Three Chords and the Truth UK

It doesn’t matter when you latched onto Simone Felice, the results will always be the same. Whether you have been there right at the start with the Felice Brothers or through his latest acclaimed production and writing work with The Lumineers and Bat for Lashes, an extraordinary creative talent will be looming over the music being made. Away from his sibling collaboration and new found major producing role, there was a significant growth in his appeal in the UK with the branching out in the duo Duke and the King, subsequently followed by two stunning solo album releases. Since the tour to support his most recent album STRANGERS in 2014, which did feature a full band, the appearances in the UK have been trimmed to a solo status, although last year’s gig at The Glee Club did tag the excellent Anna Mitchell along for support. This evening’s Birmingham return to the same venue, also promoted by the established East Midlands guys at Cosmic American, was billed as ‘An Evening with Simo...

The state of any movement/scene is the strength of the grassroots. On the evidence witnessed at this show, the health of the country-folk touring contingent from the US is fighting fit. Of course there is the contention of the grassroots market being sufficient to host both home grown and overseas talent, with the counter argument being based around the complementary nature of inspirations, observations and overall style. Kelley McRae is an American artist at the heart of such a scene, talented enough to take her music far and wide, while operating at a level where every single opportunity has to be exploited to keep the show on the road, The Kitchen Garden Café is renowned for hosting similar artists and the invitation for Kelley to play was a repeat of the show she co-headlined with Josh Harty around eighteen months ago - minus Josh. In the interim period, Kelley has recorded a new album with THE WAYSIDE being both showcased heavily and made available for sale at each show on this...

On the night the Cubs began their quest for a first World Series win since 1908, you could easily have envisaged being transported back in time to that year when spending an evening in the company of Jerron ‘Blind Boy Paxton’. The term revivalist could be mulled over when attempting to define him as an artist, but that involves some foot in the contemporary world. This multi-instrumentalist interpreter of old time songs hails from Los Angeles, encompasses the whole ethos of the singing Southern black person, while evolving into the personified spirit of American roots music. Blues is the starting and anchor point for Jerron, but his random demeanour floats between old time country, traditional folk, jazz and general music hall. First and foremost, Jerron extols the virtue of a majestically crafted musician wielding the magic of an 1848 banjo, regular guitar, fleeting violin, evocative harmonica and impromptu piano. Word is significantly getting around about Jerron  – and his...

With so much unsubstantial and bland music getting peddled around the UK under the country banner these days, it is refreshing when a touring band free of label pretensions shows the true qualities of the genre. In fact, The Stray Birds have been primarily courted by the folk fraternity on these shores with the obvious attraction being the band’s entirely acoustic live sound blending vibes from the roots tradition. Yet observing the band from a close up quarter as they headed into the final shows of their latest UK tour, there was an avalanche of evidence to suggest that they should be an example of the marker to assess country music genre claimants. For this tour, The Stray Birds have expanded from a core trio to an enhanced quartet with the addition of Dominic Billet on percussion. This was in line with the evolution of their overall sound on the new album MAGIC FIRE which had a more contemporary feel to it. As expected, this top notch record was the focal point of the set list a...

Anna Laube crossed my path for the first time last year with her delightful eponymous album. She now returns in 2016 with record number 4 and her middle name added to the credits. The good news is that there is very little change in the album’s reception as TREE shapes up to be one of the year’s chill out releases. Straddling the imaginary boundary between country and folk is probably far from the thoughts of Anna Elizabeth Laube when she sets out on the path of filtering her creative thoughts into a packaged offering. Yet those in tune with this virtual marker will lap up each of the nine tracks that make the sum of the album. These tracks are spit between seven of Anna’s originals and two interesting covers that add value rather than mere repetition. Bob Dylan’s ‘ Wallflower’ took a while to surface in the recording world and has since been picked up by artists such as Buddy Miller and Uncle Earl. Anna’s gorgeously sung version opens the record and is always going to be in sta...

One admirable quality of a recording artist is an ability to develop and build on a core sound which has been initially responsible for turning heads. Upon release of her fourth album EDISON GLORIETTE, Jess Morgan is one such artist with the vibes from the record suggesting the bravest and biggest step to date. This Norwich-based singer-songwriter has made her name on the national folk and acoustic circuit as a stylish solo act. An opportunity to have a more varied instrument input has been grasped during the recording progress on this latest release. The result is an absorbing collection of eleven self-penned songs, never losing sight of Jess’s trademark slightly husky vocals giving the sound a reassuring warm feel. The music of Jess Morgan first crossed my path in spring 2013 when one of her many gigs came to town and this sealed an intent to casually keep track of her across the wires, circuit and ever increasing world of social media connectivity. The ability to put to song ...

Last November the supertruth was found in the small rural town of Bewdley, this evening it appeared somewhere between the moon and the Midwest. At the end of 2015 SEARCHING FOR THE SUPERTRUTH was hailed as one of the favourite albums to hit the stores over the year and now momentum is building as to whether BETWEEN THE MOON AND THE MIDWEST reaches similar lofty accolade territory when the book for this year closes in two months. Sneaking up on the blind side though is SONGS OF THE RIVER REA, but more on that later. For the initiated, The Dreaming Spires and Austin Lucas will need little introduction as recording artists of distinction. For others they lie in wait as the discovery to edge you a little closer to finding the golden key of live connective music. Opportunity had presented itself when their combined tour was announced, no doubt on the back of the At The Helm Records connection. The result was a classic display of cultured musicianship, devoid of external control and ripe...

