Three Chords and the Truth UK

One of the joys of being actively involved in championing country, roots, folk and Americana music is being exposed to a continual stream of high quality new Canadian material in search of UK promotion. Nationally acclaimed Ottawa based singer-songwriter Amanda Rheaume is one such artist who, after relative success in her homeland, is seeking further expansion into European markets. On the back of increased press for her most recent Juno nominated album KEEP A FIRE, and a formal UK release of the record, Amanda has undertaken an inaugural visit across the Atlantic to share her talents in a series of developmental shows. On the evidence of her assured performance at Nottingham’s intimate Guitar Bar venue, it shouldn’t be too long before the term ‘developmental’ is dropped and the wider music community takes note. Amanda appreciates the value of enhancing a live show and for this tour has enlisted the services of two fine Canadian musicians. Fraser Holmes, a fellow Ottawa resident, ...

One of the pleasures when exploring Americana music is the background, circumstances, belief and passion that surrounds many of the recordings. While essentially the 42 minutes playing time of ATLANTIC by Ben Glover is what fundamentally matters, this record is so much more enjoyable when savoured by understanding its spirit, drivers and desire to drill to the very core of its influences. First and foremost Ben is a proud Northern Irishman but his passion to explore the connectivity with the musical soul of his homeland and that of the US southern states has led to a collection of songs strong in sense of direction and fertile in the sound of its objectives. Ben has had some success in connecting with a wider UK audience via his association with Mary Gauthier and Gretchen Peters and unsurprisingly both have lent a hand in the compilation of this sincere and scintillating album. Mary and Ben co-wrote the record’s standout song ‘ Oh Soul’ and this redemptive masterpiece intrinsic...

At her best Cara Luft can be a lively performer but the injection of an extra refreshing bout of exuberance made her return to the Kitchen Garden Café a truly memorable occasion. Her link up with fellow Winnipeg artist JD Edwards appeared to be the source for this rejuvenation, although Cara continues to cultivate her passion in cross Atlantic collaboration with the renewal of association with English folk singer Bella Hardy. The pair will be hitting a select few UK venues later in the year but for now it’s her work with JD taking centre stage. With a combination of old, new and a trio of JD Edwards songs to be aired, the format for the Café this evening reverted to a no support-twin set show and the well- attended venue, containing many familiar faces to Cara, was treated to an entertaining night of stories, songs, fine musicianship and a little impromptu humour. Right from the start, Cara couldn’t contain the delight of the link up and the pair is well down the route of record...

She may be a proud Australian but Emily Barker is now firmly established as one of the UK’s leading ambassadors of alt-folk, Americana and roots music. This ridiculously talented young lady has successfully turned her hand to a number of different projects and styles over the last few years with this new Vena Portae venture matching up favourably alongside her best. Emily would be the first to acknowledge the importance of the collaboration which has evolved into a recently released debut album and this hastily arranged short UK tour. A packed Kitchen Garden Café appeared to be at its most appreciative in turnout, attentiveness and after show mingling as this Anglo Swedish quartet served a near complete menu of the new record with a couple of extras thrown in. Although Vena Portae officially market themselves as a trio comprising of Emily (vocals, guitars, banjo, harmonica), Dom Coyote (guitars, vocals) and Ruben Engzell (bass), the Swedish contingent has been doubled for these li...

One route to a successful album is to lure the listener in before locking them into the groove of the record. With delicate astuteness and refined skill, Catherine MacLellan has accomplished this on THE RAVEN’S SUN, the fifth album from this award winning East Coast Canadian songstress. Teaming up wonderfully with long term musical partner Chris Gauthier, the pair has explored the self-released path to put together a record which succeeds in balancing the art of acoustic and electric alongside a bunch of songs etched with a faint distant familiarity. No doubt exploiting the gifts bestowed by her father, the legendary Canadian singer songwriter Gene MacLellan, Prince Edward Island native Catherine continues to melt into the roots sound so entrenched in her home surroundings. The new record resonates with this influence and many listens reveal an album of two parts, equal in merit but sufficiently different in their feel and mode of effectiveness. The first half a dozen tracks e...

The Fringe may have been in full swing but the opportunity to take in this Samantha Crain show amongst the comedy, theatre and dance was far too good to miss. The annual trip to the greatest arts festival on earth occasionally throws up the odd show reflecting Americana heritage but, while Samantha’s gig at the Electric Circus was outside the formal promotion of the Fringe, her performance was a worthy addition to the overspill of talent thronging every corner of Edinburgh’s contemporary and historic crevices. Although on my horizon for a while, the music of Samantha Crain truly entered the domain of this reviewer with a set at this year’s Cambridge Folk Festival and it leapt up several more notches after this extended solo show. The easiest way to describe the music of Samantha is to mix the styles of Mary Gauthier and Lucinda Williams into a melting pot, add the zest of youth and fine tune the product with a dose of prime Oklahoma song writing talent. Quite simply Samantha strai...

Imagine the scene; with shimmering percussion in the background, bar room shenanigans in the foreground, the stench of illicit alcohol filtering through the juke joint and the band just played on. That band could well have been Blue Moon Marquee in time travelling mode so authentic have this duo, labelling themselves ‘Canadian Gypsy Blues’, proved to be in their second release LONEOME GHOSTS. Harking back to a bygone age, this record, the musical fruits of A.W. Cardinal and Jasmine Collette, is unashamedly retro and sets out the stall that regressive music can be cool in 2014. Weighing in at a meagre 28 minutes, the solution for the shortness is to hit the repeat button and play the 9 tracks again as the record is as much about the ambience created than crying out for critical song dissection. The ambient environment can be that idyllic bar listening to the duo on their many live dates, though the alcohol is legal and a lot more expensive than the in the aura created, or for th...

