Three Chords and the Truth UK

One of the delights for touring American artists is the opportunity to play in some of the increasingly quirky venues that are beginning to host live music on an intimate basis. You can now add to this list the rather splendid Henry Tudor House in Shrewsbury which no doubt pre-dates the European discovery of the New World and proved a popular stopping off point for Carrie Rodriguez on her latest tour of these isles. The decision to go head to head with the town’s popular folk festival on a Bank Holiday weekend didn’t deter the organisers and a sell out audience fully justified the decision to embrace the talents of an artist bestowed with immense beauty, vocal, fiddle playing and song writing ability. Carrie is no stranger to the UK with many previous visits in differing formats but she now seems settled in operating as a duo with Luke Jacobs who worked closely with her on the latest album GIVE ME ALL YOU GOT. Not surprising, this fine release featured prominently in the set wit...

There may be no Honky in the title but Audrey Auld’s new album TONK has plenty in the content. Right from the outset, this latest release from the Nashville residing Aussie sets out to be a blueprint of how traditional country music can be made relevant in the 21 st Century and Audrey succeeds in this mission. While it is unlikely to turn many heads in the Music Row establishment, those artists under their wing who have explored country roots in recent recordings could do no worse than look to TONK for inspiration and guidance of how to interpret the past. Long since recording her first album back in Australia nearly a decade and a half ago, Audrey has made the US her home and while absorbing all the appropriate country sounds, still injects a striking antipodean accent into her songs to enhance their roots authenticity. Checking in at a rapid 41 minutes, the fourteen tracks of TONK spans the repertoire of traditional country served with a voice ranging from tear jerking sweetn...

It doesn’t take too long to get into the DNA of Drew Holcomb, just listen to the lyrics of ‘Tennessee’ , the lead single and stand out track of his latest album GOOD LIGHT. Being raised in the western extremes of the state didn’t do him any harm, as it doesn’t any budding musician growing up in music soaked Memphis, and now residing in the creative hotspot of East Nashville means the full force of the volunteer state’s musical heritage flows through his veins. Like so much of Nashville’s output outside music row, Drew Holcomb opens his heart to a wide range of influences from rock, country, soul and blues. The added spice of Drew’s own singer-song writing acumen ensures this album is as representative of the current alt-country Americana scene as you are likely to come across. GOOD LIGHT almost saunters into easy listening territory when first unveiled to your ears yet possesses an unyielding substance to ensure it’s no quick fix. Weighing in at 44 minutes and twelve songs, th...

Each year the Transatlantic Sessions project arranged by Jerry Douglas and Aly Blain assembles a world class collection of roots artists from either side of the pond and surely it can’t be too long until they unveil the talents of April Verch to a wider UK audience. Regular sessions’ invitee Bruce Molsky has had a long association with April and makes several key contributions to her new album BRIGHT LIKE GOLD due for release in the UK on September 23 rd . This multi-talented singer-songwriter, fiddle player and step dancer from Canada’s Ottawa Valley is a veteran of many recordings though definitely not in years and the latest record is a balanced exemplar of old time influenced yet progressive fiddle and bluegrass tunes. From her very early formative years, April has been exposed to a style of music which remains true to its core even when it flickers in and out of the wider musical trends of the day. The endearing quality of BRIGHT LIKE GOLD is that in its diversity the album s...

The relative sparse landscapes of Manitoba and Texas are fertile breeding grounds for many visionary singer-songwriters who turn to their deep creative mind to unearth the fruits of their labour. Therefore it is not surprising that Canadian multi instrumentalist, singer-song writer Brandy Zdan honed her craft in Winnipeg before reaping the network support of that hotbed of fine music, Austin to enhance and develop her career. The latest stopping off point for this versatile artist is a debut six-track solo mini album LONE HUNTER which is being released to coincide with another new venture, the ABC of Canadian Music. With a voice to rival any of the current outstanding folk output from the city labelled ‘live music capital of the world’ the self penned tracks captivate, haunt and tease your senses aligned with a sound perfectly in sync with the mood of the songs. Percussion, steel, gentle electric and soft acoustic are expertly arranged by experienced producer George Reiff (Ray W...

