Three Chords and the Truth UK

Brandishing a new album full of introspection, honesty and renewed belief, Jess Klein returned to Birmingham to give a reminder of how fortunate we are to host so many fine Austin-based artists prepared to spread their talents far and wide. With the mission to nudge the fascinating experience of spending an evening in the company of such performers to more locals still work-in-progress, the task is made much easier when artists of the calibre of Mike June join the fray. Together Mike and Jess played a brace of enlightening sets to stamp an indelible mark on those selecting the Kitchen Garden Café for their Monday evening entertainment. Jess’s new album LEARNING FAITH hit the airwaves earlier this year and represents a much deeper phase of her writing career with the second word of its title serving as the record’s inspiration. There is a more distinct blues infused sound to this release and, when hitting her stride, you could sense Jess getting deeper into the songs. Starting off ...

Follow the linear trail back of the sound of Girls Guns and Glory’s fifth album GOOD LUCK and your path will wind from modern day American roots rock, through post punk new wave, call at an outlaw honky tonk and end up at its straight down the middle-rock n’ roll source. Throughout its entirety, the album never loses sight of that long lasting country trait of mixing storytelling lyrics with a deep rooted melodic sound. This four piece combo from Boston, Massachusetts can be mightily proud of a record that sparkles with clarity and maximises frenetic guitar with clever melodies. Led by vocalist, guitarist and prime songwriter Ward Hayden, Girls Guns and Glory pay their guitar dues on a record democratic in its name origin and just as eclectic in the moods it succeeds in conveying. Awash with potential stand out numbers, the song with the most profound poignancy is the spine tingling ‘Centralia PA’ , a reflection on a town bled to death by the detrimental side of coal mining. The...

Ok, not entirely relevant to the review but when news broke that Sarah Borges had returned to the studio and was bringing her new record to the UK, visions of her singing while standing on the bar during the last trip came flooding back. While not an act of drunken mayhem, it epitomized the energy of her show and the good news is that Sarah has lost none of her passion during this gap of a couple of years. A split from her backing band The Broken Singles led to this enforced hiatus but Sarah has dusted herself down and RADIO SWEETHEART is a blistering revival record which rocks more than rolls in the truest sense. Renewed faith in Sarah was bestowed upon her by Kentucky based Lonesome Day Records and it is with fellow label artists Girls Guns and Glory that the UK return is arranged including a visit to the scene of the bar singing episode in Nottingham. The initial jolt to get the record in motion was a successful crowd fundraising activity and teaming up with producer Steve Be...

The market may be getting a little crowded with male/female acoustic folk duos but if everybody moves up a little, there is room for Edinburgh based outfit The Jellyman’s Daughter. While your search for electric influence will be futile, splendid harmonies are aplenty as well as luscious individual vocal pieces primarily from co-member Emily Kelly. What makes this duo stand out is the prominent role for Graham Coe’s cello and this is a particularly brave move for an instrument which can have a somewhat solemn feel to it when exposed. However The Jellyman’s Daughter succeeds in shaping their songs around the sound and exploiting its mood in an appealing way. If The Black Feathers head the UK march to fill the finally deceased Civil Wars gap, then The Jellyman’s Daughter are not too far behind and now have a debut self-titled full release to chart their drive towards wider recognition. Their path to me was supporting Samantha Crain at a recent Edinburgh gig and it didn’t require t...

When played well pedal and lap steel can produce an emotion sapping accompaniment to songs designed to explore some of the darker places in our mind. Whether by experience or imagination, Luke Tuchscherer’s initial deep dive into the world of country music has risen back to the surface with an album capturing that sound and mood. With cultured arrangements and explicit songs baring the scars of life, YOU GET SO ALONE AT TIMES IT JUST MAKES SENSE is not an album to be consumed lightly but then we all know that the best records never shy away from a little pain. Whybirds drummer Luke has stepped forward to go alone on this debut solo release and has the potential to create more than a ripple in the UK's Americana and alt-country community, although with its deep sense of tradition perhaps the alt tag should be dropped. This record is awash with top notch writing, stellar playing and more importantly connects instantly without the need to go down the grower route. Just as the p...

