Three Chords and the Truth UK

Back in 2012 the debut album of Whitehorse was one of this blog’s formative reviews. So it’s fitting to reflect on how both have grown in the last three years. Just as the blog closes in on 400 reviews, the evolution of Whitehorse as a recording entity develops into the making of an album capable of creating shockwaves throughout the Canadian and international community of ultra-creative roots music. LEAVE NO BRIDGE UNBURNED sees husband and wife duo, Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland, steer their sound in a vamped up direction, underpinning an avalanche of spectacular tunes with a firm rock undercurrent. The sheer immensity of precious tracks make this album an outstanding candidate for national acclaim and it would not be a surprise to see it get a Juno nod. Like every great album, intrinsic qualities surface with each listen but right from the off a trio of outstanding pieces firmly plant the record at the core of your listening sphere. ‘ Tame as the Wild Ones’ is a sumptuo...

How refreshing to come across a young artist pursuing country music ideals without veering down the route of ‘quick fix’ pop-rock models. Hannah Rose Platt uses the combined beauty of her lyrical wisdom and wondrous vocals to populate a blank canvas of a debut record in remarkable and mature portions. Adopting a folk-tinged influence and finespun musical arrangements helps steer PORTRAITS, Hannah’s debut full length release, into the territory of lauded association and anointed acclaim. All twelve tracks etch a tantalising appeal across your mind, showcasing Hannah’s potential to develop into an influential songwriter, both in evidence on solo contributions and the nous to learn from the best. Being hailed by Sid Griffin as a ‘young, north of England Emmylou Harris’ is an eye opening comment to introduce a female artist but such hyperbole is not so out of place. On a record simply but beautifully crafted, Hannah explores some deep seated concepts using guile, awareness and a fla...

Question: What do Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Emmylou Harris, Wyonna Judd, Gillian Welch, Cowboy Jack Clements, Joe Ely and Buddy Holly all have in common? Answer: They were all namechecked by Kimmie Rhodes last night during her Bristol show, reflecting the depth and breadth of her musical associations over the last thirty plus years. Of course Buddy Holly is the odd one out of not working professionally with Kimmie but, being the source of the Waylon story, a fellow original inhabitant of Lubbock Tx and one of her heroes, made his presence relevant. In fact Kimmie chose to end the show with a cover of ‘ Raining in My Heart’ to cap a performance running deep in a wealth of classic country and immaculate song writing. This beautiful hall now converted to a vibrant music venue hosted a one off double bill of two contrasting touring musicians reflecting a diversity of styles becoming encompassed under the Americana banner. While Kimmie is a certified Texas treasure born with the g...

Just imagine emerging from a ravaging winter to be greeted by the new dawn of spring. Supplant that greeting with the beautiful cherubic tones of Bella Hardy and you’ll definitely be re-invigorated for the longer days of summer. A little imagination for this may be needed when living in the UK’s mild climate but bathing in the exquisite sounds from Bella’s new album is very real as WITH THE DAWN gets its timely spring release. Teaming up with producer Ben Seal and focussing on original material rather than exploring traditional song, reaps dividend for Bella who delivers a record saturated in soothing and stimulating sounds. Her reign may or may not be about to end as the current BBC Radio 2 Folk Singer of the Year but in line with a prolific past, Bella once again charms and beguiles the listener with a collection of eleven songs spearheaded by a stunning lead off track. ‘ The Only Thing to Do’ had its single release in January along with a striking accompanying video and branc...

The genre conundrum surfaced last night at Birmingham’s Rainbow venue. Pete Bernhard, the frontman of The Devil Makes Three, vociferously proclaimed that they are not an American country band. This is a concept in line with the promoters who brought them to Birmingham and the earthy indie rock venue hosting them in a location where the city centre spills into the less salubrious inner city suburbs. However you only have to spend a couple of moments observing and listening to this trio to discover that they have a far greater synergy with the ideals of country music than much of the modern output so decried by Bernhard. What The Devil Makes Three do succeed at is delivering a near non-stop procession of high tempo acoustic roots music courtesy of banjo, fiddle, guitar and bass in the true tradition of the pioneers of country music and all the offspring strands. This band, which is a trio at core but intermittently expanded to a four and five-piece during the show with the active part...

