Three Chords and the Truth UK

  Sophie Moore’s music illuminates a space, maximising the pieces at its disposal, while delicately creating a piece of tranquility. TROUBLE IN MIND sees this Sussex-based artist return to the recording fold after a lengthy hiatus. Moore was active in the 1980s with London indie band Foggy City and continued to have minor involvement in music after life pulled her in other directions. However a burning desire always remained and connections with American artist Jeb Loy Nicholls and esteemed producer Mark Nevers, famed for his work with Lambchop, laid the foundation for a return inspired by putting a homegrown slant on time honoured country soul. A recording process split between Sussex and South Carolina did the heavy lifting and the result is a prized piece of work. Late night night vibes are evoked alongside a restful composure where primed musicianship and sultry vocals nestle among an array of original compositions blending softly spun tunes and lyrics painting an elegant pictu...

  Through eleven carefully curated songs, Lance Cowan continues to emerge from the shadows as a songwriter of substance. THE AIR THAT YOU BREATHE is a gifted collection threaded by a desire to make sense of some of life’s basics. Creating a reassured and relatable aura is the basis for these songs to transcend a writer’s mind into the wandering instincts of an active listener. A time honoured tradition shaped by Prine, Van Zandt, Clarke et al is polished by the pen of Cowan and transmitted via an affable tone and a band pumping oxygen into the finished producr. This record ascends over time rewarding those with the urge to acutely engage.   This is the third Cowan album since 2024 and one destined to find fresh ears. It is also the third professional writing guise following a lengthy career seeking the truth as a journalist, spinning the truth as a publicist and now purveying the truth as a creative tour de force. Paradoxically or consequentially, the path has entered a lush m...

  On their new album A NEW ALCHEMY, the chemistry of East Nashville-based duo Brand New Heartache shines through. The husband and wife team of Eleese and Matthew Meschery guide the listener through a relationship timeline never veering away from al facets of a shared journey. A dozen tracks blend infectious pop with the folky charm of collaborative country shaping Americana through the lens of the classic duet. A vocal spread of lead off interchange, contrasting tones and harnessed harmonies flavour a pot underpinned by love and an charged intent to weave emotion into a alluring soundscape.   If a strong opening gambit is a must to seize the initiative, the buoyant beat of ‘ New Alchemy ’ delivers as a bout of intelligent pop laced with lavish hooks and connective melodies. A surefire playlist candidate. Not to settle on their laurels, the Meschery’s cast a vocal spell with follow-on track ‘ Montreal’ , packed with a yearning appeal aligning nostalgia with a folk leaning. A co...

  Danni Nicholls ascends onto a new plateau reflecting movement in many forms. A key constant to capture the moment is still intact after many years seeking the sweet spot where artist curation and audience reception meet. MAKING MOVES represents change where polished building blocks raise the stature without removing the trusty foundation formed over time. The wait between defining studio releases evaporates in an instant when the luscious tone of the new album sweeps you away. A renewed spark ignites a soundscape where a combination of influences and inputters carve a record packed with resonating, relatable poignancy.   The strength of Danni Nicholls’ writing is to crack the mirror and piece together the order of existence into meaningful assertions. Some writers thrive on character, others on place, here we have one immersed in experience and expressing the utterly personal. The eleven songs forming this exceptional body of work drool with esteemed class. They represent a ...

  Duo music never stands still, and while we often celebrate iconic names from the past where two voices melt into one, there is nothing more refreshing than hailing a new act to carry the artform forward. The Glass Hours are more newish than new but the latest album CHAPEL GLASS is getting a lift to find fresh ears.   Within a few bars and an opening verse, you sense a winning ticket is in your possession. Fast forward 35 minutes (or more likely slowly savour the playing time), a sensuous charm with front porch solace holds together a patchwork of tender songs. American songwriters Megan Barbera and Brad Armstrong, originally from Colorado and Alabama, conjure something special to mould into a keeper. The ten tracks capture facets of love through a multitude of lens - past, passing, passion and place. Acoustic grace is threaded by a country lilt and you are invited into an intimate space where integrity is intact. The songs seamlessly drift from the enticing impact of opener ...

