Sunday, 16 February 2025

Gig Review: Alex Hart - Stourbridge Town Hall (Wollaston Studio). Saturday 15th February 2025

www.alexhart.com

Sometimes schedule alignment and a return visit can reap rewards. Alex Hart is the beneficiary and carving a mark in Stourbridge's limited live music scene is the result. Last May the Plymouth-based singer-songwriter made a surprise appearance at the day-long One Heart One Way Festival, an event held in multiple venues revolving around local favourites Neds Atomic Dustbin's Town Hall gig. Hart headlined a well attended evening in the now mothballed Talbot hotel alongside a few local acts and created sufficient impression to attract some returnees. In the wake of a full band booking on the Friday evening of Southport's popular Love Folk Festival, it was a smart move to seek an opportunity in Stourbridge on the way back to the south-west. This time the solo format was upgraded to a four-piece band and an availability in an upstairs room at the Town Hall proved an ideal location to play a show.

Like most entertainment in Stourbridge Town Hall, whether in the main auditorium or smaller studio spaces, live music has to compete with the other performing arts. Even rarer is the opportunity for independent original music to appear as the council-led operation prefer the instant appeal of the familiar. The Wollaston Studio is a spacious setting for a performance with an excellent sound system and comfortably housing the 80-odd tickets sold for the show. A number that many venues in nearby Birmingham would crave for.

The intimated support slot didn't materialise so the evening panned out as a main act two set show with the second an extended one featuring the obligatory encore. Hart (vocals and acoustic guitar) was joined by Adam Sweet (mainly electric guitar), Paddy Blight (stand-up bass) and Joe Harris (drums). This full line up doesn't get many outings as solo, duo and occasional trio formats are often dictated by budgets and bookings. This is just one side of Alex Hart's musical career as she is a regular member of Seth Lakeman's band and is recently working with Martin Barre of Jethro Tull fame. The solo career has to find its own place in a busy work schedule and to date there has been a label release ten years ago, an interim EP and 2023's VISIONS album. Songs from each record featured chronologically in the show as we began to learn about Alex Hart - the musician alongside snippets of the person.

The music style is loose and fluid. On the surface, it's fairly standard singer-songwriter fare with traces of country, folk and pop. Hart is a talented performer with a polished approach. The vocals possess a clear cut prominence and her band-leading credentials are easy to detect. The musical prowess is self-explanatory in the wake of her associations. The mainly self-penned songs are largely of a personal nature with common themes of love, heartbreak and close-to-home anecdotes prevailing. 

The band gave an accomplished performance. Sweet frequently excelled on lead guitar and it wasn't surprising to learn that he heads his own blues band. Blight on bass gave impeccable rhythm and Harris is an in-demand drummer. They were an above average combo capable of seamlessly switching on when asked to back Alex Hart for a show.

Two contrasting covers featured. Neil Young's 'Old Man' filled the pre-encore slot , while Angie Stone's 'Wish I Didn't Miss You', on which she collaborated on a worldwide radio hit, is definitely in the pop camp. Also in a similar vein from the latest album is 'Fix This', a track on which Seth Lakeman adds his famed fiddle. Tracks from VISIONS featured prominently in the second half including memorable pieces 'Tilly's Song' (a tribute to her beloved dog), 'Wild' (inspired by David Attenborough) and 'Blackbird' (with its local dialect origins). 

The show opened with Hart taking you back to the debut album in the company of songs like 'Orange Van', 'Bad Boy Bill' and 'Onside'. Chat between songs focussed on the challenges female singer-songwriters face in the music industry. One inspiration shared in both Stourbridge shows was Chris Stapleton and in places you can detect a country sound with song construction and the guitar slipping into twang mode.

Alex Hart is an astute artist capable of manoeuvring her career onto bigger platforms. Her style courts popular appeal while retaining a strong level of authenticity. The band set-up was a definite upgrade but versatility is key when operating on an independent basis. Stourbridge and Alex Hart have become an unlikely alliance. The town may even be mentioned when she breaks the big time. 

Friday, 14 February 2025

Album Review: Dan Raza - Wayfarer

 

www.danraza.com 

One of the UK's 'best kept secrets' was quoted in the press blurb. Never has an assertion been so accurate for an artist. On the evidence of Dan Raza's third album, it's quite amazing that vast swathes of a relevant music landscape won't have come across him despite a couple of releases and being active for over a decade. I will partially join the list as being faintly aware but nothing to prepare me for the stunning array of songs on WAYFARER. Check this album out and a dozen tracks of immense quality will spring forth. This is seriously good songwriting wrapped in a classy musical package. What more could you ask for from a British artist intent on raising his profile.

The title is another apt component of the record as it reflects Raza's nomadic experiences that proved the driver for this fine collection of songs. Good art often comes from its creator seeking different surroundings. Some take it to extremes and completely uproot their lives to seek a creative nirvana. The release of a record brings back a sense of normality as the songs cease to be remnants of an imagination and now reside in the heads of everyday normal folk. These efforts certainly spice up a listening regime and placing Dan Raza in serious company is not a far fetched conclusion. 

A key feature is being grabbed from the start. 'Behold the Night' is a stunning opener with enhanced piano and an overall style reminiscent of Ben Glover. A fine association. Over the next half a dozen tracks, stand-out candidates spill out. 'Wasn't That Enough' has a great opening line and like so many of its counterparts, a killer chorus. The groovy soulful 'Water Reflects (What it's Shown)' is a warm and satisfying tune and was one of the key preview tracks. A metaphoric title reveals a theme of populist politics. The writing overall takes both a critical and reflective angle to some of society's ills. With the album's songwriting roots being a period of personal reflection and change, 'In My Own Time' speaks the words of a dreamer and a drifter. By now the hooks of an inspiring record have secured the connection.

From early listens, the melodic beauty embedded into the chorus of 'Me and My Lady' melted me and kept this song at the summit. A first among equals to toss in a political analogy. Surely this would have been a No.1 in the early seventies. Fifty years later it has to work a little harder to find the right ears. A slice of accordion adorns the lighter and more positive 'Nothing Like a Woman' bringing the first half to a breathtaking close. 

By now the smooth production and slightly rough edged vocals have sunk into a song collection that has already paid for itself. The second half leads with an observational piece inspired by witnessing first hand the desperate plight of Central American refugees passing through Tijauna onto the promised land. 'Only a Stones Throw Away' is a smart and perceptive piece of songwriting. The narrative streak continues with 'The Truth Will Heal You' and 'New Born Man'. The latter is the story of Tom Techman and his fight for a normal life despite being born with Cerebral Palsy. A track showing the dexterity of Raza's songwriting skills. The album started with an association and nine tracks later another is thrown up in the guise of Dylan LeBlanc whose presence is felt in 'Like Strangers Again'. Probably just my listening sphere, but a definite virtue.

At this point a caveat appears. 'We All Have to Dream' and 'Still a Song to Sing' are fine inclusions on merit, but appear somewhat in the shadow of the raft of big beasts that have gone before. From a listening perspective, cutting these two and placing them in another project would have made the record a little more succinct. A ten-track-forty five minute effort is my optimum. A minor point that doesn't bring the album down a mark. 

If WAYFARER doesn't boost the profile of Dan Raza, injustice will prevail. It's a majestically quality assured release featuring one voice among a plethora of instruments ushering in a full sound. Songwriting at its best and on this occasion justice will prevail.