While BLACKBIRDS continues to attract widespread critical acclaim, this evening’s show was a timely reminder of how brilliant HELLO CRUEL WORLD was and more importantly still is. This renaissance period of Gretchen Peters’ career in making these two fantastic records is spoiling fans across two continents as she continues to inject inspiring shots of fine musicianship into a rich song writing emporium spanning a lifetime. The power and emotion of the new record will without doubt have its day in the live arena in good time, thus spawning endless spine tingling moments such as savoured this evening when being totally absorbed by ‘Five Minutes’ , ‘ Idlewild ’, ‘ The Matador’ and ‘ Woman on the Wheel’ , all from the 2012 outstanding album. Much comment has been made of Gretchen’s 20 year love affair with UK audiences and the advancements made since. Even in the last decade the numbers attending her Midlands shows have more than doubled as she has progressed from several intimate gig...

If you’re a banjo non-believer, stick around for a bit, read this review, check out the music of Dan Walsh and you may see the error of your ways. Far from having its origins in either the New World or the imperial Old, in fact it was brought to the Americas via African slaves; this iconic instrument has long established its position at the core of folk, roots and country music. While some will strum a few notes and chords on it, others take it under their wing and build a whole act on its beautiful twang. Midlands based artist Dan Walsh is definitely in the latter camp and is fast becoming acknowledged as being one of the UK’s finest exponents of banjo playing. His latest album brings more examples of flair as Dan reels off a high octane mix of instrumentals and songs, the latter a combination of both covers and originals documenting his life’s musings. Drawing on an initial love of Scottish and Irish music, bringing in the Appalachian bluegrass sound  and experimenting wit...

One thing certain when attending an O’Hooley and Tidow show is that you leave informed, entertained and very much aware why they are gathering a deserved reputation as one of the most vibrant duos on the British folk circuit. Whether it’s their skilled approach to mastering the art of storytelling by song, harnessing their vocal talents in harmonious unison or sharing their exuberant personalities in an affable way, this acclaimed Yorkshire couple have hit the jackpot with both their recorded material and live presence. Okay the jackpot this evening may have been 50 people in a rural community centre but folk music is all about reaching out to the people and there is little doubt that Belinda O’Hooley and Heidi Tidow could do this 365 days a year should energies permit such is the demand. BBC Radio 2 folk award nominations have begun to be accumulated and their latest industry nod has been on the back of a fine release last year titled THE HUM. As expected tracks from this album...

It may have taken adversity to unlock the musical talents of Suzanne Jarvie but a certified blessing lies in a therapeutic debut album equipped to create more than a stir in the world of folk, Americana and real country music. From start to finish, SPIRAL ROAD aches in epic portions to paint a literary outpouring of what country music writing was born to capture. Not only has Suzanne told her story with heart rendering emotion, she has surrounded herself with a stellar team of players running rich in a stream of sensual soul and tantalising twang. This is a record for any age but an important 2015 ally in the defence of protecting great genre music from the ravages of those seeking universal change. The adversity was a combination of family ailments culminating in a near death experience of a son, and an inspirational seam of Suzanne’s writing deals with the anguish and subsequent recovery process. Whether recalling the father serenading a coma-stricken son with Leonard Cohen’s ...

