Three Chords and the Truth UK

If ghostly tales recurring around the immaculately preserved 300 year-old school hall in the John Moore Foundation prove correct, its occupants have now had to deal with the full force of Hannah Aldridge. Maybe our spiritual cousins just took a seat like everybody else and soaked up the evening’s entertainment, which frequently planted its tentacles into the dark side. For one night only, this culturally diverse East Midlands venue turned into an eerie mist of underground Nashville. Not the brash bright lights of the country music capital, but a thriving metropolis of creative musicians flourishing in a collaborative atmosphere of soaking up a multitude of influences. Joining Hannah for this quirky gathering was fellow Music City resident Don Gallardo as the duo passed like touring ships on a mission to spread their wares far. What the enlightened mass got to witness on this proverbial Good Friday was two of the finest performing singer-songwriters operating on the scene that...

Momentum and opportunity are two drivers key to the process of seeking success in the music industry. The latter opened doors for Ashley McBryde after over a decade of playing out the archetype unsigned Nashville singer-songwriter narrative, while the former is about to ignite in the shape of GIRL GOING NOWHERE. This debut album blows right through the country music mainstream like a breath of fresh air without doing too much radical. Maybe view it as a conciliatory record within the contest to save country music, although an act of appeasement is an incidental observation among a rack of eleven songs strengthened by a high tensile outer and similar core. What makes this record soar up the scale is that its high spots build up so much credit to iron out casual imperfections that could mould it into something more personal for the listener. The inevitable lack of steel, fiddle or banjo twang from a Warner Nashville release does not bow to a traditionalist desire, yet such is the ...

It has just been over five years since Kim Lowings and the Greenwood first crossed my path with the realisation that sometimes you do not have to venture too far from your home to discover great new acts. The added bonus has been to see them blossom across many shows over the ensuing period and widen their repertoire considerably. From that first night at Katie Fitzgerald’s in Stourbridge, another eight venues across the West Midlands join the list, ranging from the quirky surroundings of Scary Canary to the lavish setting of Moseley Park, home of the annual big name folk festival. Each occasion (and there has been multiple ones at some of the venues) brings out the best in Kim and her band, with the Red Lion Folk Club in Birmingham ensuring this upward trajectory is maintained. While this was not their first appearance at the venue, it was good to catch them in a different setting, although their music usually commands an attentive listening audience wherever played. Across ...

Some records transcend the periphery of their architect and permeate through the generations. While the debut album of Merritt Gibson is liberally laced with a teenage outlook, there is a timeless feel to its content. You could quite easily replace the year 2018 with 1988 and the fit would remain as compact. The fact that EYES ON US is thrown into the mix with a wider selection on the maturity scale is a testimony to its strength in terms of inspirational song writing and acute ability to bury deep into the psyche of an open-minded listener. A youthful zest froths out of a sophisticated substance to mark an album that successfully courts the intended desire of serious subjective approval. Primarily, the sound settles on an indie pop rock base, with an astute angling to encompass those of a country, Americana or general singer-songwriter persuasion. Indeed, the latter appears to be the likely ultimate destination, although a strong case exists that this University of Virginia stude...

Opportunities to see Ags Connolly in the West Midlands have been thin on the ground in the past. Therefore, a quick last minute notification of an appearance on the Wolverhampton Country Songwriter’s Night needed little invitation once a window appeared. The slot may have been just over half an hour in a four-way presentation, but this brief acquaintance at least reaffirmed the unique style that he successfully cultivates. In a climate where country music evolution frequently takes a turn for the worse, Ags adopts a naturally organic steadfast stance pertaining to a style endemic to the roots of the genre. Discovering similar performers of his ilk in terms of vocal, sincerity and song writing approach has often proved a futile task. Frequently, Ags has found soulmate collaboration in touring American artists, usually those of an Ameripolitan persuasion. For the uninitiated, this is a phrase coined by Dale Watson in response to traditional country and honky tonk performers facing alie...

Rod Picott is the trusty troubadour whose art never subsides from a lofty plateau. Whether immersing in the creative process or presenting his material on the road, consistency has been the badge of honour proudly worn across the continents. Throughout a lengthy and humbled song-writing career, this Maine native has long defied the notion of heart and soul being the sole instigator of the moving song. Framing an image of muscle, toughness and a philosophical perceptive field has proved a fertile strand of influence across a conveyor belt of records and shows over many years. If anything, the output is likely to escalate, with the written word now spreading from literally hundreds of songs to poetry, screenplay and a fledgling novel. Amidst this prolific period, trips to regular haunts this side of the pond are still on the agenda, with the city of Leicester welcoming Rod Picott back after a few blank years. Although his association with our country stretches back a lot further, ...

Lucinda Williams framed the phrase ‘down where the spirit meets the bone’ in the title of her 2014 album. If you were to discover such a place, Courtney Marie Andrews would be there scribbling in her notebook before wrapping the words around her vocal chords. Those cast under the spell of her previous record will still be locked in a cavern of soulful song-writing bliss as MAY YOUR KINDNESS REMAIN gets the album handover. It is a case of striking while the creative iron is hot as the antithesis to romanticised Americana feasts on the currency of kindness and hope. The intensity and capacity to move runs rapid across the ten tracks, without the slightest trace of being “overwrought”. The search for the album’s beacon stops abruptly at the jaw-dropping momentous ballad ‘ Took You Up’ , which has the capability to break each listener with every play. Right from the opening line ‘is it the journey or the destination’, the instant gift of song writing nirvana has been found and we ar...

