Three Chords and the Truth UK

Over the duration of a busy gig year you occasionally stumble upon that moment when all the stars align and the avenues of your mind lead off into the sunset. This can conceivably occur across the full range of situations from arena to house concert. The latest occurrence was perhaps one step up from the latter as this year’s Stephen Simmons Elford gig was held in a marquee in the village’s walled garden. The ‘stop you in your tracks’ moment arrived at the end of the second set when the title number from Stephen’s latest album A WORLD WITHOUT breezed into an encore version of the Townes Van Zandt classic ‘ If I Needed You’ . How apt that a song signalling the call that ‘a world without art has no hope’ should be followed by one that epitomises the spirit of the beautiful poetic song. This year’s semi outdoors live music season began early on a cool late April evening deep in the heart of the Staffordshire countryside. Elford Walled Garden is a luscious secluded rural setting con...

It can be a turbulent life being a travelling musician; one unimaginable for us folks who lay our pound down and sit back with expectation. The highs and lows of pursuing a creative calling were the themes core to this Lynne Hanson show and in particular it was the former that reigned supreme on this Bewdley return. The determination to share those lofty high emotions was etched in Lynne’s performance as this Canadian artist, and her travelling compatriots The Good Intentions, poured every joule of energy in presenting a very personal view of life though the medium of song and sound. The success of these Music in the Hall evenings at Bewdley’s St George’s Hall is becoming a given from a customer perspective, although the promotion know there’s no let up on the preparation. It was last July when Lynne created such a special impression at this venue and the honour of the being the first overseas’ returnee was not lost on the guest. This time she was in possession of a brand new albu...

The Bard was present in many forms as The Company of Players took their project into the live arena to road test the sum of many inspired collaborative efforts. Soliloquys mingled with traditional arrangements alongside lyrical compilations, both from an interpretive and original perspective. The usual suspects featured frequently, though innovatively punctuated by abstract takes on Shakespeare’s approach to mental health and refugees. Most significantly though was the ten-strong ensemble of musicians heeding the call to sprinkle their folk music magic on a project commemorating the four hundredth anniversary of William Shakespeare departing this world, thus leaving a legacy which any mortal creator of art can only dream of. Kelly Oliver It is just over a year since this group of young emerging folk artists put their busy individual schedules to one side and set about turning a ‘crazy’ idea from Said the Maiden’s Jess Distill into a fabulous fruition of folk fusion. Birmingh...

Circumstance and opportunity have recently conspired against seeing Jess Morgan play live, but this seems to have been rectified as the summer months of 2017 open upon us. Ahead of a scheduled appearance at the city’s Moseley Folk Festival on the first weekend of September, Jess made a welcome return to Birmingham as the latest guest of the Nights at the Circus folk operation. The result was a super set providing satisfying re-assurance that Jess is continuing to evolve as a highly effective performing singer-songwriter. The centrepiece of a set, which pushed the hour and a quarter mark, was a batch of songs from the latest album EDISON GLORIETTE. This record saw the light of day at the back end of last year and has transpired to be her most accomplished effort to date. It was a thrill to hear these songs live for the first time and revitalised an album which heralded many listens plus a glowing review around release time. The added bonus of seeing a singer-songwriter play l...

The irony of Josienne Clarke appearing at the Glee Club was lanced on the evening even before a chord was struck, but the temptation to temporarily revive it is too good to miss. Needless to say Josienne proceeded to be in her fine usual form showcasing why Ben Walker and her are one of the preeminent acts on the UK folk circuit. In fact it is tough to identify a better duo where each half executes their specific part to an outcome of blissful excellence so well. You can take your pick on the many facets of the Clarke-Walker partnership, and the full pack was on show during this return to Birmingham barely six months after their previous visit. Ultimately the sheer beauty of the music is purveyed through the triumvirate of original, cover and traditional songs. The stunning Josienne Clarke solo write ‘ The Waning Crescent’ emerged on the evening as the standout original with its alternate theme and supreme soundtrack impressing. The cover of Gillian Welch’s ‘ Dark Turn of Mind’...

Jess Morgan to release limited run of handmade 7” records for Record Store Day Jessmorgan.co.uk / facebook/jessmorganmusic / twitter/jessmorgan / youtube/jessmorgansongs DIY singer/songwriter Jess Morgan takes the do-it-yourself concept to new levels creating handmade vinyl records in her Norwich home. Jess has made a limited run of 7” vinyl of the song ‘Still In Fashion’ (from her album ‘Edison Gloriette’) for release exclusively at Relevant Records in Cambridge for Record Store Day on April 22 nd 2017. Jess will also perform an acoustic set at 12pm at Relevant Records. This limited run of ‘Still In Fashion’ follows 2016’s run of ‘In Brooklyn’, released as part of the PledgeMusic campaign for ‘Edison Gloriette’ as featured on The 405 who called her “a true DIY artist in her element. Seriously, she does it all”. Jess talks about the process on her BLOG in which she says:   “It took a while to hit upon the right recipe - ratio of catalyst and silicone mix to pi...

