Us Against The World – The Cockney Cowboy’s Country Ballad

Real Love Don’t Need A Saddle, Just A Voice And Her By My Side

I don’t usually light up for love ballads. Not because I don’t believe in love – I do, painfully so – but because most ballads come all satin and no skin. And nowadays, a man singing about love feels rarer than finding truffle on your own dinner plate.

Then I stumbled across The Cockney Cowboy’s latest single, Us Against The World – and found myself rewinding like a teenager relearning heartbreak for the first time.

The song opens with a bloke telling the world that nothing beats holding his wife close. “I’m the richest man alive when I hold you in my arms.” And in that truth, there’s more gold than in a Nashville bank vault.

Real name? Justin Vella. Born in Walthamstow, raised in Romford, now carrying Essex on his back like a worn guitar strap. He’s not pretending to be Nashville. He’s just a city boy who fell headfirst into country music the moment he heard Garth Brooks’ The Dance at 15 – and never looked back.

He started on karaoke stages, then built a proper band with steel guitar, genuine drums, and vocals. His debut track, City Boy Singing Country Songs, introduced us to that voice. Now, with Us Against The World, he’s putting heart, roots, and loyalty into every bar.

Steel Guitars, Real Wives, and Sunday Roasts

Recorded at MusicTek AV and produced by Dave Wright (who also threw in some solid lead guitar and backing vocals), the track features a full band, and most importantly, a cameo by Mrs. Vella herself. Yes, his wife. She drops in at the end of the song, tying the whole thing together like the last stitch on a wound that healed right.

The band lineup sounds with Steve Henderson keeping time on drums, Dave ‘DB’ Baldwin laying it down on bass, Tommy Vegas holding the rhythm, and Brandon Vella sliding in on second guitar.

The emotion of this song lingers in every bend and slide, wrapping life’s mess into something listenable. And speaking of mess – the man’s love for country came from Garth Brooks’ “The Dance.” Justin Vella took the plunge and gave birth to The Cockney Cowboy – a name that fits like a broken-in boot and speaks volumes about being a city boy with country dreams.

You and Me – It’s Us Against The World

What got me was that this isn’t his debut. The Cockney Cowboy’s first single, City Boy Singing Country Songs, gave us a taste of who he is. A London-born dreamer who moved to Essex at 7 and never quite let go of the mic. Now, two singles in, the world is slowly catching up.

“You and me, it’s us against the world.” That’s the line everything else hangs on. It’s what Justin Vella and his wife say to each other when life throws another cold one their way. That’s scaffolding-love, built brick by brick, mistake by mistake, until it holds something solid.

I’ll be honest, I played this song it twice – once out of curiosity, then again because I needed to believe people still write songs like this. You can check out his upcoming gigs on his website, but I’d recommend listening first. Sit down. Let the steel guitar in. Her voice will catch you off guard. And his – his voice reminds you what survives when you strip it all down.

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