If you’re searching for that amazing sound which takes all the pieces of pure musical roots and forms them into a perfect pop record then look no further than this new album by Norwegian all-female quartet Katzenjammer. Any doubts that a record with such an appealing instant hit will wither away is totally unfounded as ROCKLAND reveals a depth of eclecticism and comes up trumps in mastering the art of explorative ingenuity. Energy exerted in genre identification may be a sapping experience when coming to grips with this record as the four ladies kick hard in every direction imaginable, while pushing and pulling you on a memorable trip, which in particular will thrill alt-folk communities around the world. This is Katzenjammer’s third release since their 2008 debut which relatively soon followed the four members meeting up at music school three years earlier. The sum of Katzenjammer is made up of Anne Marit Bergheim, Turid Jorgensen, Solveig Heilo and Marianne Sveen, a combo show...

There could surely not have been a more appropriately located gig than listening to two stripped back roots artists plying their trade in a cavernous yet intimate bricked-interior vault venue. Ben Glover and Angel Snow rotated a bunch of career songs, anecdotes and comments to melt perfectly into the surroundings and reveal the substantial depths of their song writing repertoire. Perhaps the word heights would make a better analogy as both possess an innate talent to make an imprint in more expansive situations. However life is best lived in the present and the good folk of Shrewsbury had an indulgent evening feasting on a show housed within The Buttermarket venue, witnessing two of Nashville’s fast emerging singer- songwriters. On an evening of contrasts beginning with gender, the most striking difference is the routes that both artists have taken to Music City with Ben crossing the Atlantic from the northern counties of the Emerald Isle and Angel having a shorter hop from Chic...

With a striking pose and a persona soaked rich in southern lore, Hannah Aldridge engulfs the senses of many an Americana romanticist through her wealth of music, influences and tales. Possessing a voice which perfectly moulds around her songs of sentiment and darkness in equal portions, plus the aura to rise above the bustle of a Friday night venue, works wonders for Hannah’s spotlight presence. The finished article is an enthralling artist finding her true mission to shoot from the soul and keep the fire of pedigree roots music burning. Hannah’s album RAZOR WIRE is just approaching its first anniversary and still sounds as fresh as it did on the first listen. The added good news is that the process for the follow up is well under way with songs beginning to be trialled in live dates and hopefully an early 2016 release in the offing. She is also carrying on a mission to initiate greater recognition in Europe and this Bromsgrove gig forms part of a double pronged cross Atlantic a...

This album had its dawning with me back in October 2013 when The Dreaming Spires introduced the track ‘ Dusty in Memphis’ during their support slot for Danny and the Champions of the World in Birmingham. Pouring out from the stage with spine tingling emotion, this mini epic possessing the most memorable of chorus tags permanently etched on the memory from first listen and has now surfaced in full grandeur as the centre-piece on the band’s second album SEARCHING FOR THE SUPERTRUTH. However far from dominating the record, it emerges as a gateway to what The Dreaming Spires do best and guides you on a wanderlust tour fuelled by the finest of homespun indie, soulful Americana and shamelessly upfront alt-country rock. The Dreaming Spires are organically the Bennett brothers, Robin and Joe, alongside regular drummer Jamie Dawson and an assortment of guest players. Amongst these include ‘Free Jazz’ Geoff Widdowson on sax, like the brothers an honorary ‘Champion of the World’, and ...

Striding onto the stage to the strains of ‘Enjoy Yourself’ by The Specials proved a Freudian entrance for The Mavericks in Birmingham this evening. Nearly two and a half hours later, the Symphony Hall had just witnessed a special performance and it would be nigh on impossible to find anyone who didn’t enjoy themselves. The band’s soiree at the top table of country music may have been twenty years ago but, led by the ever impressive Raul Malo, there are still plenty of tricks up the sleeve to teach the modern era about the class and style to inject into the genre. The Mavericks circa 2015 adopt a seamless twin headed approach to their live shows with a front three of Eddie Perez (lead guitar), Jerry Dale McFadden (keyboards) and Malo himself excelling on guitar alongside his stunning tenor vocals. In the absence of the now departed original bassist Robert Reynolds, the backbone of the band is a five piece featuring the horn pairing of trumpet and saxophone, accordion and a rhythm s...