Three Chords and the Truth UK

The most profound attribute to this album is that numerous listens lead you to have a 100% belief in the music of Gem Andrews. It may have its roots in both the north east and north western parts of our land but any transatlantic drift westwards still retains that ultimate streak of Englishness. A touch of irony for an album titled VANCOUVER which is quite distinctly a movable feast of moody country and cutting folk, all sprinkled with a fragrance of Americana. While still a songwriter in development, Gem has assembled a collection of original compositions and cleverly selected borrowed tunes to what evolves into a lyrical emporium of darkness and melancholy. An eleventh hour check of 'who wrote what' revealed Gem as the source of possibly the strongest track on the album in ‘ Crimson Tide’ , best described as wondrous tale of fading love sung with deep passion within an impeccably structured song. This and the other five tracks to surface from the creative writing well ...

Each year a dreary British winter has a ray of spring hope with the Celtic Connections Festival and the Transatlantic Sessions tour. The knock effect of these two twin events embedded north of the border is the sprinkling of touring artists who seek a few dates in the more southern locations of these isles. Obviously the Transatlantic project hits a number of English cities in force in February, while artists such as Cahalen Morrison and Eli West call at numerous venues on their trek to Glasgow’s melting pot of majestic music. So for the first time, the duo hailing from America’s Pacific North West, found their way to the south Birmingham suburb of Kings Heath to showcase their talents to an anticipated Kitchen Garden Café audience. Eli West Cahalen and Eli have been attracting praise for a while now and it was good to embrace their brand of roots music close at hand. An unassuming and humble duo, the pair predominately let their songs and music do the preaching, or to be mo...

The phrase ‘water into sand’ may represent a radical transformation but the album of the same title by Porchlight Smoker eases along the roots spectrum with a far more sedate transition. While never settling on a single sound, the album retains a high impact to effortlessly make a case for instant projection up your listening list. After synchronising the title of their second album ‘2’ with its chronological status, WATER INTO SAND sees the Brighton based quartet tackle that all important third album with gusto, craft and guile to produce a super release fully encompassing the diversity of the band’s make up. Folk, Americana, bluegrass, old time and traditional country are labels pretty much relevant to this album with the classic combo of lyrics, sound and vocals expertly reflecting these styles. From the quintessential English sound of the South East, through the Celtic influence of Eastern Scotland via the wide open spaces of Wichita Kansas, the original locations of Porchli...

The true test of an artist flourishing at the mid-level of the industry is the flexibility to adapt to a variety of formats and surroundings. After excelling with his band last year, including a cracking Birmingham date, Blair Dunlop showed at this village hall gig how to conduct a solo show with enlightenment, flair, wit and an abundance of skill. It was almost a year to the day since Blair played the very same venue alongside his illustrious father, but this evening Ashley Hutchings was consigned to a few mentions as his son oozed with heaps of confidence and panache. With the help of something old, traditional, borrowed, newish and very new, Blair entertained a committed audience with a twin pair of symmetrical sets, reflective in both their length and quality. Not only pulling material from his two albums to date, this extended slot of a solo Blair saw more background chat about the songs which perfectly complemented the occasional outbreaks of dry impish wit. A precious con...

Quite often the origins of folk coverage on this blog are a live show and its endearing impact. True to form the names of Tracey Browne and Raevennan Husbandes first crossed my path back in the halcyon summer days of August 2014 and to be more precise, The Den stage at Cambridge Folk Festival. Supported by ace pedal steel guitarist B.J. Cole, Raevennan impressed in an exciting set of multi-genre music and for the final number had invited Tracey on stage to sing an accompaniment. Spring forward a few months and the pair confirm their partnership with the release of the excellent full length album EAST BY NORTH WEST. Named after the pair’s home locations at the time of Lowestoft and Manchester, the record contains eight originals and an arrangement of an existing poem. Collectively it hangs together with a thread of beautiful vocals, crafted musicianship and a natural chemistry for collaboration. The project had its own origins in a chance meeting between the pair at a residential mus...

Essential criteria when putting your head above the parapet of the deluge of singer-songwriters is to possess a vocal style to raise eyebrows. Such a style need not be flawless as one expressing the wornness of life can perfectly fit the mood of the song, especially on compositions digging deep into one’s inner thoughts. Miriam Jones is an artist who eased through an endless list of submissions with an album giving an enriched listening experience and presenting a performer equipped with the tools to make an impact in a crowded market. BETWEEN GREEN AND GONE is a fascinating collection of a neatly packaged set of ten songs, sharing an equal trait of similar length and effect but blessed with leaving a favourable impression. A sprinkling of releases have previously appeared under the name of Miriam Jones, a Canadian native who has been settled in the UK for a number of years. However this one may be your introduction to her as an artist and it has been capably assisted by Simon E...

In the week of their Brit award nomination, the supremely sublime Soderberg sisters showed that the mainstream might just be heading in the right taste direction. In the intervening couple of years since First Aid Kit last played a more intimate Birmingham venue, their international bandwagon has gathered pace cutting across both genre preservationists and more casual observers, residing for one evening only at a sell-out Symphony Hall. With a sound effortlessly floating between the alt wings of folk and country, while being briefly injected with a spiced up dose of pop and rock, the stage show of Johanna and Klara is awash with heavenly harmonies, memorable melodies and a reminder of the compulsive purity of roots music.  The four piece stage line up may be symmetrical in its stance but much of the First Aid Kit sound is driven by the atmospheric dulcet twang of the pedal steel and who better to display his maestro talents than Melvin Duffy, one of the UK’s foremost exponents...

