Three Chords and the Truth UK

  www.hannahbenmusic.com Among the plethora of female-male duo acts operating in the UK folk scene, Hannah Sanders and Ben Savage are in the group more than a little partial for mixing the sounds of the British Isles and the North American continent, most pertinently, Appalachia. 'But it all comes from the British Isles' is often mooted, though while largely correct from a traditional angle, arrangements, touches and versions tend to adopt a distinctive edge when travelling afar. The music of this acclaimed duo strands the fault line where homespun and Americana roots sounds diverge. This is hugely prominent on the brand new album where Sanders and Savage cast the magic wand of their musical artistry across an array of largely traditional songs. INK OF THE ROSY MORNING weighs in at a nice round number of ten tracks with the odd two out being the sole original from the pen of the duo and a contemporary cover designated to close the curtains on a serenely satisfying album. ...

  www.beaujennings.com Some records race through the gears at a rapid pace, while others ease into cruise control at a more gentle rate. HEAVY LIGHT by Oklahoma outfit Beau Jennings & the Tigers is a candidate for the latter and you really feel the benefit of its luscious tones once you've road tested the tunes with a few preliminary spins. What exudes when fully bedded in is a wide scope of malleable rock structured by a mix of left field Americana and a dashing stab at synching the popular song. Jennings, an experienced rocker in a variety of guises, is the first to admit that the Tigers do a lot of the heavy lifting, but the bare bones he brings coupled with highly capable upfront skills mould a refreshing and portable release. Portable to the extent that it makes a valued travel accompaniment whether blasting out down the highway or plugged in for more insular consumption.  Beau Jennings is the latest in a string of artists from the Black Mesa Records label to get some...

  www.theremittencemen.com In these days where genre classification gets a bad press, some records are as pure as you can get and totally dismiss any thoughts of blurring styles. The Remittance Men toss around the term 'northern country', but spinning the delights of their debut album will raise the bar of Americana and challenge any other release to knock it off a perch of genre flagship. A striking title of SCOUNDRELS, DREAMERS & SECOND SONS is the launch pad for ten tunes to ram home the significance of a nation's ground dirt music and the prosperous songs that somehow flourish from the backyards, back roads and both side of the tracks.  The northern link in the 'official' suggested moniker displays the Massachussets base of a band literally jumbled together to hook up the vocals and songwriting of Tom Robertson and the producing/guitar playing skills of Andy Santospago. Ten original tracks either proved a step too far for this debut album or there was a comp...

  www.blairdunlop.com Over the last nine years of catching Blair Dunlop live, he has shared the bill with a string of similar artists across the spectrum. Names like Larkin Poe, Carrivick Sisters, Emma Stevens and Kat Gilmour come to mind as starters. Most of these were casual acquaintances with only the latter gravitating closely to his work as part of one of the band set ups. This year the theme continued, albeit with an intensity not seen before from an artist that has tended to plough the solo route while forging a career away from his family ties as son of folk legend Ashley Hutchings. Warwickshire-based folk singer Ellie Gowers was added to the current tour as the opening artist, but the distance travelled in a short time has been far further than playing a few tunes to warm an audience up. A near sold out Kitchen Garden show upon a return to Birmingham left those in attendance with three things to ponder: the breadth of Blair Dunlop's live credentials, the potential of Ellie...

  www.ionalane.com My first visit to the now sadly closed Big Comfy Bookshop in Coventry was primarily to see a new recently discovered artist at the time in Katie Spencer. Like many music presentations at this versatile venue over the years, a trio of artists formed the bill and this occasion had the infrequent occurrence of two performers with the first name Iona. Headlining that show was Iona Fyfe, a wonderful traditional vocalist embedded as much in the Scottish landscape as the name itself. Opening the evening was Iona Lane, an English folk singer-songwriter still at university very much finding her way in the acoustic roots scene. Fast forward from that December night in 2017 and the time has arrived for Iona Lane to make a strident leap with the release of her debut album. The north of England, and more specifically her current base of Leeds, has largely been the domain to date, but a significant eye has always been cast north of the border especially its rugged ba...