There is both a dividing and unifying side to the aura surrounding pioneering folk duo Josienne Clarke and Ben Walker. A tuned-in mind of synchronised misery is helpful to buy into their ideals of music dealing with one of life’s most profound emotions. However aligning your stars with Josienne’s dry stage persona opens your mind to a mesmerising cavern of alluring sentiment providing a dark wrapping for the intoxicating music that immortalises moments in their musical company. On a more literal level, the intrinsic delicacy of her diverse vocal acumen and the virtuoso optimised guitar playing of Ben closes all doors of artistic detachment. This evening Josienne and Ben were the weekly guests of the Red Lion Folk Club in Kings Heath Birmingham and were afforded a couple of slots edging into the overall hour and half realm to showcase the depth and psyche to their music. The focal point of their time in the spotlight was the delights unveiled from their upcoming new album OVERNI...

Over the last decade there has always been an air of familiarity when Otis Gibbs hits town. The old stories never lose their charm and frequently Otis updates his song base with a new record of unrelenting quality. With my occasions of seeing Otis live now possibly running into double figures there was a double pronged freshness to his return to Birmingham and a renewal date at the Kitchen Garden Café. On one hand the evening was blessed with a bunch of new songs as an Otis Gibbs ‘below the radar’ album has emerged over the summer months. To a greater extent, the opening set did not feature a single old time story, a definite first from a hazy but reliable memory of so many Otis shows. However any sense of re-assurance lacking was firmly rectified after the break with the return of ‘tractor day’, ‘interesting uncles’ and ‘work comradeship’. Essentially these provide the backdrop to two Otis Gibbs classics and the twin tracks of ‘ Small Town Saturday Night’ and ‘ Something More’ s...

Three years ago the same seven piece line-up graced the stage at the Hare and Hounds, Birmingham to herald the launch of the second My Darling Clementine album. That evening proved a resounding success and a repeat was always on the cards at this re-convening to effectively launch the next phase of the project. Maybe project is a word that should be confined to history as Michael Weston King and Lou Dalgleish have cultivated a distinguished niche in the My Darling Clementine duo format which is now set to branch out from its classic country revue style. While the song from their back catalogue ‘ Our Race Is Run’ stood out on the evening, the sentiment of the saying is far from reality for My Darling Clementine and the plenty they still have to offer. With the new songs in the bank, the next hurdle is to get them out in the available recording world and when accessible, the reception is sure to be positive. Michael and Lou previewed over half a dozen of them across the two hours on ...

Sometimes all you want in a country record is for an artist to be true to its roots, be totally in control of the sincerity, and surface at the end of it free of any superficial trappings. If you can drop the needle, or press the play button, and then experience a moment of unfiltered connectivity, the album has met one of the recording objectives, in fact the most important one from a listener perspective. Total immersion into MIDNIGHT MOTEL, the new release by Jack Ingram, will leave this very impression and most of all present a satisfied artist at peace with the art being created. Belief in Jack Ingram – the singer-songwriter – is another prime guarantee from interacting with this record. MIDNIGHT MOTEL is Jack’s first foray into the recording world since his association with Big Machine Records ended, now over half a decade ago. This brought the curtain down on a phase of his career which heralded hit records and industry awards. It was probably the culmination of m...

Savouring LITTLE SEEDS, the new album from Shovels & Rope, is allied to a fascinating pre-occupation of exploring shoreline rock pools, and its many discoveries make this one of the most valuable albums to be released this year. This follow up to the excellent 2014 album SWIMMIN’ TIME is the duo’s debut issue on New West Records and unveils itself as meaningful music with a conscious. Edgy and exciting in phases, moody and reflective elsewhere, essentially there are twelve tracks (a thirteenth is a short accompanied spoken word recording preluding the final track). If you like a scattered melange of folk-indie-Americana spiked with a little punk, fast track this album into your collection upon release. Husband and wife pairing, Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst have been active as the duo Shovels & Rope since 2008, accruing heaps of industry praise especially in recent times. For this sure-to be much celebrated release, Trent has undertaken the production duty and kept...

The backbone of this gig ran from ‘ Pokesdown Waltz’ to ‘ Grateful ’, a journey which pretty much epitomises the recent travails of Scottish born, and now re-based, singer-songwriter Ross Wilson. Under the widely known and acclaimed recording name Blue Rose Code, Ross has accrued much praise over the recent past with his sincere prose and acute ability to communicate via the medium of song. The irony of him starting his multi consecutive run of Scottish shows three hundred miles south in the English Midlands was not lost on Ross and a committed turnout at the Kitchen Garden Café in Birmingham had little issue with this geographical diversion. Those who may not have been au fait with Blue Rose Code prior to this show had a wealth of opportunities to get to know Ross Wilson – the writer, the vocalist and an artist conquering the grail of audience connectivity. Whether it was just sitting back and taking in the ‘Celtic lullabies and Caledonian soul’ or intensely learning how a person ...