Gig Review: Lauren Housley and Nigel Wearne - Thimblemill Library, Smethwick. Saturday 28th January 2023

 

www.laurenhousley.com  www.nigelwearne.com

It took 8 weeks to see Nigel Wearne play a show; it took 8 years to see Lauren Housley play one. A pure incidental analogy to where both artists fit on the timescale. To elaborate the concept, Nigel Wearne is making new inroads into the UK from a substantial base in the Australian roots music scene, while Lauren Housley consistently finds new ways to cement her status as an acclaimed singer in an industry where opportunity ebbs and flows. Collaboration grew from a fleeting association, further sealed by increasingly productive distant interaction before the pinnacle of teaming up on stage. This evening proved the finale of a short run of dates. They gelled like seasoned collaborators. Thimblemill Library launched a new year with a hugely enjoyable and entertaining show.

On an extensive night of varied music, Nigel Wearne opened up with a distinguished extended slot wasting not an inch of laying out who he was. We got a full-on Victorian country guy deeply involved with all aspects of his country's heritage adept at fusing the essence of folk and blues. He knew the worth of telling a story, had the knack of writing a meaningful song and proved a maestro operator on the guitar and banjo. Nigel Wearne could be considered niche Saturday night entertainment in one stratosphere. For folks leaving their armchairs for the knowledge-laden setting of a community library, it was an appointment with enlightenment and affirmation of how music can doubly educate and entertain.

The 8 year remark introducing Lauren Housley dates back to the initial release of her debut album SWEET SURRENDER in 2015. Having been first alerted to her innate talent, the subsequent years have been a mixed bag of inactivity, a couple of excellent releases and tracking the highs of others honing in to elevate the status. Although there were no accessible standalone shows to supplement the records, a live appearance at the Beardy Folk Festival in 2021 began to alter that situation.

The full band show of that performance didn't descend upon Smethwick this evening, but the stripped down duo format with husband Thomas Dibb enables close up exposure to one of the UK's foremost session guitarists on the Americana scene. Together he provides the framework for her to juggle the vocal cords and spin a spruced up bunch of songs in an affable and thoughtfully considered manner. 

Once the audience knew a lot more about Nigel Wearne and Lauren Housely, the finale leant heavily towards the collaboration, and the invite to join up on stage prolonged the evening by a good half an hour. Fun and inimitable covers entered the fray alongside further solo material this time with a fuller sound and the song that had introduced the Lauren Housley-Nigel Wearne collaboration. 'To The Edge' is a signpost to what the duo can conjure up and more is expected when new music is sent our way from Down Under in the near future.

Thimblemill Library laid on all its aesthetic splendour to the guests and a hearty audience hungry for some sincere live music that blows way most Saturday night alternatives. Lauren Housley and Nigel Wearne left both the library and their brief alliance at the end of the show in gracious harmony. One suspects this union will re-assemble at some point. There was too much good in it to leave on the shelf. 

Album Review: Ben Bedford - Valley of Stars

 

www.benbedford.com

Ben Bedford takes his songwriting on a fantasy-fuelled journey of mystique through a new record that discards the shackles of convention. VALLEY OF STARS can attract various musical and literary tags including story-arc, parable and concept, which all indicate how the power of prose underpins his approach to music making. 

Across a landscape that interweaves six lyrical pieces with five extended instrumentals a story unfolds in the vein of Watership Down frequented by as many animal characters as the works of Beatrix Potter. Alongside the staging of independent vignettes threading together to complete the circle, you are in the comforting charm of a folk musician adept at curating a soundscape of intrinsic guitar playing. A range of tempos assist the process of following the journey, and while this may not be your usual off the peg folk album, there is an alluring hold on those rewarding the artist's risk by lending a willing and active ear. 

Bedford creates a protagonist in the guise of a hare depicted on the front cover, who then embarks on an entertaining adventure confronting a weird and wonderful array of animal characters that befriend, threaten, evoke dreams and eventually deliver solace. Elements of this work are uplifting and reassuring with Bedford hugely creative and acutely innovative in toying with and feeding the listener's imagination through expressive lyrics and sensitive musicianship. The whole piece comes across as cinematic and ripe for animation. Creature comforts and discomforts rub shoulders in this gentle rollercoaster of an adventure. 

Ben Bedford has explored different sides of his artisanal make-up to conjure up VALLEY OF STARS. The result is a mythical amalgam of tunes, songs and re-defined prose to bridge the gap between performance and written art.

