Three Chords and the Truth UK

On the eve of the ‘beast from the east’, it was a more a case of ‘best from the west’ as The LYNNeS teamed up to bring a blast of Canadian country-folk to the shores of the old country. You do not want to mention the cold too loudly in the company of a couple of Ottawa residents, but they did everything in their midst to warm the hearts of a Birmingham crowd fine-tuned in seeking out distinguished music. Maybe the confab to generate the name that would herald Lynne Hanson and Lynn Miles as a recording duo did not last too long. However, on the evidence presented this evening, the legacy is set to hang around for quite a while. The two singer-songwriters are an amalgam of comparisons and contrasts, yet so united when it all boils down to penning the dedicated song. Before this collaboration formalised, song co-writes had accrued and it was a natural step to wrap a bunch of them into a full record. HEARTBREAK SONG FOR THE RADIO emerged as the accumulation of their efforts and it was a...

It is impossible to attend a Thimblemill Library gig and not let the visual splendour of rows of books seep into your thoughts. When you factor in an English Literature and Creative Writing graduate (or major depending on your language perspective) into the equation, who co-incidentally happens to write the most gorgeous of songs, the scene is perfectly set. Caroline Spence may have been 4,000 miles from her Nashville home, and on an inaugural overseas tour, but she settled into the surroundings without hesitation and went on to deliver a sublime performance of songs soaked to the core with southern sentiment. Any doubts that the promise of SPADES & ROSES would not live up to its billing drifted away into a cold Midlands night, suitably insulated by the warmth of the performance. The album in question is Caroline’s second full length release and bravely fought off a challenge from some upstart going by the name of Jason Isbell to earn this coveted accolade in 2017. Another heal...

Music sans frontiers. No apology for the cross language fertilisation as this is symbolic to the way borders and barriers erode in the music of Gem Andrews. Perhaps it is indicative to an artist calling Liverpool, Newcastle, Vancouver and Berlin periodically their home that wide influences are soaked up. Throw into the mix echoes of folk and country alongside a tentative alternative streak, and you delve deeper into the eclectic nature of NORTH, which makes you take note of Gem Andrews as a recording artist. Throughout the half hour of its tenure, not an inch of the canvas remains untouched thus creating a record rich in accomplishment. NORTH is the third album from Berlin-based Gem and the follow up to the well-received VANCOUVER that surfaced to acclaim in 2016. You should start to get the drift that both titles saunter into geographical territory, with some imagination required to linking in her debut album SCATTER. Relevant or not, surroundings have probably played a major part...

Caleb Caudle may have been dealt a handful of aces, but he has chosen an opportune moment to play them in the shape of a fabulous new album. CRUSHED COINS scores high on a number of fronts, even to the extent of the ironed out imperfections suggesting not all great albums need an edge of vulnerability. What this North Carolinian singer-songwriter has done is take the basic sound ingredients of steel, keys and strings before adding in an articulate lyrical element to tear away the layers of primal emotion. A sophisticated mellowness wraps each one of the eleven tracks and delivers them to the listener with an extra coating of enticing melodies. This is song writing of the highest degree, blessed with an acute offering of leading the listener into the thought process without truly planting explicit ideas. This is best exemplified in the title track right at the core of the record with ‘Crushed Coins’ leaving its message open to interpretation, although within the recurring line of ‘t...

The concept of duality switched from the art world to its distant creative cousin of folk and acoustic music as the Big Comfy Bookshop set about curating the latest Friday evening presentation. The city of Coventry provided a centrally located platform for two artists to share their contrasting perspectives, while colluding in the ultimate union of excellence. Heading south from Humberside was evocative singer-songwriter Katie Spencer, symbolising Hull’s second gift to Coventry in the last couple of months in addition to passing the City of Culture baton. Meeting Katie on neutral ground was London-based folk artist Kirsty Merryn expressing a versatile approach to the medium of traditional English music. Both artists are active movers on the upward trajectory of the career curve and ably represented by well-received CD releases last year, successful in reaching out to new listeners. They mirror the vibrancy of an independent scene that seeks ways to be forever innovative, and possess...

Unsure about the origin or even the mythical existence of the coined phrase ‘old punks turn country’, but it’s a good one and starts the engine when referring to duo Hope in High Water. Not too sure whether ‘old’ is the apt word to describe Josh Chandler Morris and Carly Slade, yet the sound they’ve morphed into ploughs a traditional furrow. One certainty is that the past in some form or another has strongly influenced their music, whether in redemptive song writing or framing a vocal style. Perhaps country is a too narrow window to open onto their music, although a fair proportion of the new material shared this evening had a sad song twang about it. Folk and blues also play a significant part as the wider roots world is captured in a subtle mix of sincere originals and incisive covers. A return to Birmingham’s Kitchen Garden was one of the last stops on an inaugural headline tour for this Milton Keynes based couple. They had previously supported Worry Dolls and a songwriter’s se...

Sam Baker is an extraordinary artist, funnelling his art down down the most acute of channels. In response to a unique style, a degree of adjustment is desirable to tune into its wavelength. While occasional crackles still flicker from time to time, those with the dial in the right place have a pure hypnotic experience delivered. An air of duality creates from the mellow relaxing rhythmic tones of electric guitar coupled with incisive percussion, whilst being aligned to a mental alertness required to fathom the lyrical content. All this cast under the spell of a slightly impish persona using the hidden crevices of dark Americana to spill out a poetic soul. It is not uncommon for a Texan troubadour to sprinkle a golden drop of song writing dust on the intimate confines of the Kitchen Garden and few in this sold out audience would deny Sam Baker being the latest artist to accomplish this feet. For this latest UK tour, Mike Meadows joined on assorted percussion to make it a duo present...