www.trackdogs.com Track Dogs and me have been operating in parallel universes for a long time. The name was there on the horizon with the music getting close to landing a couple of times. There was even a couple of near misses on the live front with festival withdrawals leaving a disconnect that was destined to remain until an opportune moment intervened. Now shifting plates have bridged the gap and some time has been afforded to take in the wares offered from their latest album. WHERE TO NOW? is as eclectic as you would expect from a band swinging to the rhythm of a pan-European existence and a make up even spanning the continents.  The base sound swivels between Latino, Celtic and English folk. All with a strident positive beat that strikes a chord with listeners happy to hook up with a band on a carousel ride. A sleuth of quieter tracks do apply the brakes occasionally, but it is the accessible anthems that pitch the record. You don't require much imagination to project this sou...

  www.jesperlindell.com The link between Scandinavia and all things Americana is historically a strong one, no more so than in a music context. That link is about to be considerably strengthened with the release of the brand new Jesper Lindell album. By just spinning the first couple of tracks associations run riot in the mind, a notion duly confirmed when you start to scan across the first layer of content. All roads head west to a certain iconic and ironically named band, and by the fourth song stars align further when we learn that title track-ish ' Twilight' is lifted from The Band's catalogue with Amy Helm, daughter of Levon, joining Lindell to the extent of getting the 'featuring' credit. At this point an intoxicating soulful rock sound has sealed an enticing deal between artist and listener. TWILIGHTS is a rousing package of ten exceptionally curated tracks soaked in the evocative vocals of Lindell and a solid band sound excelling in all the right moments. We...

  www.stevedawson.ca It is certainly going to be a busy year for Steve Dawson. Nothing unusual there if you know the tiniest bit about this music maestro's multi dimensional role as musician, producer, songwriter and overall shaker. The difference this year is the schedule of three solo album releases. Maybe, or probably likely, a result of a creative outpouring of material during a period where much of the industry had to realign. The two subsequent releases are boxed up for later unveiling leaving the floor clear for GONE, LONG GONE to showcase what a fine performer this Canadian native - US based artist is. This move up front sees Dawson cut ten tracks all neatly corralled in a laid back blues blend. A pair of strategically placed instrumentals join a cover of The Faces' ' Ooh La La ' and seven additional tracks possessing a clear vocal presence alongside countless instrumental interludes. Most of the songs have been co-written with fellow Canadian Matt Pateshuck, on...

  www.samanthawhates.me www.idawenoe.com Collaboration of an international nature is the order of the day when Samantha Whates and Ida Wenoe team up to share and speculate their music. Both artists have accrued praise from a solo standpoint alongside miscellaneous ventures they have undertaken, but it is the duo format providing the greater focus as the industry readjusts to the changes thrust upon it. Whates - a London based Scot and Wenoe - a much travelled Dane - had played a successful Midlands show just before live music shut down and without hesitation they were rebooked, albeit at a different venue, when time came for the duo to hit the road once again. This show at Thimblemill Library was one of the final dates of a short tour that took the pair of singer-songwriters across both homelands leaving a stream of content punters to marvel at talents best exemplified by vocal prowess. For this show it was Whates taking the lead for the first set; an agreement nightly rotated we l...

  There was something different about seeing Miranda Lambert live for a third time, albeit in a positive way. It could be that the first two performance were seen from the floor, while this one was way up in the top tier of an arena looking down on the stage. Additionally the artist herself is a little more seasoned in playing overseas shows, although the one year gap between the first two UK visits was enhanced to five for the third. However it might just be the adjustment of knowing what to expect and viewing things from a different perspective.  For the record (no pun intended re; the back catalogue), this was her second visit to the Country to Country Festival alongside being afforded a repeat of headlining the Friday night for the London leg. Since her last visit to our shores for a run of own gigs in 2017, there has been a new album, the rather liberating WILDCARD following up its intense predecessor, and literally days before landing here again the release date of 2022'...

  www.alisperry.com The name Ali Sperry sparked a little flicker of recognition in my mind when first coming across this album. This was likely from the name appearing on an album credit somewhere, mainly due to the widespread interaction and collaboration occurring in the tight knit Nashville music scene outside the confines of Music Row. Collaboration has indeed played a significant part in this album and just from a casual outsider at least half a dozen names mentioned in the credits resonate with folks following the scene from afar. The upside is IN FRONT OF US revealing itself as a highly accomplished album finding a lofty plateau early on and purring with a smooth glide of consistency.  The ten tracks forming a record with more than a touch of classy demeanour abut it are either of solo or co-write status laying out Ali Sperry's credentials as a lauded singer-songwriter and effective vocalist. The production creates a textured listener experience with the moving parts et...