Over the last couple of years, enormous pleasure has been derived from delving into the Canadian folk, roots and country scene revealing a tight knit community spanning this vast land. Discovering new artists and then exploring their back catalogue has often proved to be a rewarding experience with the latest in a lengthy line being Suzie Ungerleider, or to be more precise, her recording name of Oh Susanna. Suzie had been on my radar for a while so the opportunity to feature her new album NAMEDROPPER is long overdue for such an established artist. This new album sees Suzie take a break from writing, so fellow music enthusiasts using the release as an introductory tool will get an instant feel of her vocal talent and ability to interpret the songs of others. If the thought of a covers album leaves you indifferent, fear not as this is more of a commissioning project enlisting the great and the good of Canadian song writing talent. All fourteen tracks are seeing their recorded life...

With a streamlined stage name and guitar in hand, Sunjay Brayne ups his ante in the world of studio recorded music in the form of this effortlessly arranged ten track collection of songs spanning the world of folk and Americana music. Singer-guitarist Sunjay has gone down the simplistic route when naming this new album, a follow up to 2013’s live release ONE NIGHT ONLY, and each offering carves out its own niche. Several familiar songs ring fence the album simply titled SUNJAY but they far from diminish the excellent guitar skills and developing vocals which glow with maturity. Having seen Sunjay play short sets several times in his role of Stourbridge Folk Club host, he rarely plays down his passion to explore and interpret the blues. However that particular style is toned down a touch on this album with the biggest nod to it being his version of the popular old blues number ‘ Drop Down Mama ’ which brings his pickin’ skills to the fore early in the album. Sunjay definitely has...

“She has a string of live dates lined up throughout the summer and onwards, with hopefully the intention to keep writing and interpreting new songs to one day, be in a position to add to her catalogue of recordings.” These were the words that closed our review of Kim Lowings back in May and it was great to catch up with her and the band on this Birmingham date after a busy summer period. This included a prestigious opening slot at the Warwick Folk Festival, a residency at an Edinburgh Fringe venue and some extended recent coverage on Genevieve Tudor’s Sunday Folk show on BBC Radio Shropshire. The good news is also that new songs are taking shape and hopefully some of these will begin to surface in the New Year. For this show at Birmingham’s eclectic Ort Café in the inner city suburb of Balsall Heath, it was very much business as usual for Kim as she served up her regular offering of intriguing interpretations of traditional numbers and plenty of innovative originals. One enhan...

Whether you believe in nature or nurture, Justin Townes Earle has consistently used his talent to search for the true soul of Americana music. His five previous albums have been recorded amidst a host of personal barriers and, while commercial appeal has never been on the agenda, recognition for what he has been striving for has been forthcoming. Not an artist afraid to confront experimentation within the confines of his mission, the latest album SINGLE MOTHERS does reflect a maturity in the writing and outlook of a married man passing the threshold of thirty. Of course there is still fire in his belief that truly authentic Americana music needs to be made and has decided that the time has arrived to make a more laid back mellow version in search of the holy grail of contemporary roots music. Despite an undulating rhythm and pace across its half hour, SINGLE MOTHERS is representative of an unhurried sound, placid in places but totally absorbing in ambience and effect. Pedal steel ...

There is yet to be a coined term for the exported English version of Americana, but if there was such a word it would still struggle to define the musical world of Police Dog Hogan. This London based octet have the opportunity to share their brand of unique familiarity at this year’s Americana Music Festival and the Nashville alt-elite will get an early opportunity to sample the wit, passion, eccentricity and unrelenting excellence of their new album WESTWARD HO!. As far as steering their style into the blurred world of Americana music, Police Dog Hogan put the brakes on at the western extremes of the English seaside before sending a lyrical postcard to the world. The mass amalgamation of roots instrumentation has been core to Police Dog Hogan creating their own niche on the UK live circuit and on this their third studio album they have elevated the extension of the quality right across the release. The writing is clever, cutting, mature and full of quip merging well with a so...

