Three Chords and the Truth UK

www.jasondanielsmusic.com The cover of this album hints at some groovy content and it barely takes one track for a funky beat to hit your ears and get the feet tapping and hips swinging. Jason Daniels has gravitated from his California home to settle in the Deep South and felt the pull of a southern soulful sound to imprint an impulsive feel into his curiously titled second album DOWNLOADS FROM THE UNIVERSE. Across ten tracks and armed with a settled and loyal band of players embedded into the music enough to warrant a place in the headline act, Daniels aims high to combine rock, soul and blues into a package capable of snaring many a casual beat observer.  Horns and organ mingle with harmonica and rhythm guitar no more profoundly than the instrumental track ' 39202' anchored right at the midpoint of this thirty-seven minute recording. Just prior to this piece, ' I've Been a Ramblin ' makes a strong play for the album's crowning point as Daniels celebrates putt...

www.saskiagm.com ARE YOU LISTENING? is the first album English singer-songwriter Saskia Griffiths- Moore has put out with a slimmed down recording name, a move in line with securing a two album deal with America's Susanne Marcus Collins Foundation inc. Maybe a link and renewed purpose - who knows? This album is a follow up to last year's BAEZ, DYLAN AND ME release which played its part in helping promote the talents of a resourceful and enterprising artist on the folk and acoustic circuit. Saskia has used the first part of the new deal to re-issue eight tracks from her back catalogue, coupling them with a pair of new compositions and a cover of ' Hallelujah', which while hardly earth shattering retains the song's beauty with a refined vocal touch.  ' Best of You ' and ' Come Comfort Me ' are the two new songs for those previously acquainted with her work, although one aim of this record is to turn the other eight into new songs for a wider audience....

www.wildernessyet.com Nature and folklore are the immediate connotations from the album cover of the eponymous debut release from folk trio The Wilderness Yet. A deduction that unravels to be fairly accurate as you drift through a near hour collaboration of intent at the highest calibre. A highly talented trio of Rosie Hodgson, Rowan Piggott and Philippe Barnes have put solo projects on one side to focus on this pot pourri of original, traditional and adaptive songs and tunes. Geographical influence comes from England, Ireland and Sweden as we are taken on a fascinating trail of musical exploration with a purpose. This 12-track album (extending to 13 when the format moves from digital to physical with the addition of a concluding Irish piece) will thrill the core folk fraternity with its acutely crafted blueprint feel and no doubt derive some interpretive comparisons from the aficionado clique. For outsiders it comes across as an educative treat with so many factions drawing together t...

www.tawnyellis.com Tawny Ellis comes across as a pop-rock vocalist that breathes an air of familiarity, although it has to be hastily said in a good way rather than one of lazy replication. You get the added feeling of hearing this album before as it heads down a well-trodden path of accomplished middle of the road adult contemporary songs. Yet despite these formulaic traits, there is always room for albums of this ilk at any prescribed interval. In the summer of 2020, there is every chance that LOVE LIFE can be that go-to spin providing an element of familiar comfort when solace in music is sought.  The vocals of Ellis will match the expectation of those who feast on bouts of near perfection and prefer a natural tinge that has no need to hide any degree of imperfection. Her talents extend to a prominent hand in the origin and construction of most of the ten songs on the album, a notable exception being a cover of Steely Dan's ' Dirty Work ' acting as the album closer. She ...

www.leegallaghermusic.com Long hair, sunlit background and a title of L.A.YESTERDAY gives you a huge hint of what to expect before your eyes leave the cover of this album and pass the baton of discovery onto your ears. Further tips roll out with track names such as ' Highway 10 ', ' Lullaby for the Acid Queen ' and ' California Divide ' coupled with the added background information that Lee Gallagher headed west to fulfil his rock 'n' roll dream. He subsequently made San Francisco his home and ventured south to its west coast rival to record his second album, which of course lent part of the title. If at this point you are expecting a nod to a throwback era where sounds from the twin West Coast metropolises twisted the axis of rock 'n' roll on its head, a treat lies ahead.  Lee Gallagher and his band known as the Hallelujah have used the template of this ten-track album to update a brand of rock trailed by pioneering artists of the late 60s and e...

www.tedrussellkamp.com Ted Russell Kamp is one of those artists that you have known about for years without ever fully exploring in finer detail. Although, without doubt one always on the lookout to enlist new fans. Even twelve albums into a career carving out many accolades in several guises, Kamp never loses sight that fresh horizons are there to be sought and DOWN IN THE DEN is the perfect accompaniment to expand them. Like so many artists operating in the Wild West of unrestrained Americana, Kamp refuses to anchor into a single camp preferring to drift around a landscape gathering influences like an eager treasure hunter.  The first word of warning is that DOWN IN THE DEN is no half hearted effort. Weighing in at just two minutes short of the hour mark, it certainly falls into the heavyweight category. The perfect stopping point on this lengthy journey is the pivotal track ' Rainy Day Valentine ', holding court in the #7 slot on the CD or download, which doubles up as the ...

www.fredshousemusic.co.uk Cambridge-based band Fred's House are back with a seemingly intentional every other year release in the form of a four track EP titled WALLS AND CEILINGS. The band have undergone a line up re-shuffle since their last record in 2018, although the most prominent member Vikki Gavin is still heading the operation on all fronts including the all-important vocals. The result is a most appealing quartet of songs headed by the soulful lead off title piece proving a match for anything that goes under the banner of infectious traditional pop music in 2020. The new songs take their cue from reflective moments of creative inspiration, with the title number being one of likely many pieces evolving out of the current lockdown. Other themes flitter around subjects such as the personal circumstances that led to the evolution of Fred's House, especially the delightfully delivered ballad ' Only the Sun ' bringing this fine collection to a close. These themes giv...

There may have only been a handful of players on this album, but the inspirational and innovative  drive by Anthony Garcia to grow an epic from small acorns has reaped dividends. From a Texas base and a well travelled background, Garcia delved deep into his back catalogue to deliver a record rich in film score sentiment and one meticulously put together to take an enthralled listener on an imaginatively fuelled journey. Classical influences and poetic rock are entwined creating an element of cinematic Americana, where the nuances of intrinsic sound and poignant song melt into a bubbling pot. ACRES OF DIAMONDS will freely lead any open minded music listener on an expansive journey and heap huge rewards on the experience.  From prominent violin in the scene setting opener ‘ Santa Rosa ’ through to the sedate title track in the closing position, an undulating pace fills the airwaves mixing heavy guitars, dream-laden sequences and even an infectious dose of early 80s electronica...

Six months ago this blog had run its race, reached its destination and drifted towards the blogger salvage yard. But as we all know six months can feel a lifetime especially as we navigate turbulent and unprecedented waters. So in the spirit of the classic music reunion: the band is back together - well a band of one and a raft of musical content to share.  So Three Chords and the Truth UK is taken off the life support machine and stumbles back into some remnants of existence. In the same light as the uncertainty of the new normal, there is absolutely no idea how this is going to pan out other than copying 75 posts from a separate venture highlighting what has been listened to in the last six months.  The other blog venture of 2020 was the ill fated project to document the whole year's live music, sport and theatre. If only somebody had whispered in the ear at the turn of the year, don't bother with that as a pandemic is going to absolutely stuff you.  As an album review ...