Gig Review: Lucinda Williams - Ritz, Manchester. Sunday 22nd January 2023

From the perils of physical affliction, a determined and gracious Lucinda Williams digs deep into an already well harvested fertile cavernous soul to refine and re-shape a song delivery that epitomises a musical calling. This is an artist teetering on the edge of a poetic fault line where accomplished musicianship chaperones the words that define the art of southern sentiment. Security of status and stature is in place, but you never totally shake off the chains of vulnerability. Her music touches, moves and instigates a sense of awe. 

Movement slips into a metaphorical state toying with the depth of her brimming catalogue. The juxtaposition of ease and struggle could emanate from a lyric sheet, not a visual demeanour. Lucinda Williams enters the calendar year of a significant anniversary with an air of fermented maturity. For a perfect portrayal of her artistic wealth, any vantage point from the floor or balcony of a storied Manchester venue captured the essence. You could say 'Essence' was the crowning moment of a near-two hour stint in the limelight. Fundamentally, high spots remain firmly anchored in the personal domain and folks departing the Ritz could share hours internally debating the multitude of moments an artist radiated luminous shivers. 

'Lake Charles' sways between a literal existence and a nostalgic calling. For years it has pinpointed a crossover of injecting personal memories into a landscape harsh in reality yet eulogised in song. This evening Doug Pettibone swaps elegant guitar for ethereal pedal steel to help steer our senses down the Louisiana highway. The mystique of this place is etched in Lucinda Williams' musical DNA.

To enhance the personal interaction ensued from a plateau of gratitude, you are allowed to wobble from a slice of local wit when thousands of miles from home. Not quite grasping that the 'Big Black Train' in Manchester goes to 'Leeds' added an innocent charm. No doubt a wry grin was afforded this alternative interpretation. 

If there had been a more uplifting ending to a Lucinda Williams concert with the protagonist edging to the front of stage rallying a communal cry to adulate 'Rockin' in the Free World', then the sight would have been ultra special. The sign off here echoed chimes of sincere emotion and the fulcrum of seizing the moment. Lucinda Willians worships well, almost astutely as those who worship her.

On a literal footing, the Buick 6 of Butch Norton (drums), David Sutton (bass), Stuart Mathis (guitar) and Doug Pettibone (guitar and occasional pedal steel), executed their supporting role with heaps of expected class. Compensating the guitar-free Lucinda Williams enforced by stroke recovery was akin to fitting the final jigsaw piece. Adversity presents opportunity and these guys share the ease of shelling peas.

The conundrum exposed by support act LA Edwards scratched the head. They did absolutely nothing wrong in holding court for a forty-five minute opening slot that flew by. Yet an understandably bit-part  effect trailed at the end of the show when shadowed by a maestro hitting career defining live proportions. Maybe their day will come in a less claustrophobic setting where there is more space for an undoubted talented take on American folk rock to leave a a greater imprint. 

To state this show was Lucinda Williams career defining in a live setting may be unsubstantiated. Yet the personal journey from Leamington Spa 2009 through Birmingham 2013 and 2019 arriving at Manchester 2023 inks the pages of a story of progression. That 2019 show was unanimously anointed gig of the year. Good luck to those following in her 2023 footsteps after a spellbinding performance that eclipsed the precedent. 

You felt Lucinda Williams defined her craft in finding the place where the spirit meets the bone. Surpassing that in these duly formative years portrays an artist ascending to a level where creatives pine and the rest of us marvel. 

Album Review: Peach and Quiet - Beautiful Thing

 

www.peachandquietmusic.com

Peach and Quiet make a return to international ears serving up another New Year gem almost two years to the date since making an impressive splash with an album that's effect lasted well past the January release. The duo of Heather Read and Jonny Miller have captured the post-holiday space once again with BEAUTIFUL THING living up to its title on several plateaus. From their west coast Canadian location, the duo have explored the evocative side of a musical identity to deliver a sumptuous mix of polished roots and laid back Americana. Under the guidance of influential producer Steve Dawson, the album rolls out as a dozen-strong collection of acute songs evoking in parts a visual template, while forever anchored in the inner thoughts of the writer. An almost rhythmic exchange of lead vocal parts keeps the record fresh and taking a deeper dive into this work reveals an increasing sprinkling of lyrical, musical and nuanced nuggets.

