Three Chords and the Truth UK

Few would argue that Rod Picott rarely disappoints, but there was an extra spring in his step tonight as the good folks of Lichfield were treated to what is now becoming an annual show. Maybe it was the pride of getting many positive reviews for the new album released on the eve of this latest UK tour. As expected these new songs had a significant place in this evening’s show, further enhancing the proof that if good songs are currency then Rod Picott is a wealthy man. Even if you drop the irony a little, enormous satisfaction is radiated from being able to make a living from writing and singing songs following a transition from the hard yards of the real working world. A perfect tribute to Rod is that he acts as a bridge to the two worlds and plants the idea that each of us has a story within to tell. It was a fairly conventional gig presentation on the evening with no support and Rod playing a pair of forty-five minute sets. The audience was heavily frequented with knowledgeabl...

It may or not have been the intention to seal a legacy, but Lucinda Williams has accomplished this feat over the last eighteen months. For a long time 1998’s CAR WHEEL ON A GRAVEL ROAD was considered her seminal album and may well be the case when the book is closed. However back to back double albums since the end of 2014 have pushed this release to the absolute limit. First up, DOWN WHERE THE SPIRIT MEETS THE BONE made many a critic gasp with its imposing magnificence, and if anything THE GHOSTS OF HIGHWAY 20 has taken another step up the ladder of serial acclaim. Once again a double disc set has emerged and don’t let the combined fourteen tracks think the record has been spread out as the running time is in the vicinity of an hour and a half. What you get is a heavyweight production featuring song writing at its unabated best, a double pronged guitar soundtrack epitomised by its optimum accuracy and an alluring songstress soaking in the solace of southern soil. Lucinda has ret...

Aaron Watson Nashville Tennessee may be the spiritual and corporate home of country music, but it was the case of the western states fighting back at the Glee Club tonight as Texas and California flexed their muscles in the capable hands of Aaron Watson and Sam Outlaw. It was also a scenario of two gigs in one as both artists maintained the high quality in expressing the breadth of country music. What was absent was superficial commercial drivel and you were witnessing two contrasting songwriters and performers dedicated to making music on their own terms. You can take your pick between the up tempo Texas road dust rocking of Watson or the smooth west coast vibes hailing from Outlaw. However there is no law around being greedy and waxing lyrical about both. Sam Outlaw hails from Los Angeles and flavours his music with a heady mix of classic country and border twang. His new album ANGELENO has just had its UK release some six months after taking a bow in the US, giving Sam plent...

There can surely be a no more respected artist within the Americana music industry than Patty Griffin. Whether it’s for her song writing acumen, striking vocals or strong musical production, Patty is always in demand as well as being the curator of an ever increasing impressive back catalogue. The latest in her long line of album releases is the critically acclaimed SERVANT OF LOVE which wooed many a critic in the latter part of last year. The good news for Patty Griffin fans is that she has wasted little time in including the UK on the album promotional tour and has formed each show with a full band complement.  A large turnout in the main room of Birmingham’s Glee Club greeted Patty who last played the venue a couple of years ago in a more stripped down duo format. Upon commencing her set almost exactly on the stroke of nine, Patty quickly hit her stride with the audience enthusiastically applauding each song of which many were unsurprisingly lifted from the latest album. It’s...

If you’re searching for evidence of musical destiny then there is surely no finer example than The Milk Carton Kids. Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan experienced largely low key careers in the industry prior to teaming up in 2011. Not only did they find each other, but landed on an incredible innate understanding of how to blend the beauty of the acoustic guitar and the fragile voice. It is reasonably simple to understand the evolution of the sibling harmony, less so when not bound by genetic ties. From the opening song of the duo’s show in London this evening, it was obviously apparent that we were in the midst of a special partnership, capable of stunning an audience with a near flawless single voice and a brace of complementing guitars. While widespread acclaim has been heaped on The Milk Carton Kids including Grammy recognition back in the US, not too much attention has been paid to the UK market. Two relatively minor albums have been followed by a couple of more successful rel...