The irony of the title lies within the band celebrating a 21 st anniversary with only their third release but this belies the standing the guys behind Foghorn Leghorn have in the London roots music scene. After successfully running the My Grass is Blue club night for a number of years including perfecting the fruits of their talents with the cream of the south’s alt-country establishment, the band have unleashed a bunch of raw yet honest songs on the wider listening public and NOT BEFORE TIME will alert more people to the passion and expertise bubbling under in the capital. While the sound is all banjo, fiddle, mandolin and Dobro, there’s hardly a mountain stream or hollow in sight, just the life and soul of the streets of London. Either side of the only non-original track, the Bill Evan’s composed instrumental ‘ Petersberg Gal’ which marks the record’s centre point, lies the democratic writing of band members Eamonn Flynn, Andy Dore, Kevin O’Neil, Paul Fay, Tim Kent and Chris C...

OVER THE EDGE by Devon sibling duo The Carrivick Sisters is an unblemished release that will appeal to both traditional folk fans and those who like their music flavoured with a sprinkling of Appalachia Americana. There could not have been a more appropriately named location for its recording at Pure Records Studio as this is  likely to be an aesthetically pleasing record as you’re likely to hear all year. The delectable musicianship melts into the crystal vocals which see both Laura and Charlotte in harmony as well as sharing lead. The stories and tales around this collection of twelve songs have become a central feature of their live shows over the past year so it is good to finally get them attached to a recording to aid their further enjoyment. Having first coming across the duo at the Moseley Folk Festival a couple of years ago, their prodigious talent is now beginning to blossom and this new record, their 5 th release, is unrivalled in their back catalogue. Charlo...

When presented with the option of spending the final day of my Canada trip in downtown Calgary or at the last day of a folk festival in the Rocky Mountain town of Canmore, there really wasn’t a contest. So a return trip west up Highway 1 to enjoy the music was undertaken in a location that was quite stunning.   In a similar set up to the Calgary Folk Festival albeit on a much smaller scale, the Canmore festival consisted of a main stage providing the focus for the second part of the day with smaller outer stages hosting a series of jam style workshop sessions in the first part. After scanning the schedule and being unable to attend the first two days, I immediately sought out a couple of sessions containing artists who had already played their main set earlier in the festival. Having reviewed all but one of the Juno nominated Traditional and Folk solo albums this year, the odd one out was the ultimate winner WE HAVE MADE A SPARK by Rose Cousins. So it was good to catch Ros...

Five months after commencing his Two Lanes of Freedom Tour at the O2 Arena in London, the latest stop for Tim McGraw, as he criss-crosses the North American continent, is the wide open spaces of Camrose, Alberta and a Sunday night headline slot at the 21 st Big Valley Jamboree. Having been fortunate enough to attend the weekend segment of this four day festival during my summer holiday to Canada, it can be confirmed that this excellent album which was virtually being previewed in London is sounding better than ever and the lesser half of the McGraw/Hill partnership is in fine fettle as one of country music’s great contemporary entertainers. More of Tim’s closing set later which brought the curtain down on a festival which the organisers like to combine the cream of Nashville talent with both up and coming and established Canadian artists. Having kicked into gear on Thursday evening, the festival was already in full swing upon my Saturday morning arrival. According to those presen...

The most poignant moment of the 2013 Calgary Folk Music Festival came during Saturday evening’s headline slot when Steve Earle dedicated the song ‘ This City’ to all those who had worked tirelessly to ensure that this four day event on Prince’s Island, just a stone throw from downtown Calgary, didn’t become another victim of the great Southern Alberta flood of 2013. So with a lot of hard work and a little tinkering around the edges, artists from around the world descended on this Canadian self proclaimed city ‘Home of the New West’ to celebrate a diverse brand of music that stretched from country to dance and calling at most points in between. With a daily sold out attendance of around 13000, the festival got underway around tea time on Thursday and I immediately headed to a stage hosting two artists who have become firm favourites of mine. Having made the long journey from the Canadian north east maritime provinces, Amelia Curran may have been expecting slightly warmer Alberta...