At release point (January 20th), three tracks ascended to the surface, bobbing and inviting in their presence. It is difficult to look past the title and opening track. 'Beautiful Thing' is a delightful boost of twangy positivity and setting your listener's journey on a sure fitting is a smart execution of creative interaction. Midway through the album, Miller dips into no holds barred Americana with a moody southern gothic feel to 'Oklahoma or Arkansas' where the storytelling tempts and tantalises in a haze of vanish and reunite. The trio of initial standout tracks is completed by album closer 'When You're Gone' that lyrically teases the mind and creates a space for a multitude of interpretations allowed to stray from the obvious into the imagination of the listener. Smart song writing for sure.

It is purely coincidental that these first three are owned on the surface by Miller as Heather Read shines on an alternative plane with several efforts. The most striking is the darker and earthier theme to 'Pockets Empty' that serves as a song for the ages. Another Read offering that resonates strongly is also the twangy and elegantly beautiful 'Just Before Dawn'. A piece with a gorgeous melody attached alongside some enticing words. A third impactful effort from Read is the interpreted redemptive 'This Time', not shy on using repetition in the chorus to convey the message.

For a little bit of musical diversion, one of the singles 'Horse and Saddle' goes heavy on the keys to deliver an almost reggae beat aligned to the usual twang that pins the album in a identifiable genre. Another of the singles crops up in the early stages with the mid-tempo vibes to 'Calgary Skyline', which initially gave an indication that the album was going to be heavily visually themed. However, the leanings were more towards the inner feelings as indicated in the overtly 70s vibes attached to the Miller delivered 'Save Me Tonight'.

The pair do enter duet mode in the album's latter stages with 'That is For Sure' acting out as a re-assuring love song. 'Song From a Tree' is a clever piece, once again calling on some jangly tones that help define the album's sound. 'Behind the Sun' completes the set and could just be the sleeper track that grows as the album beds in well beyond its release date. The writing is sharp, fascinating and engaging, and the gritty guitar input gives the track some depth. 

If JUST BEYOND THE SHINE alerted the music world to the talents of Peach & Quiet, BEAUTIFUL THING re-imposes the treat with acres of panache and vitality. You are forever convinced that Heather Read and Jonny Miller totally believe in their project, product and direction to feed their artistic whims. The bonus is listeners will connect with this bout of truth and honesty alongside enjoying a record packed to the hilt with many interesting facets.

Album Review: Grey de Lisle - Borrowed

 

www.greydelislegriffin.com

The title goes a long way to deciphering this album with some key snippets uncovered as you dig a little deeper. BORROWED is essentially a covers album with a gaping swing between some obvious standards and those significantly more buried. Such albums can divide opinion especially when there is so much original songwriting around, and spinning things a little differently can often be the key to earning an ear. The eleven songs here are delicately spun with a degree of individual interpretation to capitalise on a early January release where the field is somewhat thinner. The most intriguing part of browsing this record is discovering more about the artist.

Grey DeLisle was an active American recording artist in the early years of the twenty-first century before finding an almost hidden niche as a widely renowned voice-over artist with a a prolific output and acclaimed status. Scooby-Doo and The Simpsons jump out from a packed biography that has dominated her professional life for a considerable period with plenty of further information available from a couple of simple searches. The tense 'was' turns to 'is' on the music front in the first week of 2023 with the release of a first record since 2007 and a team up with acclaimed producer Marvin Etzioni. The post-script to this record is the intended scheduling of a return to original material with a follow up record later this year.

In the meantime if you have the urge for new versions of 'Another Brick in the Wall', 'Tonight You Belong To Me', 'Georgia on My Mind' and 'You Only Live Twice' to name an obvious quartet, merit will be found in allowing BORROWED into your listening library. The odd track out of origin is 'Borrowed and Blue' which is a deLisle/Etzioni credit possessing a faint country sound echoing the spirit of Dolly Parton and lifted from an earlier album. The range of the choices is epitomised in sourcing 'Girl' from a 1971 T-Rex album to the traditionally credited 'Willie We Have Missed You' derived from a delve into the work of legendary nineteenth century musician Stephen Foster.

DeLisle's distinct vocals are a satisfying presence across the record with the musical input swaying between subtle roots and more lavish yet simple contemporary. The reach of such a record is largely unknown, but any places it lands will be suitably furnished for a short while. Perhaps the most poignant moment on the record is sampling the past in the guise of standout song 'Borrowed and Blue'. The renewed phase of Grey DeLisle's musical career is likely to be defined on what happens next with original material being the key. BORROWED may well be the tempter and the catalyst, but even taking that view doesn't disguise the simple one off worth of stamping a mark on some oldies.