The term ‘super group’ is often tossed around like discarded confetti, but occasionally a trio of gold leaves settle on the ground. Sara Watkins, Aoife O’Donovan and Sarah Jarosz are three of the most faultless artists making music on the folk ‘n’ roots Americana scene. Their impromptu collaboration at the Telluride Festival in 2014 gave birth to a ‘super group’ with intent and time was taken out from busy individual schedules to play a series of shows under the banner I’m With Her. From personal experience, these shows were an extraordinary demonstration of gifted musicianship, both in terms of instrumental competency and vocal bliss. With this sure fire successful aspect in the bag, the next stage was to commit something to record and spread the word further afield. Nearly four years after that initial jam, SEE YOU AROUND has seen the light of day and verdict can be passed on whether the term ‘super group’ is justified. Of course, such terms are pure hyperbole and the efforts co...

‘Truth and Scars’ would be the ideal name for a future Rod Picott album. However, let’s not get ahead of ourselves, but the sentiment of these two words threads right through his new record. OUT PAST THE WIRES is the equally astute title for this release, which surfaces in a double unit format to house the twenty-two tracks that made the cut from an enormous choice of songs at his disposal. Prolific is probably an understatement for an artist so immersed in the song writing game. Of course, such an extensive content makes demands on the listener and there are certain tricks to getting the best out of a Rod Picott record. Essentially, this is to grasp the lyrical offering, which slants towards a perceptive view on life far away from the victors in society. Frequently, this focusses on the post-industrial landscape that doubles up as a take on the human side of urban blight and rural abandonment. Indeed, the album title, which appears early in the opening track of disc 1, suggests ...

There is hardly a truer representation of the coined phrase ‘show ‘em don’t tell ‘em’ than when it comes down to the country credentials of Jaime Wyatt. Those of us won over by the release of her mini album last year have had only a brief wait to catch the live format and she looked every inch the ‘walking/talking’ country song. There are no blurred lines when Jaime clambers to spill out her calling and act out a narrative, which is candidly real. Flanked by a band assembled to step up to the challenge, the mission to turn Tingewick Village Hall into a honky tonk heaven was not going to falter due to a lack of stage fervour. Ceremoniously pitched with fellow American artist Beth Bombara for this inaugural UK tour, the contrasting pair effectively turned the show into a twin bill, and whether folks were taking a punt or in the know, any remnants of disappointment long evaporated into a dreary and cold Buckinghamshire night. Rationalisation was a viable key to this tour in terms of ...

Underrated is not quite the right word to describe Beth Nielsen Chapman, but sometimes complacency can sneak in to allow her song writing skills to flicker only in the distance. If any remnants of guilt apply to this then the release of her brand new album HEARTS OF GLASS firmly presses the reset button. Song writing music has flown from Beth’s pen for well over thirty years, although often these songs have found extended fame in the catalogues of others. Her previous album UNCOVERED was a timely reminder that some of these compositions needed refreshing to get its writer’s recorded perspective. The new record is largely along similar lines comprising a mixture of new and old songs with a numerical leaning towards the latter. Although Beth Nielsen Chapman has been tagged within the country community for much of her career, further fuelled by a Nashville base, her style is fully embraced in the smooth mature singer-songwriter category, supported staunchly by the media outlets tha...

If 2017 was the year of countless excellent Nielson Hubbard produced releases, then do not count on them ceasing anytime soon. Scottish singer-songwriter Dean Owens is the latest artist to have paid a visit to this productive Nashville studio and come away with an album strong in pursuing the ideals of the originator. SOUTHERN WIND succeeds in blending the sensibilities of two nations. Distinctive song writing, often homely and personal, generally reflects the everyday surroundings of Dean, while securely placing his trust in an established posse of Nashville-based musicians is inevitably going to factor in an Americana feel. The conduit for this is the esteemed all-round performing musician Will Kimbrough, who also joins in the song-writing fray to bolster up that component. Whichever facet you wish to explore, agreement is a certainty. There is a depth and maturity to the song writing that can only really be surmountable through a degree of experience. Songs like ‘ Louisville ...

The first thing that strikes you when seeing a Kaia Kater show is the sheer dedication poured into a chosen art form. This is the culmination of a young Canadian artist heading south to answer a calling from her ancestors and utilising every inch of an innate talent to bridge the generations. The mining of Appalachian song heritage has probably been less contentious than other associations with this term and there is a clear lineage through the music made by Kaia. The sweetest of sounds gently seeps from her delicate banjo playing and a leaning towards original songs marks her out as a serious poet rather than just an old time interpreter. Every facet of a vast artistic locker was on display in Birmingham this evening as a premium roots practitioner lifted the spirits on a chilly Midlands night. A packed house was shoe horned into the Kitchen Garden, many likely attracted by Kaia’s previous performances in the city during 2017. These involved a low-key slot at Moseley Folk Festiva...

Whoever dreamt up the ingenious idea of hosting Courtney Marie Andrews in the beautiful celestial surroundings of a church is a pure visionary. Of course, the reaching out of our holy buildings for music of a different nature is far from a new concept, but compatibility could not have been securer with tonight’s billing. There is certainly something in the air about the live music we all love at the moment, with this being the third sold out gig attended this year. This Oxford show, joined Hayes Carll in Nottingham and Lone Bellow in Manchester for attracting the ‘House Full’ sign, and like the other two, the performance came out of the top drawer. The rise of Courtney’s star is rapidly in the ascendancy, especially in the UK.Those fortunate enough to attend St. Barnabas Church were treated to an utterly divine exhibition of exemplary singer-songwriter music. It is a little under twelve months ago since Courtney played a low-key gig in Coventry, and folks who attended both shows had...