Three Chords and the Truth UK

The bandwagon of new country rolled into Birmingham this evening as The Band Perry made the second city their first stop on the UK leg of the Pioneer World Tour. An enthusiastic and committed crowd gave the Alabama raised sibling trio a warm reception with Kimberly endearing the locals by perfecting the art of hometown pronunciation. Mutual love was certainly on the menu as an action packed eighty minute set confirmed the reputation of The Band Perry as being one of the hottest live acts surfacing out of the Nashville majors. The fast paced evolution of modern country music always has the potential to exasperate the chasm that has always existed within different strands of the genre. The Band Perry have anchored their style securely to the radio friendly and arena fraternity but have an underpinning substance to broaden their appeal and reach out to those who prefer the package a little less gift wrapped. While the stage presence and song delivery from their two studio albums to da...

Thirty years after launching his recording career, plus a few more engaged in performing, Billy Bragg has lost none of the firebrand passion that has decorated his music, song craft and mission to spread the word of justice. The wrath was even extended to music journalists who the exiled Barking Bard, had taken exception with for being accused of turning country with his latest album TOOTH AND NAIL. Billy duly responded by demonstrating the twang he has always possessed, albeit an Essex variety, in a rendition of his 1992 single ‘ You Woke up My Neighbourhood’ . This set the tone for an evening where nostalgia sat comfortably alongside the very Americana-feel to the new material. Despite the sly dig at some music critics, TOOTH AND NAIL is a far-from-subtle and excellent Americana album which has raised Billy’s profile significantly amongst those with a country leaning. As well as extensive touring stateside, which has earned respect from the alt-quarters of Music City, Billy ha...

In these days where the Internet has made the world a much smaller place, it is often easy to fail to notice some great music right on your doorstep. With this in mind it is worth noting the ethos, passion and motivation behind the latest project unveiled by Hidden Trail Records The people behind this fairly new venture have scoured their home town of Brighton and its surrounding areas to identify and champion a number of local artists. The result is a 13-track compilation titled HIDDEN BRIGHTON which, as the implicit title indicates, aims to reveal to a wider audience some under the radar acts plying their craft around the town. The album draws on a multitude of styles encompassing beautiful harmonies, melodic guitar pieces both acoustic and electric, tranquil folk, distinctive vocals and raw indie. The collection is delicately presented to seduce open minded connoisseurs and even if all 13 sounds are not to your taste, the probability of connection with a significant number is h...

If the mythical music genre ‘Briticana’ ever takes root then, on the evidence of this new release, Jamie Freeman will be right at the core of the movement. With the help of his band The Agreement and a wealth of guest contributors, Jamie has cut a record that combines a plethora of American music influences, all woven together with a distinct British, if not more specifically English, flavour. 100 MILES FROM TOWN is the second album from Jamie who balances a recording career with running the different strands of the Union Music Store and generally being an Americana music activist. This multi-merited release has the potential to nestle securely amongst the finest of British purveyors of this music style. Diversity is a popular word frequenting the modern day dictionary and over the course of a 43 minute-13 song experience, Jamie fluctuates between folk, country, Americana and  rock n’ roll as well as adding a hint of gospel and even a Mod feel to a couple of tracks. The appeal...

Rod, Doug and Telisha in full throttle For the second time in a month, a trip to England’s rural heartland has unveiled evidence of the true spirit of top notch country, roots and Americana music thriving amongst communities which are sometimes excluded from the schedules of travelling musicians. In the case of this particular evening in the Staffordshire village of Elford, it was a serving of the old and the new as seasoned UK visitor Rod Picott elected to bring East Nashville based duo Wild Ponies with him on this latest European tour. While Rod is an established artist in the Americana scene on both sides of the Atlantic, it was the music of Doug and Telisha Williams, on their first UK visit, which engineered most reflection in the aftermath of this gig. This is not meant to do any disservice to Rod, who after a few years of touring with his ex-partner on both fronts Amanda Shires had a renewed energy to his performance aided by his fine new record HANG YOUR HOPES ON A CRO...

The continual stream of high quality Canadian folk roots music into the UK is no showing little sign of abating, with the latest artist to have their profile raised on the right side of the pond being Ontario-based singer-songwriter Jadea Kelly. Although CLOVER has been widely available for a few months now, it is getting a more formal release at the end of November and this renewed impetus will hopefully open a few doors in new markets for Jadea. Not that this will be too difficult as she possesses a voice that pierces your heart with an aching beauty and from start to finish the sublime sound of the record melts effortlessly into your senses. In this her third studio album, Jadea has successfully weaved a slice of rural substance into a slick urban production to interpret a truly stunning mix of traditional and contemporary influences. Jadea’s close family connection with the land has had a substantial impact on the making of CLOVER, named after her grandfather’s farm, and the ra...