A new venture for the Country-to-Country operation this year has been to take a few post-festival shows around the regions under the branded ‘roadshow’ motif. Two were located in Birmingham, building upon a recent upsurge of mainstream artists getting booked to play venues across the city. The Friday presentation pitted the contrasting styles of Mo Pitney, Ashley Campbell and Ryan Kinder, who convened in the upper reaches of the O2 Institute. An early start and the fact that this was the only gig going on in a spacious tri-room venue equated to a slightly eerie entrance and departure, but a healthy gathering for the allotted space gave the artists a warm response. Ryan Kinder opened up well before the city centre rush hour had subsided. Without being too disrespectful to the performer, he is the type of act synonymous with the diluting of the tag ‘country’ and a recruiting agent for Ameripolitan and aspects of Americana. What he produced for half an hour with the help of two backing...

In the week where the Nashville mainstream made their presence felt in the UK and Ireland with the Country-to-Country Festival, it would be remiss not to give a few column inches to a release embedded in this scene. Therefore, amongst the deluge of Americana, folk and singer-songwriter submissions to peruse, an interesting new record from Scotty McCreery landed to make a case. To insert a slight addendum, this is an artist on the rebound from given the boot off a major label, so in essence there is a little tale of the outsider in the story if not wholly to the sound. SEASONS CHANGE is the comeback album from an artist previously launched to big ideals on the back of ‘talent’ TV success, and an attempt to replicate the achievement of a recent #1 single from an industry position where he needed to pedal a little faster. This album sits firmly in the mid region of the mainstream, with little pretence to attract back traditionalists or reach out to deeper non-country genres such as ...

While the music always comes first, it is difficult not to take more than a passing interest in the artists who have contributed in some part to the latest album from Korby Lenker. Many of the featured artists are known in the UK for their work and likely form a close-knit network in the confines of East Nashville where they are frequently based. THOUSAND SPRINGS may have surfaced in the States a while back, but it is getting a renewal this side of the pond in conjunction with a set of upcoming tour dates. This is the seventh album from an artist best described as a mellow lo-fi folk singer bestowed with the troubadour trait of filling the world with oodles of thoughtful words. Find your space, block out the outside world, and the whispering tones of Korby Lenker will refresh your faith in the far away song. The album broke the rules of a studio origin and arose from an impromptu wanderlust to roam the land filing inspiration from any put down point. Obviously, background kno...

Emmylou in ambidextrous mode! First of all apologies for missing off Little Big Town from the headline, but the 9:10 from London Marylebone to Birmingham Snow Hill won the day. However, a curtailed day trip to North Greenwich still brought great riches as the process of cherry picking Country-to-Country (C2C) kicked back into gear. Resistance to catch a rare glimpse of the legendary Emmylou Harris drifted away as the secondary ticket market reversed its much disputed overpricing policy. The twinning with Margo Price was also a shrewd move for an event making gestures to reach out. Throw in the curious enigma of Midland, and the scene was set for a splendid afternoon/early evening’s entertainment. Contrasts from all three acts were in abundance, although these were not necessarily all from a negative viewpoint. The allotted stage times for all three (Midland 40 mins, Margo 55 mins, Emmylou 60 mins) were entirely adequate in the context of the overall presentation and to asce...

Few could remember the last time Pokey LaFarge played Birmingham; a situation now suitably remedied after a packed Institute rocked to the core of American roots music. In a vibrant haze of the sounds of the South floating north to where it gets a touch more rusty, bands getting close to the authenticity of our headliners tonight are rare on the ground. The line-up may be slightly impeded with the temporary side lining of one of its main players, but an exuberant audience rose to the challenge to fill the gap. It helped that Pokey and his three accomplices turned in a scintillating performance of rip-roaring music. Throw in smidgeons of old time country, blues, jazz and rock ‘n’ roll take you into Pokey LaFarge territory, but it is how these styles are executed that gets folks fully on board, a successful formula keeping the band firmly in prime time exposure over the last decade. For an hour and half this evening, the art of rocking, serenading, rejoicing and participating filled th...

From Stagecoach and Bonnaroo in the west to Latitude and Green Man in the east, festival goers spanning the continents this summer are going to get their heads turned when Jade Bird takes to the stage. Green lights are flashing, and it is all systems go for a young English singer-songwriter equipped to escalate her career very quickly. Populist platforms via the BBC and a signing to influential US operation Glassnote are proving useful boosts ensuring that this raw talent will not be denied an opportunity. Putting hyperbole aside for a moment, playing the small room in the Hare and Hounds to a listening audience is not a bad place to keep in touch with your metaphorical roots. This Birmingham show saw Jade in solo mode though in tandem with a travelling piano and a trusted acoustic guitar. It is forming part of a wider UK tour that appears to be a prelude to a host of coast-to-coast dates in the States, many opening for Colter Wall. Extended sets may be at a premium for now, so t...

Part of the appeal of Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman as a duo has been an ability to reach out far from their core to enlist casual folk followers into the fold. This is particularly prevalent in how the live shows are presented. To assist them in the next batch of announced dates this coming spring, a brand new album is unveiled and it staunchly underpins the core folk sound that has led the pair into award winning territory. PERSONAE is the fifth release under the Roberts/Lakeman moniker and it calls at all the usual ports in a stunning array of vocal and musicianship excellence. Seven assorted original pieces, in terms of theme and tempo, mix with the obligatory Child ballad; a further dip into traditional song and the ubiquitous Sandy Denny cover. The result is an enthralling journey through slices of mythical and satirical, albeit with the occasional twist of trusted melancholy. It is with the latter sentiment that any delving into this album should begin and the track ‘ O...