With the perfect remedy to deal with the trials and tribulations of life, Drew Holcomb reveals his own tonic in the release of the new album MEDICINE. A record smoothed around the edges without any extended polishing, it has proved the ideal project for Holcomb to take stock of his ten year recording period and reflect where his career lies. Following the promotion of his previous album GOOD LIGHT in 2013, he is beginning to make inroads into the UK market and MEDICINE is packed with credentials to continue this successful penetration. Literate to its core and explicit in its presentation, the album is a positive thread of masterful song writing, with music to match the mood of the sentiments. Once again Drew has enlisted the services of his band The Neighbors (oh to have common transatlantic spellings) and the twelve tracks ebb and flow through the emotions of life. Each track takes its place in a divergent collection that occasionally varies in tone but is consistent in classy ar...

Whether you are someone who likes to meticulously dissect abstract lyrics or just let a soft melodious sound flood your senses, then the twin appeal of Amelia Curran’s new album is a heaven sent release. Very much in the mould of her previous records, THEY PROMISED YOU MERCY is a wordsmith’s delight of lyrically layered compositions hinged by an assortment of sounds fluctuating distinctly without taking the record out of a second gear pulse. Praise from within Canadian folk circles is not uncommon for Amelia as she confirms, in this seventh album release, her prime status in the world of that country’s exporting talent. First and foremost, words are the currency of Amelia who not surprisingly is the architect behind all eleven tracks, with the trademark writing style of first person perspective no finer highlighted than in the lyrical structure of ‘ I am the Night’ , one of the songs selected for album promotion. In fact the choice for promo material is endless and the positioni...

Like an anchored buoy in a sea of change, Alan West is prepared to stand firm amongst the contemporary new wave attaching itself to UK country music. Not afraid to mix it with the young pretenders (including hosting a mid-winter festival featuring many and playing C2C pop up stages), Alan is acutely in touch with his perception of country music and ALL THINGS FOR A REASON refuses to budge from a deep passion installed many years ago. Alan first crossed my path around half a dozen years ago when supporting Hal Ketchum in Wolverhampton and although active on the UK scene for a number of years, this new album is only his third studio release. However, alongside his long term accomplice Steve Black, Alan has recorded an album strong on principle and a timely reminder why country music possesses genre credentials. Questions are often raised about British artists positioning their mind 4000 miles west when making music, but Alan fully understands the country music market having some a...

Fast forward twelve months and there may be a slim chance that you’re reading this January review. However there is a far greater probability that you’re still listening to FEAR AND SATURDAY NIGHT, the fifth and potentially greatest impacting major label album to date from Ryan Bingham. Settling in a new recording regime but still possessing that fearsome harsh vocal style wonderfully breathing life into the vivid canvas of his surroundings, Bingham leaves a giant imprint on the world of country, roots and Americana music. Like all great albums, expect a slight foray into rock and the intrinsic lyrical style of folk, with a sprinkling of Tex-Mex to reflect his Texas/New Mexico roots and wider western background to his upbringing. Ryan Bingham received most acclaim for the track ‘ The Weary Kind’ written for the motion picture Crazy Heart which interspersed his four previous albums, getting the nod at both the Grammys and the Oscars. There is so much of this inspirational style ...

Annie Keating makes a welcome recording return to UK audiences with a brand new self-released album hitting these shores in the opening weeks of January. MAKE BELIEVING is a sweet eclectic mix of rural idealism and suburban endeavours confirming Annie’s status as a leading light on the North Eastern US indie-folk-Americana scene. As we have come to expect from her previous five albums, there are traces of experimentalism all underpinned by a thread of root connecting sounds. This brief overview of MAKE BELIEVING can be further illustrated by the opening three tracks which encompass the theories behind this album analysis. A record hitting its heights in the first song can be a double edged sword but in this case there is no evidence of the album tailing off. The track in question, ‘ Coney Island’ retains an element of nostalgic charm wrapped in an appealing package and can be applied to any faded fondness of the mind’s recollections. This dose of suburban reflection is followed...

What a delightful way to start the New Year! An Anglo-American album full of subtle hybrid strands of Americana music served up in a simple yet captivating style. An exiled Okie who defied the ‘go west’ call and settled in the eastern counties of southern England instead, Bob Collum returns to themes from his homeland for this superlative release. LITTLE ROCK may be the capital of the state neighbouring his beloved Oklahoma but it lends its name to the title of this 10-track album and the opening number which steers the record in a semi alt-country rock direction. However the true spiritual sound of the album centres round the gorgeous pedal steel courtesy of Allan Kelly. Any further micro analysis of this record cannot go past a country duet of magnificent magnitude. Bob has worked with Marianne Hyatt on previous releases and together they have produced an ear catching number sparking marital chords around the land. ‘ Good Thing We’re In Love’ is the only co-write on the recor...

If HELLO CRUEL WORLD ascended into heavenly status, then BLACKBIRDS sees Gretchen Peters sanctify a slice of self-actualisation. The success of her 2012 album presented a tricky follow up conundrum and, while this new release is far removed from sophomore territory, the solution is no shallow act of surface creativity. Collaboration has lubricated the path to success and the higher the quality, the greater the impact. Those helping out Gretchen may have shared the process but the product is ultimately owned by one of America’s leading singer-songwriters. With the career album already in the bank, this next phase of Gretchen’s musical journey is underway and the defining factor appears to be canonising influence. This flourishes in every lyric, note and bar of BLACKBIRDS. The namedropping begins with the album contributors, starting with the consummate twang of Jerry Douglas, moving through the talents of Jason Isbell. Will Kimbrough and Jimmy Lafave before settling with the voca...