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...

Three key attributes to a successful gig were in place as a double header with distinction descended upon the Kitchen Garden. You can ask no more than an artist on their first UK trip to leave you fifty minutes later fully versed in what makes them creatively tick. Additionally, it is a vindicated pleasure when the faith placed in another artists recent album release is reaffirmed. Ultimate satisfaction lay in a pair of rewarding performances leaving a positive glow in the aftermath. Full credit to Geneviève Racette and Roswell Road for the treat of a debut Birmingham performance. Hailing form Montreal, Geneviève Racette is determined to make the most of an inaugural UK tour The dates are of a varied commodity teaming up with a handful of homegrown acts creating a perfect opportunity to sell the wares from an eventful career to date. The jewel in the crown is coming equipped with a band consisting of Judith Little (backing vocals and percussion) and Éléonore Pitre (acoustic guitar). Fr...

  Roswell Road prise the best parts from mature pop, contemporary country and indie folk to forge a sound unique and elegantly formed. Harmony voices offer one shade, sincere writing another while the ability to shape a song for keen ears carves a body of music to lavishly reward time afforded. Jasmine Watkiss and Zoe Wren drew on experience from different aspects of music to frame an original duo named Rowell eventually upgraded to Roswell Road to avoid online confusion. REBEL JOY rolls out to be an agreeable debut album stocked with ample hooks and key moments aching to have the surface scratched.  If the crux of album promotion is to have a killer song at hand, Roswell Road achieved this early on with the release of the first promotional track at the back end of 2025. 'Back Row ' was full of accessible credentials headed by a catchy melody making it readily detectable in lengthy playlists. The other two songs to appear in the run up offered an alternative dimension to the d...

  The clue is in the title as this album is set to undertake a second life. Around a year ago, the colourful and action packed career of Janet Devlin entered a fresh focal stage with an uninhibited stab at creating waves in the malleable world of pop-infused country. Emotional Rodeo was Devlin’s first outing on a label priding itself on parading artists fluctuating around the bounds of convention. OK!Good Records were suitably rewarded with the widespread response to back the artist’s urge not to leave an extended package of songs gathering dust on the table. Hence the birth of a deluxe album with the fourteen tracks from the 2024 record getting a revived airing alongside an additional eight songs Devlin was itching to get out. Customer reaction will always dictate the success of such a venture with the proliferation of the streaming world maybe lending a route for the new songs to seek some light. The eight new tracks neatly split into two camps with a couple of live versions of p...

  www.gittaderidder.com   For a magical sprinkling of lo-fi stardust look no further than the new album from Dutch artist Gitta de Ridder where the listener is serenaded into a state of restful bliss. N(i)e(u)w Land is the epitome of fragile beauty using a melange of folk and pop to spin thirty minutes of tranquil harmony. Themes range from loss to a journey from the Netherlands to a UK adopted home as de Ridder applies an Anglo European touch to proceedings. This fourth album possesses plenty of charm to accrue new admirers if its post-release life is carefully channelled. Multiple listening venues across the UK would provide an ideal sonic backdrop. Even the entirety of its thirty minute duration doubled up with chat and insight would enable a night of good music to align with respectful ears. The album consists of ten tracks collaborating with Swedish producer Jonatan Bäckelie and glitters with a series of inspiring highs. The pick unequivocally is the adorable ‘ Chasing Sl...

  www.taylorraemusic.com There is an understated charm to Taylor Rae's second album creating the impression that appreciation is slowly accumulated. There was a buzz around her 2021 debut release in certain quarters, yet a wider world awaits when the hypnotic wares of this artist ferment within fresh ears. THE VOID hovers around  a neatly constructed reliable beat without moments of fizz or lulls. A slow burner maybe, but one brewing with laid back elegance. Genre tags evaporate with perhaps the lingering line being a record juxtaposing warm pop with explorative Americana.  A sense of control underpins the ten tracks with a savvy production securing a sturdy base. Rae possesses an exceptionally measured voice aligning with a mature contemporary sound. The songs benefit from sufficient space and work well in both combination and a few jutting out as solo pieces.  Three tracks faintly edge ahead to accrue extra appeal. The unabated sultry 'Cologne' drools with a moder...

  There is something quite special about Thimblemill Library as a gig venue, and Demi Marriner wholly concurs. On multiple occasions, she gushed about the unique surroundings and thoroughly enjoyed her first performance on its adaptable stage. Look up and ahead to see a piercing night sky flood through the arc of windows. Look straight up to catch a sight of multiple quirky light shades adding fine touches to the art decor. Look all around and packed book shelves provide a cultural backdrop to the welcome frequent invasion of nighttime music. This arts hotbed at a junction where outer city issues blend into phases of vibrant suburbia epitomises everything innovative about grassroots venues mixing and matching multiple diverse events adding buoyancy to a thriving operation. For the second week running, tickets for the music side of the Thimblemill offering poured out to around the three figure mark. It was a tough road getting people back to live music especially as weekends tend to...

