Gig of the Year 2020

Surely this blog's annual Gig of the Year accolade should be shelved in 2020. Any such achievement would get an asterisk alongside it in a sporting connotation to denote some flaw or small sample. Well, maybe the latter is relevant this year as live music was curtailed in the mad month of March before the tally even reached double figures. Promises of significant additions flickered out as the year drew to a close with one solitary indoor event and a day at a festival being added to the list that was abruptly halted on March 10th. 

However, asterisks apart, it would be remiss not to at least make an attempt to keep a run going that began in the year of this blog's inception - 2012. In a year of a small sample, I'm going to plump for a small gig. The year's two biggest events were in the 500-1000 category with Tyler Childers and the Milk Carton Kids, but I'm going to dip right into the deep roots of my gig world to anoint one just a meagre fraction of the amount frequenting the year's top attenders. 

Although my gig count at the Kitchen Garden in Birmingham runs well into three figures, my gig of the year usually comes from a venue where a more established name has wooed my senses. Even the first two recipients from the below list were delivered to packed houses probably in three figures, but I have always sought and settled on an annual favourite with little difficulty. 

2012    Terri Clark                          Glee Club Birmingham

2013    My Darling Clementine      Hare and Hounds Birmingham

2014    The Mavericks                    Symphony Hall Birmingham

2015    Old Crow Medicine Show  The Ritz Manchester

2016    Brandi Carlile                     Shepherd's Bush London / Maryland USA

2017    Chuck Prophet                    Rescue Rooms Nottingham

2018    American Aquarium            The Bullingdon Oxford

2019    Lucinda Williams                 Town Hall Birmingham

This year's winner exists in a totally different stratosphere to most of the artists named above, but in my opinion they absolutely soar above their status in terms of talent, aura and the sheer magnitude of making an audience freeze in a moment of adoration. They are an artist ploughing their own furrow in the UK's independent folk and roots scene. In my opinion they are one of the finest exponents of Americana music in the UK, but labels, scenes and associations drift in their opposite direction and does it really matter when the music does all the talking. This artist has been around a long time for their relatively young years and mark my words, they will be continue to flourish in the future. I love all the previous winners of this accolade, but this year's recipient evokes a sense of pride that eclipses the others.

2020    Luke Jackson                   Kitchen Garden Birmingham

Now let's put this horrid year to bed. I actually have tickets to see Luke play the venue again in January. When live music re-surfaces in who knows what format, it will be special. Large events may have to adapt, but the roots will rise again to show their resilience. 

   

Album of the Year 2020

Since 2013 this blog has ended the year with a ranking of favourite albums that have graced the past twelve months whether from the review or purchased pile. To break with tradition, a decision has been made this year to jump over to the other side and take the view that art is not a contest. Therefore the only list I am presenting this year is an alphabetical order of all the albums that caught my ear in 2020. This is a  list far from exhausted as there are plenty of releases that will eventually find their way into my listening sphere, but have been impeded by time and circumstance. A major factor in this delay is the gig wilderness of 2020 as I am acutely aware of some albums that will gain traction from seeing the artist play live. These albums may be missing from this list, but distinctive errors of omission will be rectified in good time. As the saying goes, a record is for life not just a short window of time.

This list can be found in the Album Release Directory that has been regularly maintained from submissions (both during the review hiatus and the ensuing period of resumption) alongside significant records that were either purchased or streamed on more than a couple of occasions. Each of these records are pieces of art in their own right and the list contains links for them to be checked out.

However, I can't let 2020 pass without calling on one album to join the parade of previous records that have taken the mantle of the year's favourite. Therefore read on for the album nominated to join the pantheon of champions that have played their part in framing an highlight of the year's listening

2013    Brandy Clark         -   12 Stories

2014    Miranda Lambert   -   Platinum

2015    Allison Moorer      -    Down to Believing

2016    Carter Sampson     -  Wilder Side

2017    Caroline Spence    -   Spades & Roses

2018    Brandi Carlile        -    By the Way, I Forgive You

2019    Miranda Lambert   -   Wildcard

Sorry guys, and the heaps of independent music that gets promoted in these pages, I am reverting to type and keeping this year's favourite release in a similar vein to its predecessors. There is no proclamation of this year's choice being earth shattering, inspirational, influential or demanding that it's a must-listen-to release. The simple reason for the choice is down to the spring lockdown and an album that absolutely grew on me when car travel resumed. It became a soundtrack to the act of re-surfacing and getting out and about with music being a sweet accomplice. I just fell in love with it and waited all year for one to come along to knock it off its mantle. This didn't happen and this year's recipient becomes my second dual winner. While its 2016 predecessor drew a critical response from me to temper its arrival, there was no such frustration with the 2020 offering. I bought into what it was about from the off and just let it roam free. The only judgement I'm going to give it is that it offered a reassuring warmth every time I played it, and that was an awful lot of times. 

2020    Brandy Clark     -    Your Life is a Record

Let's close the horrid year of 2020 with at least some fond memories of the wonderful music that was released. 2021 will be just as good in terms of releases and we are ready for it with the antenna of our ears tuned into the music that matters. 

