a music blog about women in Americana & beyond
The stand out track of this new album from Eilen Jewell is a protest song written soon after the 2016 presidential election. It’s a rallying call, not just against Trump and the pay gap but also against racism, political tribalism, gaslighting, and the way mothers are treated too. Jewell isn’t afraid to be political, and use her songwriting to take a hard look at the world around her. Continue reading “Album Review: Eilen Jewell – Gypsy”
August is proving to be a really strong month for Americana albums with the release of Beth Bombara’s Evergreen, Tanya Tucker’s While I’m Livin’ and this great new album Journey Proud from Edan Archer. Archer fuses country and folk with a rock and roll spirit that’s irresistible from start to finish. Continue reading “Album Review: Edan Archer – Journey Proud”
Beth Bombara’s new album Evergreen was named after a cabin in the Rocky Mountains where she went to escape after a hard touring schedule. There the seeds of this album began to grow – she has described how songs came to her as naturally as how ‘trees exhale oxygen’. Trees also appear on the cover of this album, with a bright yellow patch of colour behind them. The songs on this album reflect those images – rootsy and raw with a ray of light shining through.
Continue reading “Album Review: Beth Bombara – Evergreen”
Karine Polwart has an artist’s eye for detail, a poet’s way with words and a classic folk singer’s voice. Following on from the powerful Wind Resistance project and Laws of Motion album, to release a collection of covers might seem like an odd turn to the lighter side of music. This new album came from a live show at the International Festival where she performed a number of contemporary Scottish songs, in celebration of our country’s talented songwriters. Rest assured this is not karaoke – these songs have been carefully chosen and majestically arranged. Polwart asks us to think about how songs gain meaning by connecting them to the place they come from. Continue reading “Album Review: Karine Polwart’s Scottish Songbook”
Scottish singer Iona Marshall has entirely written, performed and self produced her new album Higher than The Leaves, released earlier this year. It almost defies categorisation, mixing folk and Celtic music with modern and experimental soundscapes to create a distinctive and unusual album. Continue reading “Album Review: Iona Marshall – Higher Than The Leaves”
On her engaging second album Vanity, New York’s Lizzie No expands her sound and contemplates themes such as doomed love and loneliness. Continue reading “Album Review: Lizzie No – Vanity”
In a recent article for The Bluegrass Situation, Jade Jackson spoke about the central theme of her new album: ‘Loneliness is something I’ve experienced as long as I can remember…I naturally gravitated toward music that evoked that feeling and when I started writing and creating art, it was my biggest inspiration.’ Wilderness take us to some lonely places, exploring her inner turmoil and channeling her influences to create an emotionally cathartic collection of songs. Continue reading “Album Review: Jade Jackson – Wilderness”
In 2019 so far I have reviewed nearly forty albums and E.P.s (and listened to many more) so I thought I would try to assess the year overall and decide on my what albums have been my favourites. Continue reading “Favourite Albums of 2019 So Far”
Country trio Runaway June are comprised of Naomi Cooke on lead vocals and guitar; Hannah Mulholland on vocals and mandolin and Jennifer Wayne on vocals and guitar. The girls have become the first all female trio to gain two country top 40 hits in a decade and their new album Blue Roses is released in the same month as their name – a fitting choice for a light and fun summer album of sweet country pop. Continue reading “Album Review: Runaway June – Blue Roses”
Highway Queens 