Three Chords and the Truth UK

Around 5 years ago, via his Thursday evening BBC country show, Bob Harris introduced us to a couple of female artists who were plying their trade many miles, both physically and metaphorically, from the formal industry centre of Nashville Tennessee. Sharing a common trait of possessing a voice etched with the pleasure, pain and emotion of pure country music, Sara Petite and Zoe Muth soon became firm personal favourites showing the vibrancy of the genre on the nation’s west coast. Now in the space of 6 days, it has been a delight to catch up with both artists on selected dates during their current respective UK tours. In contrast to Zoe who is touring with her band, Sara has taken the option of travelling alone on this trip armed only with her guitar, a bunch of neat songs and that voice extracting every inch of sinew from the core of her compositions. Sara has had more experience of touring the UK, often with her own band, without reaching the audience her music deserves. All four...

It took only a few bars into Daniel Meade’s live show to understand and appreciate what he is all about. In a country music community fragmented on both sides of the Atlantic, the portion true to the spirit and core continues to follow a path laid out by history’s pioneers and trailblazers. With a helping hand from likeminded souls across the pond, Daniel lays claim to the British (or Scottish to be more precise) rights with an excellent new album glorious in evocative re-creation and rich in ideal. KEEP RIGHT AWAY may have been recorded in Tennessee with many highly respected contributors but it has its heart firmly in Glasgow and is a fluid flow of ideas right from the mind through to the pen of Daniel Meade. While it is actually Daniel’s second full length release, his recent support slots in the UK for Sturgill Simpson and Old Crow Medicine Show have raised the profile and brought in a raft of praise and plaudits. When seeing Daniel support and back Sturgill on a stifling su...

Sometimes it’s baffling to understand release dates in the digital age but HEARSAY by Stephen Simmons is getting renewed press in the UK well over a year since its availability and a couple of months after its successor! Putting industry labels and distribution methods to one side, this seventh album by Stephen once again showcases a singer-songwriter determined to plough an integrity laced route of country music true to his beliefs and heart. Maybe this means he has to work a little harder to find outlets for his music including regular sorties into Europe but when a solidified connection is made between artist and listener then fruition of a lifelong journey comes to a head. HEARSAY is your quintessential collection of storytelling country music, rich in influence and aiming to capture the soul of a late night jam with or without the addition of the odd tipple. Combining the heritage of his rural Tennessee upbringing with the travails of the road, the album is full of themes a...

For one night only, the Kitchen Garden Café ditched the quaint singer-songwriter ethos and kicked the proverbial in the guise of Swedish alt-country trio Baskery. The regular nine month stints the Bondesson sisters have spent in Nashville has formed a dim view of the modern country music direction and inspired them to further pursue a mission of spreading the word of mud country and banjo punk. A ninety minute set of frenzied activity, raucous tunes and using every inch of the confined space saw a Birmingham audience thankful that Baskery had ended their five year exile of playing the city. In fact the three sisters, now veterans of three studio albums with a fourth on the way, admitted that they had neglected the UK market for too long with festivals and the odd date being their recent focus on our shores. On the evidence of this evening, the songs, sound, stage show and passion is in place to build an audience that had an initial lift half a dozen years ago with an opening slot ...

Articulate, authentic and actualisation are three carefully chosen words which perfectly sum up AMERICAN MIDDLE CLASS, the excellent debut album by Angaleena Presley. Penned with extreme eloquence and enlightenment by Angaleena and her team of writers, all twelve tracks pin the album firmly in the camp of contemporary country traditionalism and creatively capture the realism of an individual perception on life. The skill and panache adapted to this record is a credit to Angaleena who now has a product to break out from her Pistol Annies days and demand the attention of an industry consistently wriggled with commercial conservatism. It is worth noting that there is a perceived difference with the term ‘middle class’ between our two nations with Angaleena’s upbringing being far from as comfortable as the phrase suggests over here.  However Angaleena felt there was an untold story that needed to be shared and the challenge is not to be impressed with the outcome especially when...

Luke Jackson has not been short of plaudits in his short career and having now witnessed him and his trusty guitars for a an hour and half, the jigsaw puzzle of praise reveals a talent raw, rare and rapidly racing ahead of time. It may be a reluctant cliché but this is clearly an extremely experienced head on such young shoulders with the winners being an audience hooked by the mesmeric charm of his songs, persona and guitar playing. Respected sources are potentially anointing Luke as the next big thing in British folk but sometimes it’s wise to remain in the present and enjoy the moment. Midlands based promoters Bright Side Music were rewarded for the foresight to book Luke by a near sell out turnout in the studio venue of Bromsgrove’s Artrix Arts Centre and those who elected to spend their Saturday evening supporting live music had the joy of some splendid entertainment. With two albums under his belt and some new songs to share, Luke is not short of material and only throws in ...

