Three Chords and the Truth UK

  Transatlantic duo A Different Thread reached the penultimate stop of a hectic October UK tour with a show in a place and area that has been kind to them in the past. Prior to a successful reunion in North Carolina, the English Midlands was one of the locations for the transient relationship between Alicia Best and Robert Jackson. The Kitchen Garden has been supportive, hosting shows and scheduling at festivals, while local radio has been a loyal advocate through airplay. The scene was set for a return to catch up with familiar faces, this time in proud possession of a current album that upped the ante of this industrious and innovative roots act. The narrative behind A Different Thread’s near decade existence is well-documented and a sign of the times where movement between lands is impaired. You could be in novella territory or a short indie b-movie script charting the journey to where we are today. The soundtrack could easily be the latest record, which proved the centrepiece o...

  Character immersion is a key facet of Ags Connolly’s writing, likely aided by his other shift as a published novelist.. You sense the work of a man in a parallel existence. His songs hit the mark as the mind is displaced from rural Oxfordshire to a random barroom in Austin or Fredericksburg. The tools are sharpened on his latest album with a schooled capability to read the classic country rule book. Alongside a dive into the complexities of human emotion, YESTERDAY’S MAN refines the sonic landscape with tender layers of delectable pedal steel heading an exemplary musicianship.  Ten tracks form this optimally received album where not a breath is wasted. The sculpted vocals set the scene. The lyrics drop subtle clues of context. The effect leads the listener along a highway littered with rueful debris and contemplative charm. Connolly’s pen carves a caricature, while the sound induces the odd two step, shuffle or gentle sway to the sad chords of a resigned beat.  Nost...

  A fruitful dive into a body of work is on offer when English folk outfit Bird in the Belly hit the recording trail. Following their 2022 post apocalyptic album After the City, the quartet return with a multi-layered effort exploring the unusual, the macabre and the forgotten. The base of ONLY DOGS AS FRIENDS is the premise of a dozen tales spun through adapting traditional song and poetry, and writing original lyrics. Words, voice and instrumentation construct a powerful collection. Some are awash with hooks to drive the impact, while others are of a more challenging persuasion. The outcome pushes boundaries and evokes an idiosyncratic style.  An end of October release date is appropriate for the eerie and morbid themes. No more than a gruesome mass act of drowning children in the river as told in ‘ Hen’s Egg’. Death takes a different turn in the title track with ‘ Only Dogs as Friends’ telling of a deceased body laid in public eventually identified by a faithful pet dog.. ...

  Fanny Lumsden is an artist of varying shades. A euphoric stage show hellbent on loosening the shackles of any sedentary observer contrasts with a thoughtful recording artist filing her thoughts through considered songs. This twin approach is doing no harm as her stock is particularly growing in Europe where the gigs prove an unforgettable experience, festival bookings are becoming sought after and album awareness is growing. 2023s HEY DAWN was an introduction overseas for many, though Lumsden is an established award winning artist in her native Australia. The upward trajectory is set to continue now TRADITIONS lays out its worth for keen observers to savour.  Country trappings adorn Fanny Lumsden’s work through her rural lifestyle and perceptive writing dealing in observational emotion. The soundtrack blends minor roots instrumentation with layers of pop/rock sensibility and her songs follow the trail of the 90s/00s country mainstream when women broke the ceiling. The latest...

The art of subtly crafting a distinctive album is explicitly exhibited by LA based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Abby Posner. REST & RISE frames the duality of how an individual responds to a catalogue of adverse situations The album falls into two camps defined by vibe and tempo. The opening half is introspective and moody lamenting a parting within a scope of mindful musicianship. Shackles are thrown off at the midpoint and spiky punchier sounds prevail. Yet despite the switch in shade the writing continues to muse and dissect. Even when Posner comes out fighting, there is still an underlying feel of trying to make sense of it all. The result is a compelling record best comprehended head deep in the lyrics, though sparky melodies and alluring segments sate the tasting experience.  The album format was almost built for this song collection. Posner, the sole writer and prime musician albeit aided by guest vocals and additional pedal steel, meticulously places the track...

  With visions of a beat up old guitar, a torn notebook brimming full of songs and a lifetime of poignant musings to share, Shea Rafferty opens the throttle on his latest album meeting its ideal full on. LIVIN’ hit the airwaves on September 25th after a busy slate of sumner events and ahead of a raft of autumn promotional shows, The 10-track release unites mainstream country boosterism with heartland rock, skilfully weaving a transatlantic thread tying downtown Nashville with afflicted Northern Ireland. The guts of London-based Ulster man Rafferty are laid to bare on each song, whether pressing the pedal hard or mulling over things in tranquil pastures. This is Rafferty’s third album release and the first under the stewardship of Ed Harcourt. Precedence from this type of arrangement suggest it wasn’t going to be a twang laden effort running into the arms of traditionalists. Maybe that album could come another day as it is suspected to be in his armoury. However underlying intent an...

  ATO recording artist Margaret Glaspy applied a different complexion to the Kitchen Garden as she completed the English leg of her current UK tour. A staggered ticket sale reached sell out status uniting venue regulars with fans recruited across an influential decade. From descending the wooden staircase on the stroke of 9 to wrapping proceedings up with a sense of ease at 10:30, an air of quality purveyed from a skilled operator in the art of creation and delivery. Fellow label compatriot Dylan LeBlanc famously quipped about the cramped cosy surroundings on his venue debut, Glaspy too sensed a alternative experience offering encouragement to proceed without a setlist. An unusual decision, she noted. 90 minutes later a valve release closed the evening portraying a disparate shade to a performing demeanour. Glaspy’s highly schooled composure and execution belied the single term she spent at Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music, likely emphasising a passion to learn from mo...