  www.samoutlaw.com To apply some context to this release it first surfaced towards the back end of 2021 in a digital format. Therefore whether you are a streamer or Bandcamp purchaser it has been freely and readily available to explore. The word 'explore' is certainly pertinent considering the direction Sam Outlaw has headed in this, his third release since committing to life as a full time recording artist. To supplement its digital status POPULAR MECHANICS is now available on CD from March 4th and a vinyl version will follow in April. This is convenient as our original LA native is due to embark on an extensive run of European dates, a side of the pond that has served him well over the years. Sam Outlaw has a large amount of credit in the bank on the back of his two previous albums. ANGELENO launched him as a serious operator on the country-Americana borderline in 2015 and TENDERHEART moved it up a notch a couple of years later. On those albums were a number of tracks of wha...

  www.propermusic.com There has been so many extended lives of the seminal Irish folk self titled album ANDY IRVINE PAUL BRADY that you would think an appetite might run dry. Forty six years after it was first released may seam like an unusual anniversary, but 2022 sees another surfacing with a couple of new facets set to rejuvenate its standing in the folk world of a country inherently proud of it archive revivalists.  Aided by a raft of technical adjustments to the sound quality, this album now gets a timely vinyl release and for those preferring a slightly more economical copy, a CD version is available. The good news is that a 12,000 word essay commissioned for the re-release has been included in both versions. This thick booklet written by Gareth Dunlop takes a deep dive into the life an album that still looms large in the extensive careers of its two main architects.  The essay begins with the background to the album's recording in the record breaking summer of 1976...

www.erinnpeetlukes.com The aftermath of the pandemic for Erinn Peet Lukes is one of striking out in a new direction while chewing on all the influences and talents that have informed the first phase of her musical life and career. Working behind a band format can be something of a comfort zone even if you are the key member of the outfit. The move to putting your name on the cover and simply naming your record EPL is a precursor to the content which unequivocally puts Erinn Peet Lukes in the spotlight. Across the seven self-written tracks forming the EP a fair sample is revealed detailing an artist heavily schooled in the diverse worlds of bluegrass, indie and pop.  Background information for this record sheds a light of a shared passion for Taylor Swift and Earl Scruggs alongside songs dedicated to Britney Spears and a mixed relationship with country music. We also learn that Rachel Baiman was hired for production duties and a seriously fine array of Nashville players were engaged...

www.theweepingwillows.com.au The Weeping Willows are an Australian folk and roots duo who specialise in capturing a sound embedded in the deepest parts of Americana. Their latest album weaves through the dimness of a gothic landscape illuminating the way with subtle harmonies and an exquisite acoustically driven soundtrack. YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW eerily seduces the listener and possesses all the hallmarks of a small scale indie cinematic score. It's engaging, timeless and safely in the hands of the core pieces - namely the all round musical wizardry of Andrew Wrigglesworth and the melting vocals of Laura Coates. Together they skilfully deliver sumptuous harmonies and pay due homage to the traditional sound of bluegrass and old time roots. This album will play a major part in hopefully Andrew and Laura getting the show back on the road. They have a busy schedule with many homeland dates planned and a return to the UK to play the Maverick Festival again. They form part of another high...

  www.ivyryann.com Two features that jump out first: the most striking of sunlit covers yielding so many connotations and a convoluting album title sparking a host of mysterious threads. Complexities surrounding this Ivy Ryan release are abound to the extent that you have to weave around a lot of nuances before eventually seeing an underdog triumph. Through a haze of vulnerability this Virginia-based artist eases from basking in tranquility to soaring sirens to ultimately winning over a curious listener forever willing her on. A NON AGGRESSIVE EXTREME VIOLATION OF BOUNDARIES is a culmination of a journey from covers to proudly strutting originals without losing sight of the past. Two associates were name checked in the press release. The soft indie vibes of Phoebe Bridgers definitely linger in the level headed tranquil strains to ' The Show', while the worn country rock chops of Brandi Carlile , minus the infectious warble, flicker in the voluminous areas of the big sounding la...