Three Chords and the Truth UK

  www.salthousemusic.com The autumn gig thread of likeminded Scottish folk music added an extra notch this evening as Salt House popped into the West Midlands for a show in the final throes of a short UK tour. The original thread was due to start and end with solo shows from Hannah Rarity and Jenny Sturgeon interspersed with catching the trio formats of Karine Polwart and Siobhan Miller as they passed through Birmingham. One current link between this quartet and Salt House is that Jenny Sturgeon is the third member of that trio alongside guitar/vocalist/songwriter Ewan MacPherson and fiddle player/vocalist Lauren MacColl. A more distant connection unearthed from delving into Salt House's back catalogue revealed Siobhan Miller providing the lead vocals on a 2013 album. You start to get the picture that a certain scene in Scotland is highly collaborative as they all strive to the same end of framing folk music in its twin posture of capturing the past through song and projecting issu...

  www.alecbowman.com Two significant changes in the music of Alec Bowman since the release of his debut album in 2020. The surname is extended to reflect his marital union with fellow artist Josienne Clarke and the sound has accrued a makeover courtesy of a trip down to Lukas Drinkwater's Polyphonic Recording studio in Stroud. These two changes are intrinsically linked by Josienne Clarke taking an apparent more active role alongside adding some fine touches of backing vocal and brass to a sound a little fuller than what first introduced his music. Still piercing the sound waves alongside these subtle moves is the trademark style of an artist sharp with words, upfront on delivery and highly articulate in deep thought. A PLACE LIKE HOME is a less in stature than its predecessor in terms of length, but it has the potential to prove a significant link between an artist starting point and where their music eventually ends up. Mr. Alec Bowman_Clarke, to formalise things, only politely re...

  www.storysongscientists.com The juxtaposition of art and science is alive and kicking when Findlay Napier and Megan Henwood get their heads together. Fresh from a pre-pandemic debut outing of The Story Song Scientists, the unlikely pairing of an established Scottish folk singer-songwriter and one from Oxfordshire with a tendency to blend some indie style electronica into her music is back and right on cue to entertain and educate in equal portions. QUANTUM LYRICS is basically five stories doubling to ten tracks when each one has a song and multi media piece attached. The result is an album quite like no other, and hugely satisfying when you ultimately digest the content.  The pick of the conventional songs is the country tinged ' Lo and Behold' where the duo cleverly weave in a clash of the technology giants personifying the twin phenomena of Siri and Alexa. From the multi media inclusions, a recording of the manifesto of the Cloud Appreciation Society inspires, enthrals an...

  www.courtneymarieandrews.com There is a vision of Courtney Marie Andrews departing a grand stage such as the splendid 900-seater Birmingham Town Hall with its extraordinary acoustics after delivering a spellbinding performance befit of a platform of grandeur. In the meantime, being present for immaculate shows like tonight at the slightly less spectacular Gorilla venue in Manchester captures the here and now perfectly.  The missing link from absorbing an abundance of music made available during the lockdown months of 2020 was the hugely anticipated live airing accompanying the release of OLD FLOWERS. These add so much more dimension to the music of Courtney Marie Andrews. Anyway that wait is now over and an inadvertent wrong is corrected.  It may have been a stroke of good fortune that personal circumstances and convenience shifted the opportunity to see a tour show from Birmingham on opening night to Manchester right at the heart of the UK schedule. This meant anecdota...

  www.wearefinelines.com This year's Beardy Folk Festival is gradually becoming a fertile ground for revised, renewed and new discoveries. Joining a growing list of featured acts getting extended focus is Cheshire based band Fine Lines who brought a spark of diversity to the fields and hills of south Shropshire in June. From a thoroughly enjoyable hour long Saturday afternoon set, we now move onto an equally admirable full length release almost pushing a similar time span yet far from outstaying its welcome. DEADBEAT LULLABIES is a prime example of UK Americana done well and an agreeable nod that the provinces can match what seemingly feels like the domain of the South East.  If starting and finishing an album is a pre-requisite to a highly engaging listen then Fine Lines have nailed this concept right to the top of the mast. Storytelling, emotive context, endearing melodies and framing an iconic sound are full to the brim in the twin pairing of ' King of These Streets ' an...