Album Review: Steve Mayone - Mayone

 

www.mayonemusic.com

You may or may not be acquainted with Paul McCartney's debut solo album released in 1970. Titled plainly McCartney, by all accounts it has had a chequered existence, championed and vilified in equal portions. It is not certain whether Steve Mayone's attempt at aping this release will draw the same cross section of opinion, but fifty years on from the dawning of a post-Beatles era, MAYONE plants an element of inquisitive curiosity in those who cross its path. As someone who was not acquainted with McCartney (the album not the bloke!), a couple of spins on those much aligned streaming sites proved an interesting companion when getting to grips with its half century on bedfellow. 

However let's leave Sir Paul behind (he's not short on press) and focus on what Steve Mayone has done with a record that has been deemed a side project. Cramming thirteen tracks into a twenty-seven minute playing time is a feat in itself, but it does have a template to follow. The mix of songs and instrumentals plays to the strengths of Steve Mayone who extends his multi-instrumentalist repertoire to a large degree when turning his hand to almost double figures of instruments taking in multiple strings, keys and rhythm. 

MAYONE took on a real sense of purpose when his band's delayed album became one of 2020's many casualties. Not one to sit back, this alternative project got set in motion and must be one of the year's final releases when hitting the overseas markets on December 18th, although it has been available in the US for a while. When consuming this album, you get a true sense of Mayone's creativity, whether delivering little ditty fillers or songs of a more meaningful purpose. 

The album scores highly in how the instrumental pieces are smartly spaced out, segueing neatly into the conventional songs. 'Missouri Loves Compay' stands out in the album's early stages with its very Beatles-ish vibe to almost make an understatement. In the latter stages, the impish 'Happy Alcoholidays' thrives on its play of words to disguise a more significant meaning. At the heart of the record, a good ole honest rocker in 'Sweet Little Anchor' holds fort complete with a fleeting sixties style sound. 

MAYONE is a short sharp release that brings the year to a close creating sufficient waves to seek out niches to nestle in. It shines a bright light on the talents of Steve Mayone and leaves the listener richer for all the avenues it leads you down. 

Album Review: The Pawn Shop Saints - ordinary folks

 

www.jebbarry,com

Releasing an album two weeks before Christmas runs the risk of being buried in the avalanche of end of year lists with folks generally in a reflective mood. Perhaps this unassuming release is just content to sit quietly peering from the sidelines very much in line with the image on the front cover and pounce when the dust settles. ordinary folks is not one to punch above its weight, even the omission of capitalisation suggests a far from bombastic approach. Just like it says on the tin, this is a gaze into a mundane world of well, just ordinary folks, and the world of simple truth and reality that brings out the best in a certain mindset of observational troubadour. Singer-songwriter Jeb Barry has dropped his name from the title of this album and gone solely with The Pawn Shop Saints. Whatever the motive he delivers a decisive slab of acute perceptive songwriting wrapped in a sound that echoes the curiosity of a southern road trip. 

Long before the term 'reality tv' took root, the phrase 'fly on the wall' decorated a peer into everyday life and Barry succinctly carries this out as we gaze into the lives of many ordinary folk - yep that title is really appropriate. These lives range from those pitched up on the side of the interstate in 'Southern Mansions' where stripping away layers of prejudice reveals a hidden friendly warmth to an interesting take on a single person's experience of having their smoking habit demonised in 'Pack a Day'. 

You can have no finer association than attaching the name Jason Isbell to the track 'New Year's Eve, Somewhere in the Midwest'.  Apparently Isbell threw the line out for somebody to turn into a song a few years ago. Barry obliged, Isbell approved and the result is one of your quintessential 'at wits end' stories that probably acts as a catalyst to redemption. 

The term 'state of mind' crops up a lot in American roots music and Barry uses it to intuitive success in album opener 'You Don't Know the Cumberland'.  He refers to the mines not coming back in this track before using the reference again a little later when addressing the affect of floods in 'Body in the River'. There is definitely some affinity to coal mining and the roots music of Appalachia, even in casual remarks. 

Throughout a record that succinctly fires its arrows right on the mark within the tight confines of a nine-track/thirty-minute template, Barry delivers a profound message in a deliberating style. Consistency matches quality and the words are stark, clear and thoroughly engaging. 

Elsewhere on ordinary folks, the poignancy of loss is painted exquisitely on 'Old Men, New Trucks' and while the nostalgia of 'Lynyrd Skynyrd' is self evident, you could replace it with any formative teenage musical infatuation. 'Ain't No Mama Here' will have its day, but maybe later on, and the friendly warmth radiating from 'Dry River Song' is an ideal closer sung in a cosy campfire style of cowboy folk. 

Smart folks may wallow in their end of year lists, but smarter folks will clear a little space for The Pawn Shop Saints. Ordinary folks beware though if Jeb Barry peers through the lens into your life a damn good song will likely appear. 

