Three Chords and the Truth UK

Following his introduction to UK audiences last year, the big question is how would Cale Tyson build on this impressive beginning? The answer is about to be revealed when CARELESS SOUL gets its release on April 8 and folks are not going to be disappointed. Think – Louisiana Hayride meets Phil Spector meets Muscle Shoals in its heyday – and you can start to aurally imagine the sound that is going to pour out of your chosen listening device. There is a little bit of adjustment needed from the debut recordings that had multiple issues across the continents and get prepared for the horns influence straight from the early bars of the opening track. Once the necessary adjustments have been made, sit back and enjoy a masterclass of country soul – 2016 style. CARELESS SOUL gets its UK release on Clubhouse Records and the notion of any gamble is erased immediately once this record sinks its mighty grooves into your pores. You will not be surprised to learn that it was recorded at the imm...

It has been said that Americana music is more a state of mind than a definable art form. Likewise a host of superlatives and assorted literary devices only scratch the surface of the impact from listening intently to the new album by Ashley Riley. The thirteen songs that comprise THROUGH THE THIN are strikingly impressive in how they generate a mixture of moods and ambience, with the stark effect of initiating constant repeat listens. In essence this is an expertly curated album, driven by a controlled and well-judged guitar presence merging splendidly with Ashley’s hazy vocals. It’s a substantial release, weighing in at over three quarters of an hour, which gathers momentum from the early stages and packs a core punch with some sublime melodic tunes. The connection with Ashley’s music is a mere product of the digital age which enables a relatively low key indie performer from Decatur Illinois to resonate with a UK blogger. Two years ago, her album ALL THE PRETTY THINGS was li...

The impatient wait for new recorded material from Birds of Chicago is now over and not a single second of the four year period between studio albums appears to be wasted. REAL MIDNIGHT is the band’s re-emergence record and it rolls out with heavyweight appeal. The rock ‘n’ soul emotion pouring out of the eleven tracks evokes a jaw dropping reaction. JT and Allison prove once again to be the dream pairing, fusing a tight bond to ensure the body of their work unveils as an ethereal formula. The spirit of this record lies in the vocal contribution whether harmony, duet or solo as Allison’s soulful passion spars endlessly with the aching rock tones of JT. While forever being the core of JT Nero and Allison Russell, Birds of Chicago cover a multitude of instrumental bases whether in the studio or on the road with their contributors. Acclaimed Joe Henry has done a sterling production job on the record, which surfaced in the wake of the now customary crowd funding campaign, so essentia...

The immediate challenge when listening to this new album from Red Sky July would be taking to it so effortlessly as their previous release SHADOWBIRDS. This 2014 record garnered much praise and landed the experienced trio an intriguing placement in the world of Americana leaning music. Of course good musicians and performers can evolve into a multitude of musical styles. Husband and wife pairing, Ally and Shelly McErlaine, alongside Charity Hair fell into this category and were able to mould their artistic talents of gorgeous harmonies and exquisite musicianship into a twang filled feast of lyric laden songs. It is proud to report that THE TRUTH AND THE LIE rolls out to be a seamless extension of their sophomore effort and presents itself as a luxurious listen. There has certainly been a buzz about the release of Red Sky July’s third album and it scores highly on many fronts especially in its exemplary band chemistry alongside a feeling that the songs will grow further from a lo...

Charlie Worsham  A popular feature of the Country to Country Festival is the pop up stages that frequent the outer ring of the O2 Arena over the course of the weekend. Each year these continue to expand to the extent where the periphery has been extended to ticketed events, converted venues and special promotions, in addition to the core free stages. With this year’s festival growing from two to three days, there was a mini explosion of artists from both sides of the Atlantic happy to see their application turn into an invitation to perform. Another development from attending the event for the first two years is that the alternative schedule progresses well into the evening, thus creating a viable choice for those not wanting to invest in the pricey arena shows. Inevitably any individual can only see a finite number of acts and the pre-festival dilemma is whether to play safe with artists you know or take a gamble of seeking out new talent. For many the best of both these worl...

It was the night Country to Country got the line up right. Not that the Saturday of two years ago didn’t make an equally as compelling case, but Sunday this year had four artists brimming with contemporary class and highly charged with making music the right way. Each act purveys their craft from a different direction, yet is successful in meeting at the point where country music drives deep through your pores. The debate of credibility will rage on and an air of subjectivity will always prevail, but from the pool of consolidated talent to select their artists, the decision to schedule Eric Church, Kacey Musgraves, Chris Stapleton and Andrew Combs was one from a smart perspective.This proved to be the finale of a festival which for the first time was extended to three days and probably achieved a desired objective of reaching across the spectrum of modern country music. The left field decision to secure the services of Andrew Combs was by far the most eye opening event of the festi...

Any concerns for a lack of impartiality regarding this review were well and truly extinguished at 10:48 PM on the Friday of the fourth Country to Country Festival. At this exact minute Miranda Lambert exited the stage at London’s O2 Arena following her inaugural overseas show. This feat answered the wishes for legions of her fans in the UK and one in particular who was hooked nearly a decade ago when first listening to ‘ Famous in a Small Town’ . Alas this track didn’t make the set list on the evening, along with much of her best material which gets buried on albums, but what we did witness was a supreme performer sealing the deal with a scintillating performance. You would expect an artist of Miranda’s stature to assemble a top notch touring band and it was no surprise to marvel at their ace accompaniment to a string of numbers spanning the length of her recording career. Fiddle and especially steel was given the oxygen to flourish among the cacophony of blistering guitar pieces ...

One footnote from tonight’s hugely impressive gig is the pondering thought that all intended folks for the original venue made the couple of miles detour at the ‘eleventh hour’. It would have been a massive shame for anyone to miss out as this Oobleck gig was hastily re-scheduled to the Hare and Hounds barely eight hours before the first band hit the stage. The message though had got out to a vibrant gathering of gig goers and at eight o’clock they were on the cusp of witnessing an exceptional performance. By eleven, The Bros. Landreth had laid their cards on the table and one incredible band had announced their arrival on the UK live music scene. Of course this reaction had been happening on all the preceding eight or nine dates of this inaugural nationwide tour and there is little chance of this four-piece Winnipeg based band being kept a secret. Happy to share their wares with a standing audience literally a stride from the stage spurred the guys on as they let rip through a bu...

If great songs are currency then Angel Snow and Matthew Perryman Jones are well and truly in the millionaire set. Add in the capacity to present their compositions in such an engaging and enthralling style leaves you pondering with the thought that many more people should be hooked into their music. Around a hundred folks in Bewdley this evening were not guilty of missing out as these pair of finely tuned singer-songwriters meandered their way from Nashville Tennessee to a sleepy town in North Worcestershire. The local promoters continue to spearhead an impassioned project to raise awareness of highly crafted music and they successfully unearthed a couple of gems for this month’s show. In contrast to Angel’s last UK tour, which also took on a co-headline format, a sensible decision was made to give both performers the breathing space to deliver a solo set, with just a few fleeting moments of collaboration. Twelve months ago Angel performed more of a songwriter’s circle co-stage s...