Three Chords and the Truth UK

Sam Outlaw definitely feels at home touring the UK. It has been a little over eighteen months since he was introduced to British audiences as the opening act for Aaron Watson and things have gone from strength to strength since. This latest of several trips is on the back of a slot at the prestigious T Ø nder Festival in Denmark and a first return to Birmingham since a date at The Glee Club on that inaugural tour. The growth of Sam Outlaw is symbolised by the expansion from a duo format with Danny Garcia back in January last year to now a seven-piece full band line-up complete with assorted guitars, pedal steel and drums. This mode clearly suited the barrage of songs delivered from his two albums and a Hare and Hounds audience was treated to a comprehensive display of real country music. 2017 has been the year that Sam Outlaw has introduced Nashville-based singer-songwriter Michaela Anne to UK audiences, through a spot in the band on keys and a solo opening slot to showcase her own ...

FOLLOW THAT FIRE is proof that artists can still reach out to a new audience even with nineteen years-experience and nine albums in the bank. The latest record from Canadian singer-songwriter Lynn Jackson is a lovely textured alluring release successful in creating a sense of well-being. It has been released on the Busted Flat record label, which has been responsible for some fine Canadian exported music in recent years. It may grow the international awareness of an artist adept at taking a primarily folk song base before dressing them up in a cultured pop and sensual soulful coating. All ten tracks are original offerings from the mainly solo pen of Lynn and are brimming with messages ranging from the inspiration of the road to taking a pensive view on the plight of an artistic journey. While the record generally meanders through the tranquil waters of lucid folk, there is one tremendous jolt in the first half with a song reverberating in its grim effect. ‘ Alice ’ evolves as a s...

Sandwiched between her previous album in 2010 and this latest release, Heather Lynne Horton was musically busy creating a wave as one-half of The Westies with husband Michael McDermott. Hot on the heels of Michael branching out with a solo record, Heather has also chosen this route with the highly emotive DON’T MESS WITH MRS. MURPHY. On the back of its US bow earlier in the summer, the record will get a resurgent boost in the UK via the good folks at At The Helm Records. The bottom line is that the album is an absolute absorbing listen, presenting an aural delight from its atmospheric opening to a moving finale. Like so many successful records, the sound blends numerous sources to a superlative extent. Americana fans with an alternative edge are amongst the audience likely to tap into the vast reservoir of an album packed with top notch writing to provide the literary element. However, no serious music fan is precluded, whether they are prone to tearing away the layers of a record ...

No labels or tags are required for the music of Steve Grozier as it speaks for itself. Literal geographic associations may despatch it westward across the ocean, but then again music with a ‘state of mind rhetoric’ respects no boundaries. A PLACE WE CALLED HOME may only be a sample of what this Glasgow singer-songwriter is capable of, yet it significantly captures an intended sound and sends a signal out that more will come providing the prevailing winds are kind. The four tracks that form this EP are cut from the classic territory of Steve’s American influences. In essence, they are songs driven by the heart before enabling a skilful soundtrack to allow their artistic flourishing. Underpinned by driving guitar to inject the rock influence, the sound elevates its ambience through the delightful twang of the pedal steel thus ensuring that anybody with an acute country ear will take note. Although, critically there are no pseudo vocal aspirations. Lead single ‘ Where the Roses G...

“Stourbridge’s finest music export since the Mitre-fuelled heady days of late 80s indie-rock.” This is likely to be the first and last reference to the Neds, Stuffies or Poppies in any Kim Lowings and the Greenwood review. Seriously, any praise accrued for WILD & WICKED YOUTH is entirely warranted as this album lays out proof of an artist continuing to make significant development in the folk music world. The true worth of its value exists in the finely balanced track selection alongside the most beautiful of executions, both on a vocal and instrumental front. Clear messages are sent out that this is an album to be reckoned with as it begins life as a living and breathing entity documenting the talents of its architect. As much as folk and roots music is about preserving the past, its renewal features are just as critical especially in the shape of original composition. Perhaps the most pertinent parts of this album are the five new songs that feature thus signalling that rene...

Tom Russell always keeps his listeners alert. Whether through conquering the art of storytelling via music; filling an empty canvas with a literal style of writing or penning a memorable song, his lengthy career has left a catalogue of folk records covering a broad range of subjects. This has led to him being actively thought of as a scribe of Americana, the wider definition of the underbelly of a continent rather than a pre-described music style. While FOLK HOTEL is quintessential Tom Russell, the subjects frequently span the landmasses of America and Europe with the usual combination of viewing the macro of the landscape mixed with the micro of the individual. Weighing in at fourteen tracks (seventy-one minutes) for the essential deluxe physical version, the new record joins the club of Russell’s more time friendly releases as opposed to the epic that unravelled in his last major project THE ROSE OF ROSCRAE. Since this double album crashed onto the scene like an Alpine avalanche...