  www.harbottleandjonas.com A waft of folk serenity floated across the Kitchen Garden this evening as Devon-based duo Harbottle and Jonas brought their alluring style of music to the good folks of Kings Heath and beyond. It was the sort of night which began with the formalities of surnames, but easily slipped into the domain of Dave and Freya courtesy of a friendly demeanour. Throughout a two-hour span interjected by the obligatory commercial break, a light shone brightly on the duo's affirmed ability to sing, play, write, observe and interpret. If the top table of the folk fraternity is a little congested with the female-male duo format, I'm afraid room will have to be made for one more now the stature of Harbottle and Jonas is rising. My journey following the duo has been a little stuttered. Acquaintance with their music was first made reviewing the 2019 album THE SEA IS MY BROTHER. Unfortunately the plan to double up with a live viewing was scuppered at the time and like man...

Dwight + Nicole start off as Dwight Ritcher and Nicole Nelson expanding into a band with Ezra Oklan on drums before hitting the airwaves via a high impactful five track EP brimming with a sound sunk deep into the American roots of soul and blues. FURTHER is a record short, sharp and sweet. It wastes no space in hitting its mark whilst dipping deep into the cavernous and heartfelt canyons of artists sensing a sound destiny.  Hailed by Mavis Staples as her 'favourite new band' is no mean accolade to at least make heads turn before pressing the play button. Across the seventeen minutes of playing time, it is not difficult to get a sense of the hyperbole as the core duo swap vocals to deliver a set of songs crafted to appeal. ' The Next Go Round' kicks things off with Nelson taking vocal lead in a sensuous and impassioned almost plea-induced style. It echoes one of those late night cool songs where an interlude of twangy guitar melds alongside the most expressive of vocals....

www.katiecallahanmusic.com This brand new album from Katie Callahan is certainly one that leads rather than follows. It is an intriguing box of tricks from start to finish toying with your senses, while not quite settling within sought parameters of definition. From a patchwork of styles and tone, THE WATER COMES BACK continually invites you to check back in creating an alluring engagement between artist and listener. This is the second album from a Baltimore based artist seizing a welcome chance to create waves in a music community inhabited by those curious of newly discovered acts making a valued stab of adding a fresh spin to music that can fall into the cracks. Just listening to the opening three tracks from a twelve strong collection we are induced into a secular spiritual state with the spine tingling opener 'In a Garden ', engulfed in a luscious pop infused effort  going by the name of ' One Sided Sea' and suitably toned down in the lighter airier sound of '...

  www.thehoneyrunners.com EVERYTHING IS ON FIRE is the enigmatic new album from Toronto based band The Honeyrunners and another release from Canada reaching out to seek love across the seas. The band are short and snappy in the content with the nine tracks checking in exactly at half an hour. However multiple listens to the album make it seem a lot longer which can be construed as polar opposites when time comes to close the review phase. Merit is embedded in a record cut by a band who wear a cultured status on their sleeve, yet it makes no bones of working the listener to the point where at the crossroads some may choose a different path. Those remaining with the album are able to call on a southern thread many miles from the northern climes of the home where dashes of soul entwine around a rock template drawing influence from an abundance of acts that sprang up in the early 70s. At times it appears a touch scratchy and jagged, alternatively there are moments when things really cl...

