Three Chords and the Truth UK

Back in September three American artists took the ‘Nashville in the Round’ format around various listening venues up and down the UK. While all three performers brought distinct qualities to the show, it was the songs of Sarah Darling that stood up to the most favourable scrutiny in this category during the evening.The good news is that much of what Sarah previewed then has surfaced on her new album which gets a formal UK release in early February. The even better news is the whole record, presented under the apt title DREAM COUNTRY, is a most accomplished effort, setting its stall out and fulfilling a pre-ordained objective of making a deeply personal connective album. From the coupling title, the term ‘dream’ is probably the most appropriate as an ethereal floating effect transcends through a majority of the ten tracks. While there are traces of a contemporary country sound, the lines of genres blend into a melting pot leaving a record best enjoyed without any pre-determined l...

Hot off the press – well here in the UK anyhow – an album release that cracks the code. The new solo album by Courtney Marie Andrews raised its head in her native US last August and is set to do likewise in Europe courtesy of long time progressive label Loose Music. HONEST LIFE exposes its raw credentials in a succinct manner and explodes into a record ripe with song writing sublimity. The sweet spot is easy to detect as it runs like a streak through tracks one to ten. The underlying trait that makes this album such an appetising listen is the way it weaves in the roots music union of country, folk and Americana features. The lyrics are powerful and rich in a textured structure; pedal steel and piano primarily drive a subtle soundtrack; the endearing vocals are reminiscent of a hybrid Joni Mitchell-Emmylou Harris. This may or may not align generally with Courtney’s past which has been documented as playing guitar roles in rock bands. This striking out has emerged alongside a person...

The 2016 festival year began and ended in an indoors setting with a major overseas event being the showpiece of the summer. The line up for two days spent at the Forecastle Festival in Louisville Kentucky threw plenty of candidates for this list into the mix and the four eventually chosen represented the cream of this eclectic music event rich with a roots and Americana inclusion. Back on home soil, Maverick and Moseley Folk were their usual stoic efforts, while C2C in March finally delivered a stellar two days from the ever decreasing pool of exceptional artists operating within the country music mainstream. High and Lonesome extended the festival season to the end of November with a commendable line up from both sides of the Atlantic. Finally a quick mention for the Jinney Ring Folk Festival which provided two fine candidates for this list in sets by Lucy Ward and Sam Carter. As usual this personal choice is entirely subjective and each artist contributed something significantly memo...

Although I had a fairly extensive gig year, the first acknowledgement is to those dedicated folks on the circuit who far exceed the number I manage to attend and their commitment to live music is utterly admirable. 2016 proved to be an exceptional year with the fortunate experience of being able to see many personal favourites. The year was bolstered by an mid summer US road trip and in some format all but two of my gigs and festival days had some coverage on the blog. For the second successive year, the ninety mark was hit aided by an exceptional full band in-store set by Elizabeth Cook in Nashville. Live music continues to be the utopia of the blogging experience and even when circumstances test the endeavour, the ultimate satisfaction of recording the memory in the written format wins the day. Of course the twenty five chosen performances to form the favourite list is a purely personal entity, but hopefully sharing it will resonate with some folks out there. Happy reading and here...

Is there room for another end of year album list? I hope so because here comes an humble collection of my favourite releases in 2016. One thing about this list is the term best is nowhere to be found as it treats music listening as a subjective beast, with the only important outcome being to what extent it connects. Each year Otis Gibbs puts critics lists in perspective by implying that few dispute their anointing tendencies from a relative small listening sample in relation to the number of albums hitting the market. In defence of such lists, there is a finite listening capacity and there will no doubt be many albums released this year that will eventually find their way to me in good time. However it is good fun to reflect on the last twelve months at an opportune moment and one absolute certainty is the pride that emanates from being able to connect with these thirty albums. Debating the strength of 2016 is left for another time as these personal favourites get the crowning moment...