‘I’ve got the finest record collection that you have ever seen’ boasts Zoe Muth in the final throes of what is one of the most clever and cutting songs written in the last few years. However the finest record collection wouldn’t be complete without a Zoe Muth recording and a memory library of live performances will have a great hole without seeing Zoe and her band in full flow at least once. The UK are having a second opportunity to catch one of her live shows and the good folk of Shrewsbury heartily supported an artist with an intuition to follow the right path and tap into the soul of real country music. The song referred to in the opening paragraph took its rightful place towards the latter stages of the evening and while Zoe introduced it as about the theme of being broke, ‘If I Can’t Trust You With a Quarter (How Can I Trust You With My Heart)’ can also be interpreted as a song about conditional love. Either way it was a centre-piece of a set which Zoe surprisingly focu...

Taking your music to new territories can be a daunting prospect but when you possess the talent of American trio Red Molly then the task is made a whole lot easier. With a recording career stretching back a decade, Molly Venter, Laurie MacAllister and Abbie Gardner decided it was time to try their luck in the UK and the latest release, simply titled THE RED ALBUM, was the ideal accompaniment to cross the pond. After a summer of UK press, the inaugural tour is underway and with little hesitation Midlands promoters Cosmic American booked them for a pair of gigs in Nottingham and Birmingham. The latter’s Hare and Hounds venue hosted a decent turnout frequented by those both new to the band and others who have tracked their career for a while. There was a unanimous verdict of approval at the end as another cracking and accomplished touring band were added to the growing list of recent times. For genre junkies, Red Molly, who all hail from the North Eastern part of the US, comfortably ...

Blistering bluegrass; Classic country; Awesome Americana. Three simple superlatives that sum up the manic musical mayhem that transpires into an Old Crow Medicine Show live performance. Faint hearts and traditional deniers need not apply to join their band wagon but fans of Darius Rucker’s version of ‘ Wagon Wheel’ are welcome as long as they treat the song as an initiation into the old time world of the Old Crow Medicine Show. Many of those who packed the 1500 capacity Ritz in Manchester well and truly bought in to the ideals of the band with several hard core gig goers shuffling out at the end muttering that they had just witnessed the best concert of 2014. With such a turnout and buzzing atmosphere throughout the evening, there was a satisfying re-assurance that the future of country music in the UK was heading down the right path. Although it has to be acknowledged that the Old Crow Medicine Show has made several UK visits over the years, cultivating a fan base and possibly a...

Danny Wilson proudly proclaims his band as ‘champions of the world’, while others hail them as the best live act on the UK circuit. The merits of both claims have great substance and plenty of evidence is on display each time they take to the stage. The belief Danny has in his band is undeniable and he fully understands the value of combination and co-operation. Closely observing, then immersing yourself into the work of this genre defying band is a riveting experience, although the true pleasure is leaving the scrutiny to one side and riding the euphoric wave of good time vibes radiating from the band in full flow. This tour by Danny and the Champions of the World encompasses the past, the present and the future. While technically the tour is supporting the new record, LIVE CHAMPS, this particular release is celebrating the past or to be more accurate, one magical night at the Jazz Café. So the set list for this Birmingham gig contained many old favourites and a substantial colle...

Occasionally the wider music community takes a peep into the world of Seth Lakeman but all they will usually see is a focussed and driven artist pursuing his passion for traditional sound and song. The respect from his peers and loyal fan base is intact, with each tour and project sealing the pact between artist and audience. Seth’s now annual visits to the West Midlands have tended to rotate between Birmingham and Black Country venues in Bilston and Wolverhampton with a packed Town Hall this time welcoming him to the heart of the Second City. What was on offer was the usual high quality serving of flowing fiddle, stomping sound and a carefully crafted collection of compositions. Seth is touring this year to promote his new album WORD OF MOUTH and skilfully weaved a set list strategically to support this release alongside old favourites which have formed the bedrock of his live shows over the years. A Seth Lakeman show is all about a switch of tempo and from the reaction of this F...

