Three Chords and the Truth UK

This album is gift wrapped for dreamers, whether you’re living it real stateside or hooked up in an estate in suburban England armed with a fistful of records celebrating the West. Frankie Lee has lived the life of a country song and now his debut album AMERICAN DREAMER unveils as a road map to the land of endless highways. This widely travelled artist, now based in Minneapolis, has teamed up with Loose Music for its European release and praise has come rushing in from a plethora of trusted sources. What the listener is presented with is a compact set of ten tracks bathed in the essence of a late night jam. What you are left with is the satisfied feeling of letting a deluge of cool Americana music soak right through layer upon layer of emotive resistance. Lee bases his writing on the vastness of the rural landscape and uses impressive imagery skills to relay the contents of his fertile imagination. Musically, Lee has gravitated to the piano for his sound accompaniment treading ...

You can’t go wrong with the acoustic combo of guitar, violin, mandolin and double bass, as witnessed by the good folks of the Kitchen Garden Café this evening. Throw in a pair of gorgeous voices and a bunch of songs, both borrowed and new, and the ingredients were in place for an entertaining show by Cardboard Fox. If the name is not yet on your horizon, there may be a chance that the Carrivick Sisters is, with the link being that Laura and Charlotte form the perfect half of this quartet set to thrill the world of UK roots music. Together with Joe Tozer and John Breese, the band is rolling along in sync with the Carrivick Sisters format and likely to rise to an even higher profile over the next six months. In the run up to the debut album recording and subsequent release, Cardboard Fox are embarking on a series of UK dates and what better place to call in than the intimate surroundings Birmingham’s premier acoustic listening venue. By paying homage to such iconic performers as Jon...

Lucy Ward is a wavelength artist who will lure and mesmerise those tuned into her stimulating and progessive approach to music, although art is a more appropriate word. Praise has not been in short supply for the Derbyshire based artist and I DREAMT I WAS A BIRD will surely follow in the wake of the 25 year old’s previous two albums. The prestigious BBC Radio 2 Folk awards have already recognised her prodigious and innovative talent in multiple categories. Lucy, with the help of her assembled team of players and the production stewardship of Stu Hanna, has served up a sumptuous serving of nine diverse songs, spanning the breadth of her imagination and influences. Together they package into a mystical world of left field artistry and a record straining every sinew of your aural capacity. My frequency connection with the waves of Lucy Ward occurred earlier this year during a live show and has been totally sealed after delving deep into the realms of the new record. In a sincere ac...

If you want conclusive proof that the future of folk music in the Black Country is in rude health then look no further than the new album from Kim Lowings and the Greenwood. The record scores the first of many outstanding points with surely the most inspirational of album titles to emerge this year. Succinct to the core of its single word constitution, HISTORIA is the Ancient Greek take on learning from the past to inform the present and look to the future. The whole embodiment of this sentiment resides within Kim’s second full length release and one revealing a confidently assured singing-song writing performer to the ears of the listener. Whether re-interpreting classic traditional folk songs or using the power of observation and association to form an immensely ear catching original composition, Kim succeeds in engineering an acutely balanced album capturing the essence of her creativity, beautiful vocals and the combined talents of her assembled musical compatriots. Checking...

Dennis Ellsworth is a highly talented singer-songwriter who is not averse to baring his soul in a modest style. He has chiselled out a decent following in the UK over the last couple of years and the release of his new album ROMANTIC AS IT GETS is more power to the repertoire. Issued once again on the Busted Flat Record label, this new cut sees Dennis return to the location of one of his previous recording successes with the hope of continuing his ascent into markets across North America and Europe. Dennis headed back to Athens, Georgia to hook up with the team behind his 2012 successful release DUSK DREAMS and the early vibes from the new album suggest another winning ticket is in his hand. Awards have been bestowed upon Dennis in his Prince Edward Island home on Canada’s maritime east coast and it is surely only time before wider national and international reward is forthcoming. Like so many effective roots artists, Dennis hovers over influences from the country, folk and rock...

In the deluge of recordings these days categorised under the Americana banner, especially to listeners overseas, it has to take a special release to raise itself above the parapet and Nicki Bluhm’s new album LOVED WILD LOST splendidly achieves this. The record will drop in the UK on October 9 and is the second outing for Nicki with her assembled band The Gramblers. By taking a large slice of California influence, Nicki and her pivotal album pilot, husband Tim Bluhm, have delivered a studious record representing a team effort and proving an archetypical sponge of the American roots spectrum. The record will appeal to those with a fine taste and who demand a release that treats them with respect. This is effectively Nicki’s fifth album, following 2 solo records, a duet record with Tim and a single Gramblers effort, and will mature like that proverbial fine wine upon the required repeat listens. Such blossoming will reveal traces of country, rock, soul and even sophisticated pop wh...