  June releases awash with jangly guitars and multiple harmonies will always evoke a summery feel. The source may be southern England rather than West Coast USA but The Hanging Stars have become an established band of conjuring such a sound. JUST A DAY is their 6th release and a sufficient starting point if you want to discover a group hovering around the fringes poised for a significant breakthrough. Whether the new album delivers it is subject to a host of external factors. The upshot is a band seemingly in a good place, honing a tight sound and feasting on a revised network of assistance.   Dreamy links and sumptuous moments pepper this dozen song collection paraded by band frontman, main songwriter and guitar-vocalist Richard Olson. Threaded through the album are numerous examples of a studio masterclass aided by the contribution of Teenage Fanclub’s Gerard Love in a co-production capacity. These range from fusing keys, guitar and exemplary vocal concoctions to arranging t...

  Resourceful and talented singer-songwriter Hannah Scott continues to seek innovative ways of getting her music out in the open. The latest offering is a slimmed down gift sending out a timely reminder   of a how a mighty sound can emanate from a carefully constructed base. THREADS successfully keeps a flame alight in anticipation of further rich pickings from a wider platform.   The adaptability of Scott’s writing shines through as she mixes personal recollections with commissions. Themes range from family to places of residence with sincerity and perception engineering a creative drive to conjure thoughts into stake-in-the-ground songs. Relatability shines through alongside an appreciation of how craft can mould into distinction.   Possessing a signature song capable of holding court both on record and live is a viable asset. ‘ Sitting in the Dark’ , lamenting the rental system, has been a popular setlist inclusion for a while and sits pretty here in the closing p...

  Clay DuBose had a rich and influential stint as a fledgling Americana artist in the first phase of a career when the genre took a foothold as a radio format. Life subsequently pulled this Texas-based musician in a different direction enforcing an extended recording hiatus. However pent up talent was not destined to remain suppressed and with the helping hand of versatile Californian Ted Russell Kamp, a brand new full length record is hailing the comeback. An awareness void of DuBose’s previous work is not a barrier to grasping the value of FATHER TIME & MOTHER NATURE. The absence has fired up the songwriting juices and a ravenously good record emerges buoyed by relatable themes and a feel right on the mark of the genre he pioneered from the late 80s onwards.   Nine originals, all co-written with Kamp who also engaged in the production process, and two covers form the rump of content stretching the breadth of personal interaction primarily within the immediacy of family. ...

Cool music is spilling out of Grey DeLisle at a rate of knots, though this time the billing is shared. When seeking a vocal collaborator to bring a new bunch of songs to life, Les Greene popped up with the ideal voice and a complementary contrasting duet was born. The simple title hints at some sort of hue duality. GREY & GREENE takes the cue and a shade collision of guttural soul and angelic Americana parades nine originals and a fun cover.  Not a breath is wasted in a brief template. Gripping guitar, natural vocal exchange and astute tempo placement steer a half hour spin down memory lane. Two names in the credits jump out to confirm the direction. Rockabilly icon James Intveld is the producer and ace country guitarist Deke Dickerson adds some licks. With input from these two, a sound akin to 1956 is wonderfully brought 70 years up to date.   Les Greene is well known in the wider entertainment field of film and TV as well as a recording artist in his own right. This side...

  For a slice of honky tonk hedonism, look no further than the latest release by country recording artist India Ramey. VILLAIN ERA takes you on an exotic trip around barrooms, diners, barren wastelands and spots where the tough fight back. Ramey herself hails the album as a no nonsense parade of self worth and the banishment of enforced pleasing others. With a bolt of liberty and brash theatre, ten tracks hail a beatbox of fiery rock ’n’ roll and acutely bonafide traditional country.   Ramey headed West from Nashville to the LA studio of acclaimed producer Eric Corne with the result a brazen bunch of sounds acting as a conduit from a golden past to a vibrant present. Not a breath or beat is wasted with a narrow template packed to the hilt with a flush of fiddle, steel and rampant guitar. At the heart is a songwriter with a voice and a gutsy performance overflowing with sass.   Iconic legendary associations and influences will be self-explanatory throughout the active 32-m...