If you are a paid up subscriber to the theory that CAR WHEELS ON A GRAVEL ROAD is by far the finest segment of the Lucinda Williams back catalogue then standby for a release that will at least challenge your perception. With a vocal acumen that gets richer in age and an appetite to re-discover her southern roots, DOWN WHERE THE SPIRIT MEETS THE BONE sees Lucinda capture the mood of the land, moment and feeling to embark on a prolific bout of stunning song writing and stellar music production. This 20 track collection signals a return of the classic double album and, while certainly not for the meek, submerging yourself into this golden seam of country soul will leave a prolonged essence of gratifying satisfaction.  Lucinda, her husband Tom Overby and Greg Leisz collaborated on the production duties and emerged from their LA studio with an album dressed for classic recognition and an inaugural release on their appropriately named Highway 20 Records label. This road, so integr...

He may be an established member of the UK international touring circuit but Rod Picott never loses the blessing of someone who came to full time musicianship later in life than the usual career trajectory of a recording artist. With a personal milestone anniversary on the horizon, Rod still retains the passion of taking his music, songs and stories out on the road and the knack of connecting effectively with his audience. In the last dozen or so years the records have flowed consistently from the guitar and pen of Rod, successfully maintaining their quality and ensuring that his set lists can accurately represent the full span of his recording career. This evening’s show in Lichfield followed this winning formula leaving a probably already committed audience content with their 2014 live fix of Rod Picott. Staffordshire based promoters Hot Burrito were on fairly safe ground having booked Rod on three previous occasions, although they experimented this time by being forced to leav...

Spin this record once and you’ll be impressed. Spin it a dozen times and layer upon layer of superior song writing talent will be revealed. Quite remembering that Parker Millsap is just 21 years old can be a tough task as his seasoned vocals and mature approach to music making belie someone at the beginning of what should be a long and fruitful recording career. This self-titled release is actually Parker’s second full length record but is packed full of breakthrough qualities. Musically Parker calls at several ports along the way notably blues, gospel, country, jazz and straight forward singer-song writing fare but rarely lingers long enough to be typecast. What you do discover is that Parker is adept at harnessing all that’s sirenic about roots instrumentation at its combo best. When mixed with his compulsive lyrical musings, the whole album is an edifying listening experience. The Americana Music Association has already recognised Parker as one of the genre’s emerging talents...

How do you follow up producing an album that flirted with perfection before nestling in the upper echelons of your music appreciation? Well just short of releasing its successor to equal acclaim, which on this occasion may not be too far away, taking it on the road and showing its excellence is far from confined to the studio  is not a bad option. We may have been short on full band production but when you are blessed with the two part harmonies of Shelly and Charity held together by the majestic guitar skills of Ally, the captivating songs from Red Sky July’s second album SHADOWBIRDS had little difficulty in making the transition. The transformation of Leicester’s established Musician venue from rock pub to intimate listening parlour added to the aura of a performance frequented by a respectful and appreciative gathering. In what was an evening defined by quality over quantity, the trio quite rightly decided to major on the recent release which was played almost in its e...

First we had the compilation album previewing the talent, now the blossoming comes to the fore as more of the Folkstock artists move into the spotlight with their extended releases. Hot on the heels of Kelly Oliver and Zoe Wren sending their records out to press, Kaity Rae is next in line with a four track EP stunning in quality and blooming with maturity for one primarily at the outset of a promising career. If Kelly excelled in a song delivery to charm the traditionalists and Zoe possessed that innate ability to craft a magical tune, Kaity oozes with a confidence to reach out far out beyond the rapidly declining boundaries of folk music. Of course there is a school of thought for the need to preserve such boundaries but the beauty of Kaity’s music will rise above any curtailment. From a personal perspective, lifting Kaity from the FEMME FATALES OF FOLK album and showcasing four of her songs in this introductory package has raised the appreciation threshold tenfold. Perhaps sep...

Without pushing any boundaries, Canadian singer-songwriter Ian Sherwood has served up a highly palatable collection of songs underpinned by a folk substance but frequently uncoiled with a powdering of 80s pop. This latest release from a poetic wordsmith steeped in North East Canadian storytelling lore has adopted mini album status in its eight track compilation and has struck an egalitarian balance between aiming for the pulse and penetrating the heart. Symmetrical in effect though not necessarily in album position, four tracks could have been lifted straight from the golden age of melodic pop where enthusiasts of a certain age now, once held their breath for the weekly chart entries and countdown. Perhaps there will be an element of nostalgia in this notion as Ian’s inevitable target audience are more likely nowadays to be ploughing through reams of mournful numbers dressed in pain and etched in heartfelt soul. Yet starting with title track ‘ Everywhere to Go’ , threading t...