For a site known to occasionally champion female artists from the country, roots and Americana genre with probably a slight bias to performers pitching their wares from across the Atlantic, perhaps the time is right to focus on some home grown talent at the heart of the folk movement. While the leading lights get extensive column inches elsewhere, it is with great pleasure to present a collection of songwriters pursuing the endeavour of catching the glare of the radar. FEMMES FATALES OF FOLK contains ten tracks from nine artists and manages to capture a wide reaching flavour of what this cohort of talented ladies are capable of. Under the guidance of the developing Folkstock Records team, each track makes its mark whether original or not and leaves a lasting impression with a desire to check out the artist. As you would expect in a diverse offering, different styles are accommodated to suit whether your desires are for a soothing, edgy, wispy, haunting, classical or impassioned sou...

For me the live and recorded version of a song has always been a separate entity. This has been re-enforced since the explosion of the video sharing age but every now and again the lines blur to showcase a quality transition from stage to disc. While you can never truly re-create the experience of standing in a cramped venue, sipping weak beer and immersing yourself totally into the sounds of the moment, a couple of album releases this year have crossed the floor with prestigious effect. Following on from Birds of Chicago’s fabulous LIVE FROM SPACE earlier this year, LIVE CHAMPS has achieved a similar job and done the next best thing to hosting Danny and the Champions of the World in a house concert. Of course a live album should never replace that experience of getting off the sofa and supporting live music so this album from my perspective should be used to (excuse the pun) champion the live UK dates for Danny this autumn. March 6 2014 was a special date in the calendar of Dan...

With a sound rich in the subtleties of folk and soaked in the spirit of Americana, Jane Kramer has announced her arrival as a recording artist in her own name in an impassioned and sumptuous style. Not one to dwell too long on the solo status, Jane has assembled a lengthy list of players and a similarly numerous array of instruments to produce a sound born out of Appalachia and honed in the creative melting pot of Portland Oregon. BREAK & BLOOM is a deep rooted album reflecting the land, transient nature and inspiration that has guided Jane from band member of The Barrel House Mamas to a solo artist equipped to take on those female performers spearheading the folk-Americana movement in the US, Canada and countries further afield. Jane drew a load of inspiration from working alongside fellow North Carolina picker Malcolm Holcombe and she has developed the confidence to commit to record ten self-composed tracks and play a major role in the production duties. The real strength ...

One of the most satisfying aspects of music listening is when the harmony is done well especially where the rich blend of voices is soothed by soft string arrangements. That is exactly what US folk roots duo The Sea The Sea has succeeded in capturing on their debut album LOVE WE ARE WE LOVE. The singer-songwriter duo of Chuck E. Costa and Mira Stanley have taken a while to develop their chance acquaintance into a recording that has a destiny feel to it but the proof of their inevitable liaison lies within the listening of this thoughtful and metaphorical album. The hypnotic, stirring and palindromic title track ‘ Love We Are We Love’ is a worthy tune to project the album and is symbolic of the duo’s approach to music, posing questions to the answers that only the medium of song writing really excels at. The whole record reverberates around the theme of experiencing that leap of faith which while extremely relevant to Chuck and Mira is capable of reaching out into the mind of t...

If you want further proof that the soul of country music has gravitated east across the Cumberland River then listen no further than this debut release from Aussie songstress Emma Swift. Her roots and current base may be Antipodean but East Nashville has been a past point of settlement, hopefully a future place of residence and always her true spiritual home. This 6 track collection of divine entrancing pure country gold will have you drooling for the half hour it takes to infiltrate your senses. She may have gone to Nashville to learn but this release can cross the divide and teach others how to make a record and label it ‘country’. Of course in this media driven age, Emma Swift is going to be labelled alt country or Americana suggesting she is doing something different. However an alternative view is that she has her pulse on the real thing as this pedal steel driven batch of sad songs, drizzled with soul and sung at a luring pace, oozes with golden class from start to finish...

For a solitary hour on Saturday evening, the 50 th Cambridge Folk Music Festival was transported deep down the Mississippi Delta and immersed in an album that is rapidly evolving into a blueprint of perfection for those captivated by the true essence of southern roots music. Rosanne Cash was returning to this premium festival for the first time since 2003 and her full band-near complete performance of THE RIVER AND THE THREAD just eclipsed Jason Isbell as the Americana highlight of an event keen to showcase so much fine roots music from around the world. The best way to approach a festival of this manageable size is to have your hit list, take a chance on a few unknowns and browse the rest to soak up the atmosphere. With a strong Americana presence this year, the first approach was well stocked, while the second threw up some acts craving to be further explored. No doubt there will be many column inches for the major bookings such as Van Morrison, Richard Thompson, Sinead O’Con...

Picture courtesy of Mike Trotman of Empty Rooms  There is really something quite special about live roots music in a church setting. Around a couple of years ago the Good Lovelies excelled in the heavenly acoustic surrounding of a venue in Ross-on-Wye and Sarah Jarosz did likewise on this Oxford date in the final throes of her latest UK tour. The pro-activity of the St. John’s the Evangelist Church events team and South Midlands based promoter Empty Rooms ensured a very healthy turnout of around 250 to witness a young performer who has left prodigy status behind and is now firmly established as one of America’s premier roots artists. Whether the label ‘new grass’ sticks is irrelevant and it could quite possibly be replaced with the simple word ‘quality’ as Sarah epitomizes this simple understated word in musical terms. Raised in Texas, schooled in Boston and no doubt now utilising the musical facilities of Nashville, Sarah is using this tour to promote her latest acclai...