Exuberance  Enthusiasm  Engaging  Hey Dawn, a new dawn A Great Divide bridged to  a posse of music Millionaires Bar dancing  Line dancing Troupe dancing  Ugly Flowers turned beautiful. Serenaded in communal cross legged  harmony.  Mountains  Outback Medleys  The art of performing meets the art of lending  your eyes and ears. Being there,  the only place to be From a land Down Under  a scarlet clad ensemble New faces, new land A knife through the heart of pretentious reflection,  inspiring a poetic response. A difference laced with an energetic smile. A night to remember  A night shared  A night unique

  Kacey Musgraves last toured the UK in 2018 when promoting the GOLDEN HOUR record. Much has happened in the intervening period including the release of two albums taking the quota up to six (including the Christmas effort!) since breaking into the big time with SAME TRAILER DIFFERENT PARK in 2013. Evolution defines the progression of an artist flickering on the border between country and pop. Each record sparks debate on the fringes, while shoring up a fanbase fully behind their hero's directional whims. 2024 sees Musgraves in a good place, comfortable with an album reflecting a clearer state of mind and strutting a stage with assured confidence and wit.  New horizons on the touring landscape have emerged with Wolverhampton muscling in on nearby Birmingham's monopoly of mid-sized gigs over the last few years. Marketing calls this venue The Halls, enhanced local knowledge will always address it as the Civic Hall. Either way a lengthy yet impressive revamping means more near-so...

  www.jennycolquitt.co.uk Some artists hit the buffers with the second album, while others use the experience to release a record surpassing the heights and promise of the debut. Jenny Colquitt falls into the latter category in the wake of sending out STARING AT THE MOON into a world ready to embrace a blossoming singer-songwriter. You sense in the midst of a seasoned veteran backing their own vocal and writing skills, aided by an optimum production. Ten cinematic tracks widely hit the mark. Colquitt's voice pitches its tone to perfection using a measured approach essential in bringing the best out of songs stacked with lyrical nuggets.  The independent status of this singer-songwriter from the north-west of England means the songs have to be stern efforts to engineer a ripple in a crowded market. Colquitt immediately sets a high standard subsequently avoiding significant dips. Intermittent peaks pop up with several moments built for a big radio audience or swooning a live cro...

  www.spencerlajoye.com Combining the subtleties of indie folk and the sweetness of introspective pop sees the full length debut from Spencer LaJoye blossom across its wholly owned template. The themes of SHADOW PUPPETS re-define the boundaries of personal discovery in an immensely engaging manner. Through a dozen tracks bursting with lyrical intent, a door is opened on a world of making sense of things leading to the calming waters of reassurance. Gender identity and religion entwine as a songwriter seeks solace in their art. LaJoye effectively deploys their own elaborately primed vocals across a musical landscape layered with succulent strings, subtle synth and essential acoustic guitar embedding a slice of simplicity into a complex world.  Believing in Lajoye's long and ongoing journey, on a literal plane from south west Michigan to Boston but so much more from a queer artist finding solace in music, takes hold with a minimal dive into the songs and associated trappings. Th...

It was six years ago when the music of Jess Klein first crossed my path, although a little research stretches her carer back a lot further. Activity from her has been patchy since attending back-to-back gigs in Birmingham in 2013-14, but this is set to change this year with a brand new album and accompanying UK tour. BACK TO MY GREEN takes her back catalogue into double figures and is a chance to re-energise a European presence for this American singer-songwriter. The anticipated release date on the cusp of a Northern Hemisphere spring is symbolic to the feel of this album, which sees Jess in rejuvenated form following a series of life changing episodes including re-locating from the increasingly stuffy confines of Austin Texas to the more relaxed surroundings of Hillsborough North Carolina. The freshness sweeping across this album begins with a bright and breezy cover and takes root right from the first track. Starting with the opening number can appear a little structural, bu...

May Erlewine will no doubt have played to more populous audiences in her lengthy career, but would have to seek widely to find a gathering of more dedicated gig-goers than those frequenting the Kitchen Garden on this January evening. Bestowed with knowledge, experience and a smart ear, they intensely soaked up the divine offerings of our visitor from Michigan USA and duly responded with the warmth and appreciation commonly showed to outstanding touring artists in this intimate venue. From the opening strains of ‘ Wild ’, housed within the 2017 album release MOTHER LION, to the crowning moment of ‘ Never One Thing’ adding to its vast amount of song admirers, May dipped into every nuance of her unrivaled class to spin a magical weave of multi-faceted singer-songwriter music. Ably assisted by her ‘trio’ compatriots, Julian Allan (percussion) and Max Lockwood (bass), the treat splendidly dealt to those taking a chance on an artist still relatively low key overseas, despite a well-sto...

There was enough credit in the Kacey Musgraves bank to forgive a slow start to the GOLDEN HOUR era. While others instantly eulogised over the album, the title of the opening track has never been more pertinent when getting to grips with a new record. It was also apt that ‘ Slow Burn’ fires the opening salvo on dates during the Oh, What a World Tour, which is currently rolling around venues in the UK. For the latest visit to Birmingham, the entourage headed across town to the Academy and a renewal with fans in a venue steeped in the city’s musical heritage, long before the corporate world stepped in. An element of curiosity will always surround the music of Kacey Musgraves: a maverick, independent or just another act out to fluidly maximise exposure. One constant is always the inspirational depth to her music and an ability to match interesting facets with excellence. For two hours this evening we witnessed an artist perfecting the art of smooth entertainment, capable of engineering...