Three Chords and the Truth UK

Torchbearer and spiritual exponent of country music are two possible labels to attach to Margo Price. But why not just go with the personification of ‘three chords and the truth’. Maybe labels are too simplistic and straightjacketed to define an artist who naturally oozes cutting lyrics and songs wrapped in an explicit coating of real life feelings. 2016 is continuing to evolve as the door opening year for Margo, and her debut full band English tour kicked off with a date at The Exchange in Bristol. A smallish venue that rocked from start to finish with sounds more akin to The Grand Ole Opry, a Broadway honky tonk and a rural Illinois back porch. For eighty minutes this evening the country music hype surrounding Margo Price evaporated in a haze of reality. While Margo is no doubt just being herself, the sass of Elizabeth Cook is evident alongside the endearing vibrancy of Lindi Ortega (complete with trademark little red boots) and a whole lot of Loretta Lynn. This is music shun...

On a sweltering afternoon at a festival in Kentucky around a month ago, the hot sun was braved for fifteen minutes to catch part of a set by Louisville based folk musician Joan Shelley. Amidst an event dominated by fuller sounding brasher rock acts, thoughts turned to what Joan would sound like in a more intimate setting. This was not meant in a detrimental way, just a realisation of the many artists who have been witnessed flourishing in such an environment over the years. Admittedly at this point it was known that Joan was making a brief trip to Europe soon and choosing to play The Musician in Leicester as her only club show of the UK segment. It may not have been 38c in the English Midlands on the evening of her visit, but the positive promise of that afternoon materialised into a majestic sense of reality. With its close knit layout and dedicated audience, The Musician provided the ideal backdrop for Joan to ease into her velvet groove of folk song delivery and embrace those ...

Billy Bragg has never hid his passion for the great American roots songbook. His work on advancing the legacy of Woody Guthrie is well noted and the latest studio album from the Bard of Barking adopted a very Americana feel. For this new project Billy has once again teamed up with the producer of TOOTH AND NAIL, but this time the credits are shared with Joe Henry as the pair embarks on a journey celebrating the history of the American railroad and its influence at the onset of rock ‘n’ roll. The result is a collection of field recordings with a difference and an intriguing take on a bunch of songs framed by their familiarity and iconic status. Basically SHINE A LIGHT: FIELD RECORDINGS FROM THE GREAT AMERICAN RAILROAD is an explicitly simple title introducing thirteen railroad themed songs recorded live on a train journey from Chicago to Los Angeles. The bare outtakes complete with the backing track of a real life station presents each song in its most desired and appropriate for...

When you’ve made a great album and yielded warm appreciation, the next move can be a critical one. The Stray Birds have reached such a point and the result is a bold diversion which has reaped dividends with stupendous quality. MAGIC FIRE has emerged as a masterclass in merging tradition with modernity revealing an album that takes this trio in a far more contemporary direction than their earlier material indicated. Working with Grammy winning producer Larry Campbell has provided the golden ticket for Maya, Charles and Oliver, with the excellent label Yep Roc proving the ideal vehicle for them to evolve their music. Although active since 2010, The Stray Birds made the most prominent advancement with the release of BEST MEDICINE in 2014 and followed this up with an acclaimed performance at the Cambridge Folk Festival last year. Seeing the band live in Stafford on the accompanying UK tour really brought home their talent in the field of instrument exchange, sumptuous harmonies and ...

The future of reviving old time folk music is always going to be in safe hands with artists such as Anna and Elizabeth sharing the wares of their passionate endeavours. This talented duo from the eastern states of the US have been wooing British audiences on the current tour and brought the ‘house full’ sign to Birmingham’s Kitchen Garden Café on this warm August evening. Those inside, and outside, the regular viewing area were treated to an utterly compelling show – multi-media in its purest form. Not only was beautiful musicianship, enchanting song and enlightening inspiration on the menu, but also the charming world of crankies was revealed to a visual delight. On several occasions during the brace of sets the duo delivered, a manually operated canvas scroll was ‘cranked’ into action adding an eye catching attraction to the song or tale being sung or orated. This unique art form is at the core of how Anna and Elizabeth play out their desire to keep the flame of the past burnin...

Songs are such an intrinsic part of John Paul White’s DNA that inevitably they will continue to seep out. Resisting the latest batch has proved difficult for one half of the hugely successful duo The Civil Wars and luckily for a widening fan base they have evolved into a significant album. BEULAH is John Paul’s first full length release since the high profile split with musical partner Joy Williams midway through a UK tour in 2012. The ten song collection sees John Paul in explorative mode largely taking you in search of the roots of Southern rock ‘n’ soul, albeit in an intimate stripped back style. Hailing from the area, and now residing in Florence Alabama, indicates that John Paul has a heritage steeped in the lore of the Yellowhammer state and what better place to visit and record a couple of tracks than the legendary FAME Studio in nearby Muscle Shoals. Throw in the production expertise of Alabama Shakes keyboardist Ben Tanner and the infrastructure is in place to maximise t...

Whilst observing country music from a distant land, there are a handful of traits that form an identikit well before the first sound is heard. Hail from a small town with a memorable name, work your way up from the depths of the employment ladder and inject some real life anguish into your songs. Even if none of these traits applied to Kelsey Waldon, it wouldn’t take long to realise that she was born to sing country music, in fact one line on the opening track of her new album will do. I’VE GOT A WAY is Kelsey’s highly anticipated sophomore record and is set to confirm her status as one of the rising stars of the country music scene as anointed by several respected observers. So before we delve deep into the riches of this enthralling album, let’s bask in Kelsey’s delightful hometown name of Monkey’s Eyebrow Kentucky, respect that she pitched her songs in the bars of Nashville whilst supporting herself via low paid jobs and acknowledge the inspiration to find music as therapy fo...