Three Chords and the Truth UK

  www.amyspeace.com Cast a look at Amy Speace's back catalogue and a regular occurrence sees Neilson Hubbard in the producing role. This is not an uncommon scenario in the Nashville singer-songwriter community, but an interesting deviation has occurred in a case of role reversal for this latest record from an artist bestowed with a glowing maturity. Rather than just produce the new Amy Speace album (she ably assists on that front), Hubbard and his two colleagues - Ben Glover and Joshua Britt - aka The Oprhan Brigade have their name plastered across the front cover and provide a stunning landscape for another supreme set of songs to bloom in full glory.  The soundtrack which shimmers in grandeur and splendour is a key feature that separates THERE USED TO BE HORSES HERE and its predecessors. The constant of serenely curated songs has long been a staple of Amy Speace's work alongside a delivery that borders on theatrical. A suggested effect from her generic artistic background. T...

  www,bobbradshaw.net The light on the album cover may have its origins in the theatre, but it plays a metaphorical role of guiding the eleven tracks on the latest Bob Bradshaw album through a murky existence to a safe haven of mission accomplished. Part-blues infused, part-rock strands, part-standard singer-songwriter fare, THE GHOST LIGHT flickers brightest when given a bit of space to breathe. It rumbles along like long a distance train in lengthy routine stints punctuated by a couple of peaks that raise its worth.  From the positive vibes of bright upbeat opener ' Songs on the Radio' to the quirky closer ' Niagara Barrel Ride Blues' , the highs crop up at unexpected interludes. Heading these are second track ' Dream' which really alters the pace from the opener in a contrasting and hazy way. Ethereal tendencies, faint steel and a gentle rolling feel describe this track that probably leads this album to the summit, although far from a sound that defines it....

www.corykeefemusic.com Cory Keefe keeps his eye firmly on the prize and claims a well-deserved reward with the release of an album that never loses sight of its ideal. The album title tells all you need to know and from the tones of opening track ' Deeper Well', a rich and well oiled country sound straight out of the eighties and nineties playbook keeps things chipper, honest and true to the heart of the bearer. I'LL KEEP IT COUNTRY doesn't tinker much with progressive themes, refrains from being innovative and knows the niche where it is heading. There is a space in the sonic landscape of country and Americana music for albums like this and its iconic sound spans a generation.  Adorned with a sound that blends a smidgeon of cosmopolitan with the authenticity of fiddle, steel and conventional strings, this album gets a blessing from 20th century country chart topper Lorrie Morgan who shares vocals on blissful ' I Just Want You '. Apart from the usual battalion ...

  www.neilsonhubbard.com Neilson Hubbard continues to bridge the gap between ace producer and acclaimed performer with the release of his second solo album in three years titled DIGGING UP THE SCARS. Such a level of recorded output sounds reasonable until you compare it to the countless albums where he has been at production helm. With this latest collection of songs, you do begin to think where the destiny of Neilson Hubbard may end up. Whether steering albums to a fruitful release or digging deep into his inner sanctum to serve up material like what we have here, the winners are those tuned into the wavelength of one of Nashville's most innovative and sought after operators.  Like his previous record, CUMBERLAND ISLAND, Hubbard turns to his mate Ben Glover for help in the producing driving seat. A little role reversal than what normally happens, but I'm pretty sure these two guys know each others music inside out to smooth out the issues and draw the organic riches to the su...

  www.honeyandthebear.co.uk Honey and the Bear are a Suffolk-based duo comprising of husband and wife combo Lucy and Jon Hart. They join a lengthy and distinguished list of outfits in a similar set up across the contemporary folk music genre and are certainly an act that matches up well with what the best has to offer. You could easily add that their third release and second full album has such a seasoned sound to it that it is likely to rub shoulders with those usually in the running for the annual awards the industry bestows on its luminaries. Ultimately JOURNEY THROUGH THE ROKE is an album that probes, illustrates, reflects and explores, all within a solid template that is true to the folk music core of instrument diversity.  The first thing you learn from peering behind the scenes of Lucy and Jon's work is the word 'roke' is an old East Anglian word referring to a fog emanating from the marshes of a part of England that partly due to to its flatland demeanour is often f...

  www.mgboulter.co.uk When MG Boulter is operating in the shadows he is enabling others to shine with his subtly crafted musicianship and deft contributions to projects fully appreciative of his input. On the other hand there are moments when he moves from the sidelines to centre stage and commands an audience to sit up and take note. He did this superbly in 2016 with the strong album WITH WOLVES THE LAMBS WILL LIE and now five years later the thoroughly engaging and conceptual CLIFFTOWN  throws an intriguing and glowing light on MG Boulter the performing singer-songwriter.  On the back of 2021 albums by Jack Cade and Morning Bride, this is another record strongly defined by the fascinating facade of an English seaside town. Without too much implicitness, we are informed that Clifftown is a fictional place based on Southend-on-Sea, a place close to the heart and life of Essex-based multi facetted artist MG Boulter. From this starting point, the songwriting tackles...

www.vanessapeters.com Vanessa Peters may have sprung to the attention of many with the release of her 2018 album FOXHOLE PRAYERS, but a little delving reveals an artist the veteran of records now totalling double figures in numbers. Additionally, she is a relentless live performer and very much one with an international antennae. An Austin based Texan Italophile is an apt geographical description of her operating status and this is reflected in the recording location and band composition that led to MODERN AGE being the latest offering to an established fanbase.  Peters returns to the realm of original songwriter on this latest album with a sound more in tune with indie-pop/rock sensibility than straight up Americana which she may have dabbled in on previous records. Her most recent output was a covers effort aptly titled MIXTAPE, but the new album is entirely made up of Vanessa Peters solo compositions. To commit these lyrical creations to song, she heavily leans on a conventional...