  www.claudiacombscarty.com Pour a drink of your preferred tipple, sit back in your favourite chair and close your eyes to blank out any thoughts flickering like a dying ember. Now you are in the right zone to devote forty minutes of your personalised listening time to the gorgeous new album from Claudia Combs Carty. PHASES is one of those records that pops up from left field and manages to inject the pulse with a flick of a switch. It is a simple operation of magically blending a sultry voice, mainly piano and songs bursting with sedate emotion. Letting this album run its course through your senses is akin to giving yourself some 'me' time. Claudia Combs Carty is a San Francisco-based singer-songwriter and pianist. PHASES is her debut album, but the songs have been knocking around on the streaming sites for a while including the sensational simmering opener ' Silent Whispers'. A further four of the nine tracks have found their way out officially, but the true and ultim...

  www.johnworthannam.com John Wort Hannam appeared in the review of the 2016 Maverick Festival which was based on a geographical spin around that year's performing artists. Alberta, Canada was the location for this singer-songwriter and our paths cross a few years later, though this time in the digital sphere of music being shared far and wide across the wires. A hook up with Steve Dawson's Black Hen Music operation in Nashville is a link back to the European market in respect of reach and a suitable new album title of LONG HAUL is the material to renew a mode of respect born from that appearance five years ago. You can pick any relevant tag describing this album - folk, country, Americana, Canadiana, singer-songwriter - all play a part and are determined by at which stopping point you reach on a record gracefully sailing through forty minutes worth of delightful material. All eleven original tracks surface from a solo or co-write origin and get an extra sheen from hooking up w...

  www.longhaulband.com They may have pop up status as an active band but when The Long Haul start the engine and move through the gears they make damn fine music. Their 2017 album BEAUTIFUL LIES drew much praise here, and four years later it is de ja vu as its successor in terms of original music hits the shelves. Technicalities pose 21ST CENTURY BLUES has this Brighton band's 3rd album as a covers release is also in the vaults. While such an album can have merits there is something extra special when a batch of new tunes appear with a straightforward nod to projecting a certain style into the future. The style here is heavily slanted towards a traditional Texas country state of mind. Start in any old time dance hall in the Lone Star state and branch out to all points of the compass. Austin gets championed as a core but exclusivity is not a done deal, especially when shuffling Sussex gets in on the act.  The Long Haul Band operate as a five piece with a steady make up of drums...

  www.dianajonesmusic.com The immortal lyric "that you don't know what you got 'till it's gone" is proving a popular quote as live music inches back into life to the extent of reaching cliche status. Another choice cliche is 'where has all the time gone' as you reflect on a gaping gap duly spanning years but seemingly feeling like a lot shorter. Diana Jones offered the first quip in the opening exchanges of this penultimate gig of a successful UK tour, while the latter drew from yours truly as thoughts turned back to the last time this singer-songwriter was personally seen at the Kitchen Garden. The year is hazy, definitely pre-dates this blog and likely in the latter years of the millennium's first decade. The thread of this show started from songs distinctly remembered from wallowing in their magnitude from the outset and climaxed in the triumph of the latest Diana Jones album, probably her most celebrated and profound to date. What makes Diana Jones...

  www.karinepolwart.com Leg 3 of the Scottish familiar folk quartet and the trusted territory of elite performer Karine Polwart. A mid pandemic Birmingham Town Hall had a different feel to previous journeys south for a trio format that rose to the challenge of celebrating a return to the stage. Flanked by her brother Steven on assorted guitars and Inge Thomson, one of Scotland's most sought after multi-instrumentalists, Karine drew on her many years of experience to share a passion for tuneful lyrical musings, varied stories and an innate skill to curate and deliver the immaculate song. Majoring on guitar with occasional dips into the darker sound of the harmonium, it is the soothing brogue melting into the most gorgeous of song that illuminates a rich batch of inspiration, passion and acute observation.  The breadth of Karine Polwart's illustrious career weaved around a chamber steeped in history itself almost in synch with her ability to draw on the past for song content. Br...

