Three Chords and the Truth UK

  TEN BLUE SONGS is the tenth album from Hastings-based singer-songwriter-guitarist Jason McNiff. This time he has enlisted the production services of Trevor Moss (widely known for his duo act with wife Hannah Lou) for a record that came to fruition at Moss’s Bex-Pop studio. The pair honed in on capturing the essence of music in an unfiltered capacity and have successfully channeled McNiff’s applied intimacy into a warm receptive body of work. Rather than expressing the sentiment of the title, this collection emanates a reassuring contentment exhibiting a good place where creating music works effectively.   The songs feature McNiff’s sharp incisive writing with a nod to how greats in the literary world spin their wares. Additionally. an array of instrumentation has been assembled including clarinet, piano and violin, joining McNiff’s intrinsic guitar picking that has kept keen Americana ears piqued for over twenty years.   For a serious introspective songwriter, it is sur...

Emma Jane leaves nothing on the table as she pours a hefty dose of Caledonian soul into her latest record. LOST AT LAST comes across as one of those defining albums packed with organic verve and a strong desire to claim the narrative. Feeling is at the heart of the sound this Scottish singer-songwriter generates, whether plugging into a semi rock punchy groove or slipping into the considered slipstream of a mellower number. A challenge is set from its extensive structural ambience, yielding top marks from those in tune with the mood.   Like any 56-minute 15-track effort, there are moments when you wait for things to happen and other times when you reel from a knockout effect. The regional lilt to Emma Jane’s vocals keeps things grounded throughout. Valuable studio time has moulded an effective release where Emma Jane secures a home for her driven songs and honed in on how different facets keep her writing tight and brimming with opportunist mettle.   There are three distinct s...

  Michael McDermott has never sounded more determined to leave a literary imprint on the frenzied world of rock and roll. Through ire, empathy and forensic storytelling, he shines a light on dark corners and packs a powerful punch where it needs to be landed. Words scatter across the page   machine gun style then beautifully reassemble into sincere lyrical poetic prose. Characters emerge, are dissected, championed, sometimes brutally exposed, but rarely left with no purpose. He writes lyrics that transcend the vehicle of the song. They stand alone, as alluring for the eye as the ear.  Within the framework of eleven combustable tracks, a vignette of B movies simmer and explode. Life through the lens of Michael McDermott radiates the minutia and sparks the most basic human existences into roaring arches of flammable fiction. A stark bout of reality juxtaposes the ear for a sweet melody and a popular coating depicting what courted widespread appeal in the past.  FLOWERS...

  Sophie Moore’s music illuminates a space, maximising the pieces at its disposal, while delicately creating a piece of tranquility. TROUBLE IN MIND sees this Sussex-based artist return to the recording fold after a lengthy hiatus. Moore was active in the 1980s with London indie band Foggy City and continued to have minor involvement in music after life pulled her in other directions. However a burning desire always remained and connections with American artist Jeb Loy Nicholls and esteemed producer Mark Nevers, famed for his work with Lambchop, laid the foundation for a return inspired by putting a homegrown slant on time honoured country soul. A recording process split between Sussex and South Carolina did the heavy lifting and the result is a prized piece of work. Late night night vibes are evoked alongside a restful composure where primed musicianship and sultry vocals nestle among an array of original compositions blending softly spun tunes and lyrics painting an elegant pictu...

  Through eleven carefully curated songs, Lance Cowan continues to emerge from the shadows as a songwriter of substance. THE AIR THAT YOU BREATHE is a gifted collection threaded by a desire to make sense of some of life’s basics. Creating a reassured and relatable aura is the basis for these songs to transcend a writer’s mind into the wandering instincts of an active listener. A time honoured tradition shaped by Prine, Van Zandt, Clarke et al is polished by the pen of Cowan and transmitted via an affable tone and a band pumping oxygen into the finished producr. This record ascends over time rewarding those with the urge to acutely engage.   This is the third Cowan album since 2024 and one destined to find fresh ears. It is also the third professional writing guise following a lengthy career seeking the truth as a journalist, spinning the truth as a publicist and now purveying the truth as a creative tour de force. Paradoxically or consequentially, the path has entered a lush m...

  On their new album A NEW ALCHEMY, the chemistry of East Nashville-based duo Brand New Heartache shines through. The husband and wife team of Eleese and Matthew Meschery guide the listener through a relationship timeline never veering away from al facets of a shared journey. A dozen tracks blend infectious pop with the folky charm of collaborative country shaping Americana through the lens of the classic duet. A vocal spread of lead off interchange, contrasting tones and harnessed harmonies flavour a pot underpinned by love and an charged intent to weave emotion into a alluring soundscape.   If a strong opening gambit is a must to seize the initiative, the buoyant beat of ‘ New Alchemy ’ delivers as a bout of intelligent pop laced with lavish hooks and connective melodies. A surefire playlist candidate. Not to settle on their laurels, the Meschery’s cast a vocal spell with follow-on track ‘ Montreal’ , packed with a yearning appeal aligning nostalgia with a folk leaning. A co...

  Danni Nicholls ascends onto a new plateau reflecting movement in many forms. A key constant to capture the moment is still intact after many years seeking the sweet spot where artist curation and audience reception meet. MAKING MOVES represents change where polished building blocks raise the stature without removing the trusty foundation formed over time. The wait between defining studio releases evaporates in an instant when the luscious tone of the new album sweeps you away. A renewed spark ignites a soundscape where a combination of influences and inputters carve a record packed with resonating, relatable poignancy.   The strength of Danni Nicholls’ writing is to crack the mirror and piece together the order of existence into meaningful assertions. Some writers thrive on character, others on place, here we have one immersed in experience and expressing the utterly personal. The eleven songs forming this exceptional body of work drool with esteemed class. They represent a ...