John Doyle may be an in-demand session player, integral member of the Transatlantic Sessions team and virtuoso guitar-playing singer-songwriter, but this evening at the Kitchen Garden Café he proved to be a very entertaining solo performer in his own right. Matching impish wit with the aforementioned skills was a winning formula for John who failed to not move any of this considerably healthy Birmingham audience turnout. The alternative attraction of Richard Thompson at the city’s Symphony Hall and a vibrant street festival right outside the venue’s door seemed to not impact upon the evening, give or take a slightly delayed start to the proceedings. This sensible policy to wait for a significant alleviation in the adjacent outdoor activity only had a marginal effect on the evening which still panned out to John charming the attendees for nearly two hours. Striking a balance between traditional and contemporary is a usual safe haven for folk artists alongside being able to delive...

If you’re a little partial to some wordsmith musings then make sure you check out the latest album by Hip Hatchet. HOLD YOU LIKE A HARNESS is the fourth release by Philippe Bronchtein and what better recording pseudonym to adopt than one creating the ultimate image of a travelling troubadour. On the evidence of this record, Hip is the epitome of the wanderlust poet brimming with songs, tales and tunes. The voice may be worn to the levels of ageless maturity, but this adds an authority and credence to the contents of a record already subject to positive press in Europe. In fact, this presents a solid foundation for Hip to cross the Atlantic later this month and promote the record. This eleven track offering from an artist now based in the creative hub of Portland Oregon, is a cross fertilisation of a lengthy list of studio players and the insular drive of time spent roaming the land sharing songs for a living. The splendid arrangements add extra appeal and help package the re...

There is surely no finer boutique festival setting or set up than the delight the organisers of Moseley Folk serve up to the good people of Birmingham each September. In fact the operation has just celebrated its tenth birthday and yet another eclectic mix of genre stretching artists was assembled in the marvellous surrounds of the privately operated Moseley Park. The perpetual sounds from two closely aligned stages ensure a seamless stream of good music for nearly twelve hours each day with the added delight for hardened fans to catch every act on the bill live. This luscious tree lined amphitheatre setting, with only the brace of stages preventing you tumbling into the Black Swan populated pool, proves the perfect backdrop to some of the cream of the English folk scene alongside several surprise inclusions. Outside commitments prevented attendance on the Friday of this year’s festival which saw Spiritualised headlining and local acclaimed act Scott Matthews a late addition to th...

Wait number one was over as Hayes Carll returned to Birmingham to play the same venue that he graced seven years ago; Wait number two is almost over as Hayes announced the imminent arrival of his follow up record to the 2011 release KMAG YOYO (& OTHER AMERICAN STORIES). So for this loyal base of Hayes Carll fans, it was a win-win situation and almost a déjà vu moment as the striking Texan strode onto stage to open the set with his premium song ‘ Beaumont’ . To continue the 2008 link, Hayes was accompanied by his long term travelling companion Travis Linville who opened the gig with a short set of good songs mainly self-penned. Although the memory of Travis playing alongside Hayes last time was a touch hazy, there was no such mistaking his contribution this time with a stylish bout of slide induced twang adding an extra dimension to the much loved and familiar songs of his sidekick. The enhancement was further complete with the additional rhythm section courtesy of percussion by ...

Will Hoge is a stripped back songwriter, comfortable with extracting deep from the heart and revealing his soul. Using his rather gruff and earthy vocals to maximum effect, he signs, seals and delivers the fruits of a craft honed over many years of practice. A slightly travel weary American, originally from Franklin, Tennessee but now introduced as a resident of Nashville, landed into the hinterland town of Milton Keynes to begin a new chapter of a career, characterised by plenty of endeavour punctuated with the odd big time break. The Stables posted the sold out sign outside their studio-like second venue and a part enthusiastic – part respectful audience experienced the music of Will Hoge and his band at close quarters. This inaugural tour for Will was on the back of his acclaimed new album SMALL TOWN DREAMS, but this record is only a small part of an extensive back catalogue and far from dominated a performance spilt by the inevitable art centre interval. With a nod to the symme...