rescuing musical virtue in distress.
At a time when the world seems a divided and entrenched place, where people seem more certain of what they are against than anything that they stand for, Chris Donohoe's latest collection of songs breezes through like a breath of fresh air. Even those with the best intentions seem to be using heightened rhetoric and... Continue Reading →
The section of the Venn Diagram where country music and philosophy or bluesy-folk music and metaphysics meet isn't a particularly crowded intersection. But Phil Robinson's latest release is certainly the king of that domain. Imagine if Dylan had majored in Existential Philosophy or if Springsteen had embraced yoga only occasionally playing with the local bar-room... Continue Reading →
To try to define an album like Seeker generically is a difficult affair. Although rich in blues textures and folk tones it also seems to pulse with soulfulness, an old school Americana sound and plenty of country licks. And, like any album worth its salt, it is more than the sum of those parts too. Much... Continue Reading →
There is a wonderful echo of the classic singer-songwriter era which emanates from Lucky*, the new album from Colin Roy Monette, that and a slice of campfire country vibes for good measure. Presented in a fairly unadorned fashion, mainly just guitar and voice with the occasional beat or sonic embellishment, there is a lot to... Continue Reading →
Give Your Heart Away, the latest single from Jypsy Rose, is certainly a song that is brimming with country vibes. But like any song worth its salt, it is so much more than that too. After all, why confine yourself to just one genre when you can dance across many? And dance she does, sure-footedly... Continue Reading →
We are, by nature, curious creatures. In fact, our very evolution is down to the fact that we always want to know more. What's under that log? What's over that hill? What happens if I rub these two sticks together? Curiosity is in our DNA, wanderlust is part of who we are. So when a... Continue Reading →
Tennessee Whiskey has become a standard of the country genre since it saw the light of day on David Allan Coe's album of the same name forty years ago. But a great song is a great song and why wouldn't an artist want to cover something as sweet, sensitive and emotive as this? Chris Stapleton... Continue Reading →
In these difficult and often bleak times, it is great to be presented with a song that is so simple in its lyrical premise, so optimistic, a song that so gorgeously gets to the heart of the human condition that it makes the world suddenly seems like a different, better place. Maybe it is because... Continue Reading →
If Anna Elizabeth Laube is a name unfamiliar to you, firstly, shame on you, and secondly, discerning music fans will be pleased to know that she has just released the perfect album for those wishing to explore her songs. Annamania is a retrospective collection, the hand-picked highlights of her previous four albums chosen by the... Continue Reading →
Sitting somewhere between a seductive country sound and a gentle folk vibe, Grandpa's Truck is a heartfelt and nostalgic look at the past. A reminder of past times that were as simple as they were memorable, a love story, of sorts, but this love is one of escapism, adventure, of wide-open spaces and the faithful... Continue Reading →
It is clear from just the opening salvo of last year's Twisted EP that there are some serious songwriting chops at work here. An upbeat country sound with a rock and roll edge and plenty of southern tropes colouring the tone of the music and threaded through the lyrics too. And, most important of all,... Continue Reading →
Playing what the band themselves call “Great Lakes country music,” Juniper is a wonderful collection of sounds garnered from country, bluegrass and folk all rearranged into their own alt-country style. It ranges from lilting and gentle acoustic balladry such as Hard Time, a song framed with the deftest and delicate arrangements and inclusions, to the... Continue Reading →
We know that Billy Roberts is great at kick arse, country rock and roll. That when you hear his music, you imagine a swaggering and groovesome band in full flight, foot firmly wedged on the monitor (I presume) firing of killer musical salvos. It's great then that Don't Understand shows another side to Billy and... Continue Reading →
Firstly, I love the story of how Painted Sun Records got its name. It says a lot about creativity being about a state of mind rather than having lots of equipment and technology at your disposal. How do you find that songs come to you? Forest Sun: Songs come when they will and on their own schedule.... Continue Reading →
Hear the word Nashville and you automatically conjure the archetypical Rhinestone clad cowboy or rugged, troubadour with a pick-up truck and another place to be. Perhaps we shouldn’t listen to our inner stereotyping, perhaps it’s Schroder’s Boston roots but what we get on Skyline isn’t the sound that the Music City is immediately associated with.... Continue Reading →
