Three Chords and the Truth UK

  www.bronwynnebrent.com Something ignited this gig tonight. It could have been the tequila; it may have been a post-break renewal of an improvised trio; there is also a case for the back-to-playing of two exceptional songs in ' Don't Tell Your Secrets to the Wind' and ' Dark Highway ' just before the break. Whatever the spark, Bronwynne Brent ended the evening racing down Highway 61 with nothing to stop her before hitting the Gulf of Mexico. Tonight it was more A435 than HWY61 with the break being the M42, but she started the evening in the capable driving hands of one home-based musician and ended it in two.  The original plan was for the Bronwynne Brent Trio to re-unite and return to UK venues last played in March 2020 when we all know how that tour ended. Circumstance had trimmed the format down to a duo, but when that sidekick is highly acclaimed Scottish-based Brazilian musician Mario Caribe you sensed safe hands was the order of the day. He brought his beate...

First of all, heads bowed to anyone who attentively watched all 30 sets from Friday teatime to Sunday night. Mind you the endeavour would have been rewarded many times over. The bar here is 28 including a decent sized sample of The Clubhouse All-Stars Beatles tribute that refused to let a long Saturday/Sunday fizzle out. The range of artists hopping on the Ramblin' Roots train was as diverse as ever without compromising the criteria of making music in the quoted moniker of 'Americana, roots, folk and alt-country'. Define those and you're a wise old sage, but stretch your imagination and the quirky arthouse quaintness of Jesca Hoop rubbed shoulders with the unabated indie rock of Big Reference, while on the same bill as honky tonk smashers Jenny Don't and the Spurs and the hard nosed southern rock with a political edge from Lee Bains and the Glory Fires. That's a lot to take in before you scratch the surface. As always with a festival that succeeds in its mission...

  www.oldspotmusic.com If you only absorbed a fraction of what Joe Danks and Rowan Piggott offered in this evening's gig then returning home many times richer was a surefire conclusion. Blending openly expressive talent and bundles of enthusiasm, the duo known as Old Spot brought a sprinkling of old time Appalachia to a Birmingham suburb brightening up a damp spring night. The bare bricked walls and lowish wooden ceiling of the Kitchen Garden was the perfect setting for these two musicians to hone their craft. Without the giveaway accents you could be mistaken for listening to two Virginia natives. However it is the North Midlands/South Yorkshire border line adding the geographical stance rather than the Tennessee-North Carolina state line. Two years since a pair of experienced folk musicians discovered a common bond, things are in the midst of gathering pace. The debut album came out on April 7th and a fortnight's worth of launch dates offers the music a close up and personal ...

  www.cartersampson.net Carter Sampson's 2016 masterpiece WILDER SIDE offered up a freedom to roam, safe in the knowledge that a hall of fame destiny was intact. Not an artist to dwell on acclaim, its 2018 successor kept the upward trajectory on track. All roads from Oklahoma were still sprinkled with the golden style of dust. The five year gap in full length releases between LUCKY and GOLD has been replicated right across a littered music landscape. Only the resolute survive, although faith was unmoved that Carter Sampson would re-surface with all the country-Americana credentials shining as bright as the title. If it's a fans prerogative to wallow in the past, an artist will certainly want to keep things moving forward. Across the ten tracks this new album bubbles with creative juices and cements a legacy. The title track kicks things off with a whining country twang sinking straight into recognisable vocals meeting instant approval. We are now in 'embracing Carter Sampso...

  www.kirstenadamson.com What defines a breakout year? A poignant question when an artist is far from fresh out of the blocks and constantly seeking a conducive channel to pursue. Assembling the profile of Kirsten Adamson's career to date is a piecemeal affair, although the pitfall of 20-22 applied the brakes of any designed quest. A self-titled solo album in 2015 seems a distant episode than current manoeuvres A 2020 duo project with Dave Burn titled The Marriage flickered briefly sending signals of the present direction, though likely derailed before fruition. 2023 is starting to shape up as a potential answer to the starting question with the nuts and bolts tightening a gifted raw package. The first piece is a ear catching new album bringing together loose strands and beginning to frame an innate style. The live presence is rolling away from an insular core and heading down receptive avenues not necessarily swayed by association. Building on what Kirsten Adamson showed tonight i...