Album Release: Rupert Wates - Lamentations

www.rupertwatesmusic.com 

"A Nick Drake vibe" is one anecdotal reference heard about this record which I'm going to borrow and plant at the outset of a few words in support of the latest album by Rupert Wates. Initially I heard shades of Richard Thompson in the vocal style of an exiled Brit who has lived in the States for many years and is an established member of a tight knit folk singer-songwriter circuit heavily bound by the annual Kerrville shindig. Although far from a Nick Drake authority, there are echoes of a sparse and personalised delivery to get the drift. 

LAMENTATIONS is a record that requires a touch of wavelength tuning. Eventually the sole voice, sole guitar and introspective songs find the right band to induce the listener into a state of sedate contentment. Rupert Wates is an lyricist, songwriter and musician with a lengthy back catalogue. You get the impression the well rarely runs dry and this enthralling effort joins the dots as 2020 inches towards its conclusion. 

Album Review: The Lost Notes - Lowlifes & High Times

www.thelostnotes.co.uk

The first juxtaposition to impact the new album from Birmingham band The Lost Notes is its roots on the streets of the twin suburbs of Kings Heath and Moseley where all shades and facades of life rub shoulders in a cultural and socio economic melting pot. The second one is the band's optimistic and entertaining demeanour which can translate some deep profound issues into a breezy display of infectious folk inspired music laced with sumptuous pop and a cross genre approach.

First and foremost this five-piece combo, frequently stripped back to a trio for adaptable purposes on the the local music circuit, write exceedingly catchy songs that get enhanced through their multi facetted delivery. This includes frequent three-part harmony and an exchange in lead vocal between the core trio of Ben and Lucy Mills and Oli Jobes. LOWLIFES & HIGH TIMES may reap the benefits from being a late 2020 release, thus giving it a clear run at the 2021 live circuit when it eventually creaks back into life. Whatever that circuit looks like, the chances are The Lost Notes will be there in some guise spreading their brand of positivity.

The rump of the new album, a follow up to RUN FREE RIGHT NOW, consists of eleven brand new tracks, increased to thirteen on a special edition release where 'All Born Free' and 'I'll Just Hold You' get an acoustic and piano remix respectively. The full version of the former casts the first stone as the album's soul, but soon has lots of pretenders snapping at its heels.

Peaks on the album generally rotate with each listen. 'A Fool Once Told Me' is one such high catching the ear on numerous occasions with its clever lyrics decorating a piece of vintage pop meets country lullaby. When the time is ripe for a vocal refresher Lucy Mills steps in on 'Done with the Waiting' to sparkle like a gem further illuminating a sunlit landscape. 

This track also houses some of the nifty guitar work prevalent on the album, first introduced in opener 'Piece of Star' and getting a little twangy in the pace-switching toe-tapping beat infused 'Holding On'. For fans of Lucy's vocals she comes to the fore later on the album when taking lead on 'Glory Days' before following straight on with the jazzy blues laid back effort 'Nobody's Fool' complete with a funky backbeat. 

There are plenty of repetitive chorus parts that glue the album together, no more catchier than 'Still I Come'. Things get a little softer with the gently flowing pop-styled message number 'I'll Just Hold You'. The vocals take on a different shared approach on 'I Got Time', with the track swaying to a beat of eclecticism. 'Goodbye Yesterday' is your archetypal closer in sentiment though one of an uptempo nature as you would expect from The Lost Notes. All that's left on the special edition are the two remixed tracks mentioned earlier. 

LOWLIFES & HIGH TIMES is a throughly engaging listen from a band who have honed in on their collective talents to blend a simple but effective piece of popular music with a folk 'n' roots twist. The Lost Notes are perfectly equipped to make 2021 a special year for them and those who cross their paths on the live circuit. 

Album Review: George Shingleton - Out All Nighter

 

www.georgeshingleton.com

Earlier this year Rock Ridge Music gave us the luscious traditional country vibes of Victoria Bailey which blew like a breath of fresh air to folks besotted with this sound across the pond. Now it's the turn of a deep rougher male sound to follow the same path as George Shingleton's music takes a similar flight with near identical results. A rich blend of southern rock sentiment and a voice drenched wearily in honky tonk revelry and woes greets the listener with an added dose of delectable steel. No doubt contemporary comparisons will be drawn with Chris Stapleton, but here is a guy on fire and not content to rest on his laurels. 

A dark background, a moody poise and a title suggesting this is not a release for early risers, OUT ALL NIGHTER doesn't waste a moment of its brief calling time with eight tracks shaping a magnetic sound for those revelling in a little stomp and holler. The brevity of original content is enhanced when you split the cover of 'Misery and Gin' from the pack, but doing that you risk marginalising a song aching for Shingleton's voice to wrap its chops around. 

A well trodden iconic route from West Virginia to Nashville is further immortalised in the back story of George Shingleton who may have his work cut out with permeating mainstream circles such is the authenticity and homage paid to the past. Yet the seven tracks presented to the world brim with classy cuts that rock when you wanna, cry when you need to and wallow when there's no option. 

George Shingleton politely asks for half an hour of your time and duly blows the mind with a rabid roller coaster of an effort to blitz the emotion of a true OUT ALL NIGHTER. Go hard and sink away wearily at the end. Country music is alive and kicking here.