Once A Cowboy is a song which sits perfectly between the traditions of country music and more rock-orientated energies, not that the two genres have ever been that far apart. It’s slow groove and reserved pace hides the real kick that the music has, able to spiral up into crashing crescendoes when it wants to... Continue Reading →
This latest release from Joemayk is a further reminder of his ability to blend wonderfully accessible, pop-aware sounds with more mature, more cleverly wrought and more readily memorable music. The irony of most pop music today is that although it is designed to be easy to connect with and memorable, it encourages you to join... Continue Reading →
We live in a world where creative people are increasingly wearing more and more hats. A singer may also be an artist, a dancer perhaps a teacher, a writer a videographer. It isn’t often that you come across a musician with a past life rooted in Motocross but here is Blake Wharton and a sassy... Continue Reading →
There has always been a social and political undercurrent to My Politic’s songs. Stories as songs, narratives about family and traditions, the working man, tales of the home, the hearth, of hope and reflection and the American spirit all wound into gentle mythologies and relatable histories. But something has changed for My Politic since 2017’s... Continue Reading →
Twerk &Twang covers a lot of ground musically speaking and that generally suggests one of two scenarios. Often new artists will find themselves unfocused, unsure of their own musical identity and so dabble in all manner of sounds and styles. But Klaus Patzak, the man behind Broken Radio is anything but new to the game... Continue Reading →
Although opening salvo Vein of Blue might lull the listener into a sense that Cowboydelic is going to be a fairly straight down the line country collection, by the time the second track, Muck, arrives you realize that this is going to be a much more interesting prospect. It is also at this point that... Continue Reading →
David Noah himself has posed the question “Does country music need another whiskey song?” I think that the answer is a resounding yes…or should that be “hell yeah!” It’s a bit like asking if rock and roll still needs ridiculously long guitar straps and a foot on the monitor. Like suggesting that indie music isn’t... Continue Reading →
At the risk of repeating myself, I have to say that any cover found on a release is perhaps the less interesting part of the record. (Yes, I still call them records, get over it.) But sometimes the right choice of cover says a lot about the artist too. I mean, if you throw in... Continue Reading →
There are artists who have short, incendiary careers, burning their name into the annals of history before fading away and then there are those artist who seem to be part of the engine room for a much bigger musical concern. They might not always get the recognition that they deserve but you find their name... Continue Reading →
If your image of country music is the stereotypical one of the sullen cowboy packing his dog and his guitar into his pickup truck and driving off into the sunset then you need a bit of Paul Haas in your life. More specifically you need a slice of Long Long Time. Its celebratory vibe and... Continue Reading →
The restrictions of lockdown have had a major impact on the music community. Among other things it has forced artist focus towards the extreme ends of the experience. This has meant that there has been a wave of songs which are highlighting the stress of the situation and the community spirit which is getting us... Continue Reading →
Folk-rock, perhaps more than most musical amalgamations, is a difficult thing to get right. Half the time you have the “folk police,” usually a guy in a cable knit sweater with an encyclopaedic knowledge of Breton sea shanties, telling you that you are not authentic enough. The rest of the time you get fans of... Continue Reading →
Used to Be is one of those songs which feels like an old friend. As soon as its classic tones come tumbling out of the speakers, its familiar country undercurrents, its late 60’s soaked, west coast, singer-songwriter vibes, its reflective and sentimental lyrics, you are immediately put at ease. But there is also that slight,... Continue Reading →
If Bye London Bye , which helped pave the way for this release, showed Matthew Austin Hunt’s more subtle and reflective side, on this, his debut album, he gets to really let rip. American Made which acts as the opening sonic salvo is a proud statement of identity but one which rings with an honesty which... Continue Reading →
You could make a valid argument that country music, much like the blues, can only really be sung by someone with more than a few miles on the clock. How else are you going to fill songs with the requisite life-experience. Pop singers might wax lyrical about first loves and do so as if they... Continue Reading →