Three Chords and the Truth UK

  www.sorrelnationmusic.com If this was the start, the endpoint will be something else. The journey in-between will likely be one not to miss. 'Start' may be a loose word to attach as many miles, hours and endeavour have gone into the craft of Sorrel Nation to reach a point where things are beginning to happen. A debut album launch tour reached its conclusion in Leamington Spa to cap a period of increased awareness and accrued praise. Whispers and  local recognition are morphing into a larger entity where the name and music of Sorrel Nation is considerably growing its presence. Diving deep into a gorgeous album and subsequently listening to the songs in an intimate setting completes a mini circle of engagement and one to derive heaps of satisfaction. LOST EN ROUTE is literally only weeks old to the wider world and, in the vein of smart artists, its entirety was shared in the cosy surroundings of the basement performing space in the Temperance. We learnt for this final date of ...

  Robert Vincent is the voice, pen and soul of this thing we call UK Americana. 2024 is his purple patch year. The new album has proved worth the wait to lead while others follow. Shows are beginning to multiply and two festival appearances dealt a couple of hours of exhibitive guile. Adaptability is the key at this semi-grassroots level, full band, solo and various duo formats match the venue and the moment. Each performance adds to the memory bank, one requiring extra capacity as we are now over a decade into following the career of this singer-songwriter. Hiccups are part of the journey and finding a niche on the Birmingham gig scene has proved elusive. A reduced songwriter's round with Dean Owens at the back end of 2017 didn't kickstart the listening rooms and few shows emerge from The Sunflower Lounge as life affirming. Although that night in 2019 unveiled a liaison with Matt Owens that has gone from strength to strength. A Moseley night was mentioned, but that passed me b...

  www.amyspeace.com Amy Speace possesses a distinctive sound and style. Moments into her 8th solo record, you sense the warmth of familiar territory. Arrive at the end of THE AMERICAN DREAM and the urge to repeat is too strong to resist. Every artist's desire to make their latest record the best yet, few achieve it. We may be in the midst of the exception here. Through an inspiring collection of a dozen tracks, Speace fuses the head and the heart, knowing full well that the team around her will turn her raw songs into recorded gems. If this album does settle in the legacy spot, then a mighty fine body of work is enshrined. Neilson Hubbard has been the wizard of the production process for heaps of great albums over the years. He has worked with Amy Speace before. Here, his stamp lies as the undercurrent, while perfecting the art of ensuring the right voice is up front.  It is a brave move to place two of the likely stronger tracks at the start of an album. ' The American Dream ...

  www.beaujennings.com The latest album from Beau Jennings and the Tigers rates highly on two approaches. Pursue a lighter route of using it as a soundtrack to routine activities and its undulating rock 'n' roll score will encircle an environment punctuating moments with enticing melodies. When space is made to dive deep, fascinating lyrics await unravelling where real and fictional storytelling jostle to fill blank pages with poignant memories. AMERICAN STORIES MAJOR CHORDS sums up in four words what the album is about. Expect tender reminiscing awash with the raw sentiment of a tight band playing with the freedom to rock out and own the room they're filling. This is the 3rd album in five years from an Oklahoma native, now back in his home state after spending time in Brooklyn. You get a sense of what to expect from the title and Jennings duly matches anticipation with a fully stocked package. Eleven songs keep you entertained from the majestically written opener ' Okl...

  www.salthousemusic.com Back in 2021 Salt House played a gig in the area under difficult circumstances. The team behind the music at Thimblemill Library were not still unable to host live music in their home venue due to post-pandemic restrictions. In a valiant attempt to get things underway they hired the upstairs room at The Bear Tavern in nearby Bearwood to host shows. At least those tricky days are behind us and it was wonderful to invite this folk trio to play a return show in less turbulent times. The tag Scottish used to geographically describe the trio but in a recent personnel change Anna Hughes from north-east England has replaced the hugely acclaimed north of the border fiddle player Lauren MacColl. Big shoes to fill but on the evidence of this show progressing neatly.  The original pairing of Jenny Sturgeon on keyboards and Ewan Macpherson guitar are still in place guiding Salt House to fresh pastures of recorded music in a style that elegantly blends traditional ...

Matt Owens Was it Hannah White shedding layers of country vulnerability in ‘ Car Crash’ ? Was it Danny and the Champs reminding us to ‘never stop building that old space rocket’? Was it Robert Vincent pleading for us ‘to find a better way'? You could look wider afield and lay it at the feet of Matt Owens for his vision, passion, craft and sense of community. The sweet spot of The 7 Hills Blues and Roots Festival spawned from countless moments, but ultimately coalesced around the power of grass roots music to bring people together.  There was a laudable motive of boosting the profile of UK Americana music in the good city of Bath. The knock on effect saw a multitude of folks from ‘out of town' descend on North Somerset’s regency gem to savour a line up right on the pulse of what’s happening at the back end of 2024. Keiron Marshall The evocative old cinema setting of the modern sounding Komedia proved an ideal location for this one day festival. The main auditorium hosted the big...