British artists seeking the inspirational surroundings of Nashville, Tennessee can almost reach a crossroads of which path they ultimately want to major in. For some the glamour and bright lights associated with the image spun world of the multi-media age can turn into a distant goal while others gravitate to the side where they hope substance will prevail over style. It crudely can be pitched as pop versus folk or full blown electric versus fiddle and steel but country music should be diverse enough to accommodate a significant amount of diversity. One listen to TENNESSEE TRACKS by Catherine Ashby and there is little doubt that the goal is more AMA than CMA. The result is an EP wringing in emotion, sung with gravelly depth and capturing a sound drenched in Americana sentiment. No doubt the songs were in place before London based Catherine headed to Music City and enlisted the services of the now late Lorna Flowers to bring them to palatable fruition in a style rich in atmospher...

He may have started out as the chosen opener for the cream of Americana music talent but on the evidence of tonight’s show, it won’t be long until Andrew Combs sheds this tag and joins the elite himself. With acute articulation, shared sensibilities and a touch of bar room dust, Andrew taps into the rich source of folk and country music to display a mature and assured status. Basing himself in Nashville and working alongside the likes of Caitlin Rose, Jason Isbell and Shovels and Rope has helped Andrew develop into a repeat play inducing recording artist and a memorable live performer capable of turning heads. Andrew is using this inaugural tour as a touring headline artist to launch his association with UK label Loose Music and share the dual fruits of his past and future. The first album for his new label in this country is due out early next year and we were introduced to several of the songs earmarked for the record when it’s released. This included the title track ‘All These...

The far reaching consequence of opening Zoe Wren’s PANDORA BOX is not as the myth goes detrimental but the revealing of five beautifully sung songs blending a finesse voice with the soothing tones of acoustic strumming. This debut EP is a tantalising short collection presenting Zoe first and foremost to the folk world but with lashings of potential to work the cross genre songbook. She can sing quite comfortably in the classical traditional style and still retain a contemporary charm to captivate the listener. Hailing from the London Borough of Camden, Zoe has found an outlet in the Hertfordshire set up of the Folkstock team to record her first collection of songs. Early focus was on the neo-traditional style ’45 Fever’ which featured on the FEMMES FATALES OF FOLK album released earlier in the summer. This tune sees Zoe experiment with bass and percussion courtesy of Lauren Deakin-Davies and is defined by some serious gear changes including a sparkling chorus explosion, althoug...

With a graceful air of stripped back simplicity, Kelly Oliver announces her arrival on the UK folk scene in the guise of an album rich in honesty and sharing a blossoming talent wrapped around songbird sensibilities. Essentially Kelly is one young lady, one guitar, part harmonica and a million words flowing from her creative gifts to fuel the outlet of her golden vocals. Helping hands have played their part in channelling THIS LAND from demo status to a fully-fledged album release but never hindering the captivating focus that the listener has in discovering the musical talent of Kelly. Iconic British folk fiddler Dave Swarbrick kindly lent a hand to ‘ Grandpa was a Stoker’ , while two up and coming talents at the other end of their careers contributed in different ways to a pair of stand-out tracks on the album. Kelly’s cover of the Dougie McLean classic ‘ Caledonia ’ first surfaced on the recently released FEMMES FATALES OF FOLK record and also graces this debut full length albu...

You don’t often get classic original country music passing through town so when you find out that Daniel Romano has hastily added a Midlands date to his extensive European tour the opportunity is too good to miss. The town in question happens to be one seemingly always portrayed as reminiscing about its Two-Tone past but fair play to Coventry, and in particular the Tin Music and Arts set up, for booking Daniel on a rare excursion to our shores. Backed by his five piece band, The Trilliums, the Canadian artist hits the country road and doesn’t veer once off a track meandering south to Texas via Tennessee. Make no mistake this is real country music and done rather well. A commendable turnout on the first Monday in September in an improvised and cosy little venue saw Leamington Spa based singer-songwriter Ben Penrose open proceedings with an impressive vocal style elevating his set above the norm. Ben stated that he often performs in a trio and three would have been the optimum nu...