Although the season stretches into mid-September, there has always been something of an end of the summer festival feel when Moseley Folk arrives on the city’s doorsteps. Beyond the Tracks may be extending Birmingham’s outdoor music attractions this year and End of the Road may be the higher profile indication of a seasonal closer, but there is a definite uniqueness about the eclectic gathering in Moseley Park across the opening weekend of September. The luscious sloping surroundings of a private park on the hinterland of Birmingham’s city centre coupled with a stage arrangement of non-stop music from the comfort of a single location are key aesthetic features of Moseley Folk. When you blend in a line up ranging from the traditional to the experimental, the sounds that fill the park emanate from a highly crafted pack of artists, musicians and performers. 2017 is the twelfth renewal of Moseley Folk Festival and without making too much comparison with previous gatherings, this y...

There has been a tendency on several previous visits to the Edinburgh Fringe to avoid the straightforward gig and enjoy music performed in a more theatrical manner. However, temptation prevailed when a scheduling slot appeared on the Wednesday of this year’s visit with an opportunity opening up to catch Julie Byrne in concert. Although this was a billed Fringe show, the format rolled out to be a conventional gig with the usual support act and accompanying break. One predicted assurance was that the headliner would confirm the growing credentials of a respected international American touring artist and re-affirm the buzz that has accompanied them all year. Summerhall is one of the Fringe’s many bustling venues; housing a diverse range of artistic offerings. This gig was held in the Dissection Room and thus provided the subject content for an instant settling comment from Julie as she took to the stage around a quarter past nine. Over the next hour, a totally absorbed seated crowd, ed...

Double albums can present a risk especially in these challenging times for enhanced content. However, if they are put together as thoughtful as this new release from Susan Cattaneo then any foray into the unknown is underpinned by assured protection. THE HAMMER & THE HEART is a neatly packaged compendium of concepts, collaborations and contrasts. At the core, is an artist striving for an independent stance and backing an ability to make an impressionable record. These has been achieved through a strident act of duality, with sufficient appeal to make those of a country, folk or Americana persuasion sit up and take note. Weighing in with near symmetrical proportion, each disc mirrors the nine track – thirty plus minute format. As intimated in the title, THE HAMMER generally contains the upbeat punchy numbers, while its counterpart THE HEART takes a deeper and mellower look at the song writing content. Both discs start with the same song, albeit in different styles. ‘ Work Har...

Six albums and twelve years into a commercial recording career may yet prove to be just the starter for Miranda Lambert. As the Texas dust settled on her ‘full’ UK stage debut, thoughts turned to how exciting the next decade, and the subsequent ones after that, can be for an artist at the pulse of contemporary country music. Of course, this is dependent on evolution and maximising the enormous potential of development at her fingertips. These range from establishing herself on an international platform to forming a body of work that adds a legacy impact to one of commercial success. She is in the midst of the first part of this and a Birmingham audience had an early opportunity to revel in very much the present of this next significant phase of her career. Elements of this development are making smart moves, not always dictated by the bottom dollar. For instance, there was scepticism about staging her first UK main show in such a large venue. A re-configured Barclaycard Arena just a...

Are we in a golden age of American protest music? Although far from year dot, November 2016 re-invigorated the re-set button and will surely be the catalyst for an eventual deluge of material to remove any doubt from the opening statement. This assertion grows rapidly with each touring American artist taking a European stage, an effect that is light years away from Shepherd’s Bush London 2003. Prior to recent events, including a significant one just two days previous to this show, Hurray for the Riff Raff had constructed their own ‘ode to resistance’, based on the many injustices afflicting minorities, particularly the plight of the Puerto Rican in America. This powerful album strategically titled THE NAVIGATOR is once again the centrepiece of an overseas trip for the band, this time mainly focussed on Scandinavia and a prestigious spot at the Green Man Festival in Wales. British fans are being spoiled this year, with a vague count of this visit being number three of four planned in...

It was as if time had stood still, five years gone in the blink of an eye. Technically, it was longer as the 2012 tour saw Rachel Harrington in a very different guise when fronting her honky tonk band The Knockouts. This was more akin to the days where she toured often in a duo format, and it was these frequent tours, which effectively took their toll leading to an eventual lengthy hiatus. Now refreshed, and the guitar handled on a daily basis rather than locked away, Rachel has made tentative yet significant steps to returning to the fold. While bold on the surface, a decent run of dates thousands of miles from your home on the North West Pacific coast saw a reunion with many familiar faces that have supported her career with great dedication over the years. Although not a stranger to playing venues in the West Midlands, remarkably this was Rachel’s first show at the Kitchen Garden in Birmingham, a setting perfectly suited for her mode of acoustic delivery. A dedicated bunch of fol...

Two eye-catching titles are a good start before any content of a record is revealed. Ruarri Joseph may be proud to disturb the peace, but those submerging themselves into the deep canyon of William the Conqueror’s debut album will not be too perturbed to have theirs disturbed. PROUD DISTURBER OF THE PEACE is the opening shot of a former signed folk-singer turned full on band unit and it unravels as a high impact release. It is quite easy to be caught up in industry mutterings especially when the product is still mainly kept under wraps. However, there is no denying that William the Conqueror have firmly delivered with this neatly packaged fully fledged record. The back-story of bandleader Ruarri Joseph has been widely documented and in essence, it reveals an artist forever searching that moment of satisfied integrity. Where the William the Conqueror project leads him only time will tell, but there is a deep rooted appeal in a collection of tunes fluctuating between folk rock and it...