  www.frankiearchermusic.com Eleven months ago Frankie Archer opened the minds of a curious band of Birmingham gig goers. Plenty more had a brief exposure a few months later when this north-east based musician played a short opening set for Jim Moray, also at the Kitchen Garden. The style of blending trad folk with eclectic electro sounds was still exhibited, though in a slimmer content. The first turn of the annual cycle is almost complete and over the ensuing period Frankie Archer has grown an audience to just fall short of selling out the venue. Rough observation deduced a healthy mix of returnees, so there must also have been a contingent getting their first experience of something unique and intoxicating with respect to the staple folk circuit fare. Where Frankie Archer's natural audience lies remains a conundrum. Twenty-minute opening sets for The Last Dinner Party offer one side, as opposed to frequenting venues healthily inhabited by folk stalwarts. Exquisite fiddle playing...

www.lucyisabelmusic.com ALL THE LIGHT sees Nashville-based singer-songwriter Lucy Isabel re-board the recording train and set about engaging new and old listeners with a folk-inspired sound. Through ten original songs, the album's essence quickly finds its groove, smoothing out any noticeable dips or artificial highs. A consistent measured and articulate approach to songwriting, and its ultimate delivery, lures the listener into a comfortable zone. From this place, a theme of snapshot thoughts and pondering about the present guide the album into a sweet listening spot.  Life and its many distractions had temporarily pulled away this New Jersey native from the spotlight. The return has played the modern game of digital drips, with four singles landing across the wires ahead of an October 11th full album release. The focussed quartet go a long way to defining the sound of Lucy Isabel with 2nd single ' A Hero's Welcome ' probably the pick of the early offerings. The tender...

As inferred by RC Robertson-Glasgow - the esteemed cricket writer - great theatre enhances the comfort of its surroundings. Tonight, the Kitchen Garden's wooden dining chairs have never felt more comfortable for a near two-hour main set. As inferred by Willie Nelson - you probably know him - once a song is out, it's yours. A sentiment echoed from Hannah Aldridge in the show's closing moments. Razor Wire first surfaced on these pages May 18th 2014; the initial live festival experience six weeks later. Within a year the first gig, and the unforgettable Parchman slow dance in Bromsgrove. Who are we to judge? 2024, and the anniversary tour. No two Hannah Aldridge gigs are alike. Tonight, a new duo format with Katie Bates, whose guitar skills exquisitely complement the songs, coating a fresh identity. This evening is about reflection - ten years. A Decade A decade of evolving imagery. Decorating a blank canvas  with the water colours of perceptive music.  Creating a collage of p...

  www.karenjonasmusic.com Two shows into her latest UK tour and Karen Jonas has wasted no time in rising to the task of sharing her qualities as a music performer. Lavishly accompanied by her established band members Tim Bray (electric guitar) and Seth Morrissey (bass), the trio honed in on their individual talents to emit a collective sound that skirts around various genres of American music. Fredericksburg, Virgina may be the southern base, but the hinterland expanded out west as far as Hawaii and east across the ocean to the streets of Paris. The imagination and creative nous of Karen Jonas fuels where she takes her music with a pleasing trend that more people are joining her on the journey. This was the trio's second appearance at the Kitchen Garden. Birmingham and the West Midlands wasn't able to find a spot on the late summer 2023 tour. No mishaps this time though, and like in 2022, the Kitchen appearance featured among the early dates. If Karen Jonas and the band hit gre...

  www.jesseterrymusic.com If there was always a rock 'n' roll side to Jesse Terry restlessly itching to break through, the thin veil of a lo-fi folk singer-songwriter has been breached with the carefully injected impetus surrounding his latest album. Co-produced with in-demand Nashville operator Dylan Alldredge, ARCADIA opens a door on both sides of an artist's duality and leads to a record primed to excite new and old ears. This is the seventh album from Nashville-based Terry and its eleven tracks have a marked impact to show an alternative dimension.  From the pumping beat and ramped up electric guitar to opening and title track ' Arcadia ', you are truly in scratchy good ole rock 'n' roll territory. Throw in a rousing chorus anthem - 'off to find Arcadia' - and we are well underway on a journey to relish. Strong choruses are a feature of the album and one is found in ' Burn the Boats' as we start to get a feel for what Terry wants to creat...

www.sorrelnationmusic.com Sorrel Nation flexes her vocal repertoire on a debut album rich in breakout qualities. Traces of pop, rock and folk meld into an enticing body of work. LOST EN ROUTE is a 9-track pleasue launching a new name to many on the UK acoustic, roots and Americana scene. Those descriptive monikers are pinpointers to where this record is likely to be picked up, though its likeable qualities will offer no bounds to suitors. It has been a bubbling pre-album period for this Kent-raised singer-songwriter. Snippets of information and the odd video slipped out with word of mouth taking hold in tight communities. The first major push was the release of the THIRTY SUMMERS LIVE EP in the summer. This was an ideal release for an existing fanbase as it was bestowed with intimate qualities. On the other hand, the new album splendidly welcomes all-comers, and few who dip their toe in are likely to be disappointed.  We are reliably informed that Sorrel Nation is her real name; a ...