Three Chords and the Truth UK

www.zachtop.com On his new album, Zach Top perfectly captures a country sound uniting multiple ages free of compromise and contrived deviation. Twangy guitars inject variable rhythm alongside smart insertions of pedal steel and fiddle. The fact that this formula is pitched right at the heart of the mainstream gives credence to a movement arguing that progression can still possess a heritage dressing. Rich vocals own the moment whether an upbeat tempo ushering in hip swaggering moves or slower bouts of contemplative soul searching. With lauded attributes locked in, curious attention turns to the themes courting the writing as AIN’T IN IT FOR MY HEALTH is stacked with plenty to ponder in its hefty fifteen track collection.  Gender split is rife in country music and Zach Top doesn’t sit on the fence with his second album. The male perspective is ingrained across the record as themes flip from introspective soul searching to relationships with the opposite sex in a variety of guises. M...

  The sixth staging of The Long Road Festival had an instant different feel to the previous five. Firstly, the main stage known as the Rhinestone was expanded to host acts on the Friday evening, a timely move to align with other events of a similar size. Secondly, the whole lifestyle aspect seemed on another level with an apparent expansion of live-in vehicles leading to a re-organisation of the parking situation for day visitors. Thirdly, there was a pre-festival consensus that the Americana music offering was considerably lighter than the immense levels of previous years. The last point is purely subjective and within the boundaries of the beholder. If you subscribe to a view that Americana is an all-encompassing indescribable concept offering solace to music that doesn’t quite fit then 2025 was teeming with artists trawled by an event with a mission of inclusivity.   The Long Road can be whatever you want it to be, and is a safe and welcoming place. Finding plenty of engagi...

  In one world Britnee Kellogg has a quarter of a million Instagram followers, over twenty-million TikTok impressions and a similar number of streams. In a different world she is playing in front of sixteen people at the Kitchen Garden in Birmingham. We live in strange times. The spin is following the dream, piggy backing big names and accessing reality shows. Stardom comes to the few so why not be one of the few. An exit strategy awaits in the guise of a story and a talent honed in alternative directions. When the dust settles Britnee Kellogg will prosper through polishing an innate ability to write meaningful songs in an artistic and connective way, take pride in developing late-learned guitar playing that smoothes the path for the songs to simmer and lean on a natural urge to effortlessly convey a story. Britnee Kellogg is more than a country singer, She epitomises the country song. Given a solo spotlight of an hour and a quarter, our guest from Washington State plays a full han...