Occasionally you freeze into a fixated zone during a gig where nothing else matters apart from the performance you are marvelling at. That state of mind was frequently entered during this Jason Isbell show in Bristol and not always during the songs that you would personally predict beforehand. Just witnessing Jason pour absolutely everything into ‘ Cover Me Up’ will without doubt court popular appeal during this tour, but to feel that that particular moment was surpassed is a rare treat. To borrow the political phrase ‘first among equals’, ‘The Life You Chose’ soared up the lofty Isbell ladder to crown a performance delivered by unequivocally the coolest and must humble performer in Americana music. This was Jason’s second UK date on the European tour to support the album which has elevated his status to wider appeal. Without too much knowledge of the Bristol live music scene, the decision to move the show to the O2 Academy seemed a wise one by the packed in feel to the place. ...

Cara Luft continues to be one of the most innovative artists on the Canadian music roots scene. Since first making a mark some years ago as a member of the Wailin Jennys, she has carved out a successful solo career alongside some crafted collaborations. Among several visits to the city of Birmingham over the years, Cara appeared with Brandy Zdan and Awna Teixeira in the momentarily branded ABC of Canadian Music. Just under eighteen months ago, she introduced a new musical partner in JD Edwards during a Kitchen Garden Café visit and now the partnership has been anointed in the guise of a recording and performing duo billed as The Small Glories. In the slipstream of a Celtic Connections appointment, Cara and JD slotted in another Birmingham visit with many old friends heading to the Kitchen to give them the usual warm welcome. Although this piece commenced with a Cara Luft focus, The Small Glories is now a fully preserved and balanced duo with this perception formed after being pre...

There is a dreamy reassuring feel to the vocals of Aoife O’Donovan. Unblemished, richly textured and elaborately rounded are just three warranted superlatives, but more importantly they just possess a boundless capacity to resonate with the ear of a listener seeking perfection. On the back of her hugely successful debut solo album FOSSILLS, Aoife returns on top form with her sophomore release IN THE MAGIC HOUR. If a class of ’16 supreme vocalists is going to emerge then Aoife will be right at the heart of it and the new record will confirm what many have known for a number of years. Blending the universal links between her Irish heritage and New England home has been instrumental in a career which now has three acclaimed elements. Prior to the success of her solo projects, Aoife was also the voice behind the much vaunted roots group Crooked Still for close on a decade. In between solo albums, Aoife was part of the roots celestial trio ‘I’m With Her’ alongside fellow stateside lu...

They say silence is golden, but a brighter tinge is added when the music of Kelly Oliver fills the air. Her precious vocals illuminate an empty room and this talented artist is set to create further waves with the release of her second album. BEDLAM is the next up record from the ever evolving pro-active folk music project known as Folkstock and shines a serious light on the label’s focal artist. This ten-track record is made up entirely of original compositions which quite often is not the norm for a style of music fervent in celebrating the traditional song. However Kelly and her collaborators have delivered a highly credible record finely tuned in so many aspects. The approach to BEDLAM has been for Kelly to work with three different producers, each bringing a slightly different facet to the album. What binds the record together is the voice of Kelly perfectly finding its pitch and the fact that her writing presence is embedded within each song. A clear trait of the sound is...

2016 is year of career anniversaries for Gretchen Peters. 1996 saw her first make the step from songwriter to recording artist and also when the UK appeared on the horizon as a potential outlet for her brand of stylish and smooth lyric-driven songs. To mark this milestone, Gretchen is set to undertake yet another extensive tour of our towns and cities, this time fully armed with her most comprehensive collection of reflective material to date. THE ESSENTIAL GRETCHEN PETERS is a brash title, but throughout this twenty-seven track two-CD production the quality is soaked right through to the core as a serving of the familiar and not so familiar aches to be indulged by the critical ear. Back in 2009, a ‘Best of’ album did hit the market, but that statement was rendered obsolete when Gretchen’s recording career soared with the subsequent records HELLO CRUEL WORLD and BLACKBIRDS. As you would expect, several key tracks from these releases appear on ESSENTIAL alongside those chart heyday...