www.theagilmore.net Light is one of the life's great metaphors. It punctuates a bleak outlook and offers a beacon of hope. It also leads the way of escape on a road to recovery. If before light is darkness, then a post more positive state is the after light. Put these two words together and you get the new artistic moniker of Thea Gilmore as she turns the corner with in effect a new beginning. Afterlight - the artist and the album - is set to be one of the most profound and strongest album releases of 2021 and folks around the country have been having the most striking of previews attending shows on what has been described as a mid-pandemic tour. The transition from Thea Gilmore to Afterlight is brave from a commercial standpoint, but nowhere near as that of the seismic movement depicted in its theme. This evening the tentative steps of a new journey trod the boards of the Midland Arts Centre in Birmingham and it would have been an act of stoical defiance to leave without a slither...

  www.tayloryoungband.com There is a whole pandemic splitting the twin release dates for the Taylor Young Band album MERCURY TRANSIT. The seismic month of March 2020 saw it hit the stores in the US, and after a lengthy wait of eighteen months Europe gets it bow as October brings its shortening days. The irony of these spring and autumn references is that the whole feel of this album is its summer vibes and feel good warmth. Not necessarily a bad thing when things start to cool down. Although it didn't immediately twig, Taylor Young is a member of The O's. A Texan band that crossed my path in early 2014 when getting acquainted with their acoustically driven album THUNDERDOG. While a lot of water has flowed under the bridge since, the biggest shift when comparing releases is the extent to which the new one is tuned into the whims of the electric guitar, and in particular the jingle jangle version that spawned from the mid to late sixties and flavoured a power pop movement that se...

  Side Pony is a brand new recording and performing duo comprising of Alice Wallace and Caitlin Cannon. LUCKY BREAK is the title of their debut album and no such good fortune is required for it to make waves in spheres besotted by an edgy and sassy style of country music. Across a brief template of eight songs falling just a minute short of the half hour mark, every inch of space is used to highlight the deep seam of classy collaboration and how to make a record brimming with fun mingling alongside bouts of more serious content.  Alice Wallace is the better known here of the two dating back to an album released and reviewed in the early months of 2016. This was followed up with a subsequent release and accompanying tour, a status that is likely to be replicated in the spring of next year. Obviously this will be in tandem with her new accomplice and a lesson in how to blend a pair of fabulous vocalists in music awash with a sound driven by a country wheel yet forever reaching o...

  www.darwilliams.com With the cultured edge of a seasoned operator, Dar Williams gracefully slips back into the world of newly recorded music via an album of justifiable quality. From a position of stately grandeur, a veteran status is accrued from a raft of album releases and assorted other creative literary projects since first bursting onto the Boston folk scene in the mid-90s. The ten tracks assembled under the cooperative title I'LL MEET YOU HERE elegantly glide across the groove with a silky texture. Likeminded performers such as Mary Chapin Carpenter and Beth Nielsen Chapman may attract larger numbers when venturing overseas originating from a stint in the mainstream but the music and style of Dar Williams can be placed on a similar pedestal when courting comparisons.  Like many albums seeing the light in 2021, a period in the can arose as strategic alterations ran amok amongst music recorded in the winter of 19/20. So a five year wait for this her twelfth recording wa...

www.nathanbellmusic.com Since aspects of the live music scene re-assembled in May, there has been countless occasions of empathy with performers overcome by the opportunity to practise their craft again in the in-person environment. This occurred once again in the rural confines of Elford, Staffordshire with one significant difference. The accurate prediction of 2021 being the live domain of the homegrown artist has come to fruition, but for those whose button is pressed by those bringing a flavour from afar things are starting to change. As much as Nathan Bell was forever grateful of a warm reception when resuming his European touring adventures, there were members of the audience on a similar plateau of gratitude that their chosen path of live music engagement was entering a stage of rebirth. Nathan Bell is the embodiment of the travelling troubadour. Americana to the core in terms of drawing influence from a wide range of styles not exclusive to a love of folk, blues and jazz when y...