The first thing that needs to be stated is A GIRL IN TEEN CITY is a totally adorable album. Susie Ungerleider aka Oh Susanna has come up trumps with a superb piece of work that transcends both the gender in its title and location in its theme. Substitute Vancouver BC in your imagination for any urban or suburban area of the western world will enhance your engagement with what Susie has set out to do. What is essential though is to tap into her mind set and fire up all the trials and tribulations of your heartfelt nostalgia. Perhaps it may help being on a similar generational plateau to Susie, but there are plenty of you out there with your name on this album. Another prelude to getting the best out of this album is not to take the content at literal face value. Hence gender is not a pre-requisite to mining its resources as this merely acts as a conduit to explore your own experience. What you will do is share in the feelings conveyed and marvel in the style that Susie has adopte...

Immerse yourself into any record of Drew Holcomb and you re-surface refreshed, re-vitalised and truly inspired that the spirit of song can make a difference. This East Nashville based artist scored high when his last two records were released in the UK and the new one SOUVENIR is set to do likewise when widely available. What you get when you listen to this accomplished singer-songwriter is a cultivated sound, awash with swathes of sophisticated simplicity. The songs are strong on melody and the lyrics are incisive in their ability to tell a story, express an emotion or paint a picture. On the writing front for this record, once again released on Holcomb’s own imprint Magnolia Music, Drew has teamed up with buddies Rich Brinsfield and Nathan Dugger to offer an eleven-song collection rich in material straddling the blurred boundaries of country, folk and rock. In essence Americana is the purpose built vehicle to transport these songs to a waiting public. Contrived album fillers a...

The band name implies the metaphorical distance between Brighton and Austin, but the miles are eaten away when you press play on BEAUTIFUL LIES, the new album from south coast based combo The Long Haul. There is always a danger that such a delving into the world of traditional Texas honky tonk music may end up with just a barrage of standard covers, but to the credit of this band, the new album consists of ten original compositions. The added bonus is that they all fare well when put under scrutiny and the level of authenticity gives this record acres of credibility. It has helped that the band enlisted the services of established American producer Eamon Mcloughlin to steer the project. In addition to the normal five piece band which forms the line up on home soil, the record contains esteemed playing from musicians such as Lloyd Maines and Chris Scruggs, both highly experienced practitioners of real country music. So with the help of production contributions in Nashville, Austi...

For a touch of expansive escapism there is no finer place to transport your mind than in the world of The Whiskey Charmers. In a dreamy haze of romanticised roaming THE VALLEY leads you on a mystical journey that frees suburbanites from any remnants of mundane reality. This is the duo’s brand new album and is a highly anticipated follow up to their self-titled debut release in 2015. The Whiskey Charmers have a core line up of Carrie Shepard and Lawrence Daversa, hail from Detroit Michigan and are the key architects of a record successful in luring any mind wandering admirer of Americana music. The highly addictive world of instant connective music means you can enjoy the delight s of The Whiskey Charmers many blocks from their Mid-West base, with the Atlantic Ocean proving no barrier. What you get if you make the wise decision to engage with this album is eleven tracks of mood stimulating Americana, covered in the dust of the open road and aching with the cry of freedom. Thi...

WATERSHED, the new album by Amelia Curran is an absolute game changer. It took a single play to announce a serious sound diversion, with a new rockier version matching up well to what this critically acclaimed Canadian artist has produced before in a fruitful career. Perhaps a new sound has given impetus to the message that Amelia wanted to get across and raise the important issue of mental health stigmatisation in the arts. This new heavily plugged in sound has seen Amelia lose none of her acute song writing acumen, as epitomised in the Juno award that she received for the HUNTER HUNTER album. There is so much compassionate strength in this album which has been released on the Six Shooter Records label and succeeds in keeping you hooked for the duration of its eleven tracks. While it is the album’s intention for the listener to buy into the message, this is easily a record that you can kick back and simply just enjoy for all of its musical nuances. For instance ‘ Gravity ’ i...

Sam Outlaw’s debut full length album ANGELENO was a high impact release doubled up with the stamina to last an awful load of plays, culminating with plenty of accolades in the superficial end of year lists. Barely eighteen months from this record getting released across the continents, the follow up has appeared in the shape of TENDERHEART. In contrast to his previous offering, the new album is firmly planted in the grower category, but with the reassuring conclusion that eventually its true value will surface. Six Shooter Records is once again the launching pad for this self-produced album which was an alternative route of music making after working with Ry Cooder on ANGELENO. The sound is once again angled in a Californian country direction, and like its predecessor, TENDERHEART is set to get most of its love from the Americana community. This thirteen track collection of original material undulates in mood and tempo, anchored by a song that does have instant impact credential...

Retrospective reflective records are a likely domain for many seasoned artists, and Rodney Crowell has done just that with the release of his brand new album CLOSE TIES. As you would expect from an artist of this stature, the record is a classy effort perfectly capturing where he is as retiring years for normal folk beckons. Of course Crowell has graduated from pin up country star to one of the elder statesman of Americana music over the duration of a forty five year career mixing it with the genres’ elite. New West Records is once again the home of a Rodney Crowell release and this deeply personal accomplished collection reveals an artist in tip top shape. Three interesting thinking points cropped up during giving this record serious undivided attention: Does it work without understanding the context of a career? Can it reach out from Crowell’s admittedly large support base? Is there any potential to create a late career cult revival ala Johnny Cash? Taking the first questi...