Paul McClure’s ‘difficult second album’ is now here and any fears of it not meeting widespread approval have been consigned to the trash bin. SONGS FOR ANYONE is the worthy follow up to his debut 2014 release and further proof of his engaging nature as an alluring songwriter. From a position as the troubadour counter balance of the Clubhouse Records roster, twelve adaptive tracks have been recorded in a fluid format to switch effortlessly between the finely produced studio version and the stripped back entity to accompany Paul on the road. It is perhaps the road which has defined Paul McClure over the last couple of years and the innovative way that he has been prepared to reach out to music listeners. Suggest to Paul to find a venue in your area and he will enthusiastically proclaim the value of the house concert. With his old moniker ‘Rutland Troubadour’ being formalised into a trademark, perhaps now is the time to re-brand him the ‘Living Room Troubadour'. Of course the...

Firstly, let’s get the pun out of the way by hailing this album as a ‘slice of Americana heaven’. Mind you with the calibre of artists assembled, it was only really going to send MERCYLAND Volume 2 in one direction and full credit must be given to Phil Madeira for piloting such a project. If you are one of the many who may not be acquainted with Volume 1 there is no need to fear as the second instalment towers tall as a stand-alone entity. What is revealed when you access this record are twelve gorgeous tracks, magnificently packaged and presented in a way that invites universal praise. As the strapline, Hymns for the Rest of Us, suggests, this is a spiritual album that doesn’t set out to preach but is designed to celebrate the enormous impact that faith has in the world of country, roots and Americana music. For this reason, the record succeeds in reaching out across the divide giving folks the option to derive from it what they desire rather than being told. All but one of the...

In an alternative world, FORTUNE might well have evolved into Rod Picott’s eponymous album such is the introspective mode that this seasoned songwriter presents himself in. This is the seventh time Rod has committed his thoughts, feelings and observations to a collection of recorded songs since deciding that music is a worthwhile alternative to the graft of the real world. Luckily he has perfectly honed in on a talent to wrap his hardened worn vocals around songs rich in lyrical texture whilst presenting a tune authentic in its roots credentials. This style has been well and truly road tested via hundreds of gigs spanning two continents, with a healthy UK following being accrued along the way. The true worth of this brand new collection will surface when Rod once again heads across the pond in the early throes of the New Year to play dates well into double figures in their numbers. Rod may be portrayed as the solo troubadour sharing his wares through the gruff voice and trust...

A year and half after being introduced to UK audiences via her BREAK AND BLOOM album, Jane Kramer quickly returns with a follow up record. CARNIVAL OF HOPES gets it release over here on 8 January and has evolved into a quite impressive body of work. We were introduced to Jane as an artist working in the creative Pacific Coast melting pot of Portland Oregon and now we see her heading back to her Appalachian roots with stunning results. The record is knee deep in raw roots elegance with banjo and fiddle featuring prominently alongside an abundance of honest, thoughtful and reflective writing. The calling to return to Asheville is the theme for the record and the clear winner from this renewed inspiration is the listener who maybe is taking a chance on an unknown artist for the first time. There are a number of clearly defined routes for this type of music into the UK and there is no doubt that Jane Kramer has the potential to make more than a fleeting impression with the stren...

With the strains of 2016 just barely breaking through, a strong candidate for the most appropriate title of the year has emerged. Instead of being the name of the record, ECHOES OF THE DREAMTIME is a heaven sent quote to describe its sound which floats in a celestial haze throughout a pleasurable forty-five minutes spent within listening distance. In fact to be more accurate, Miranda Lee Richards has been the source of a gorgeous album packed full of ethereal ambience while being underpinned by a sturdy substance. For definition purposes, the album resides at a multi-sound junction where the paths of folk, pop, indie and Americana meet. It has hardly been a prolific solo recording career for Miranda, a San Francisco born LA native, with this just being her fourth full length release since 2001. However if such inactivity in populating her own solo back catalogue has led to bundles of suppressed creative energy, then the clear winners are those who will be smitten by the new record....