viens’ vocals are rough but tuneful, with an almost punk-rock pacing, varying phrasing to draw the listener in, helping turn what could be a too-smooth groove into an engaging, consistently interesting listen. And there’s a twangy guitar way off on the left-hand corner of the mix, giving your left ear a different listening experience from your right ear if you’re wearing headphones – country on the left, rock on the right, if you will.

The third single, “No One Like You,” is the sole 2025 release among this trio; the others dropped in 2024. “No One Like You” is a song about loss and passing, inspired by the tragic passing of Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins in 2022. It begins with vocals steeped in sadness and melancholy but then picks up the tempo and thumps along with a steady beat. Still, the vocal cracks a little more than usual from time to time, echoing the emotion in the song’s lyrics. After the mellow opening, the tone moderates, and the song becomes more about reminiscence than loss, with the addition of a crunchy guitar bringing in some energy by the mid-point. The track’s second half embodies a more upbeat energy, seeming to recall the joy of the past a little, even if slightly strugglingly. In the end, what starts off sadly ends more enthusiastically, emphasizing reminiscence and joy, musically at least, more than loss.

If this is your introduction to Linda Viens and/or to Girl with a Hawk, it’s a great trio of songs to start your journey. For longtime fans, if you’ve missed any of these three releases, it’s time to give them a listen!