Category: Albums

Album Review: Lola Kirke – Heart Head West

September always feels like the saddest month of the year to me – as the leaves begin to turn, California dreaming sometimes is the only thing that gets me through. Step forward the recently released album from songwriter and actress Lola Kirke to offer me some charming end of summertime melancholia just when I need it. Inspired by Gram Parsons, Laurel Canyon and heady doses of three chords and the truth Heart Head West is full of rich, warm hues – a perfect soundtrack to the changing seasons outside and in. Continue reading “Album Review: Lola Kirke – Heart Head West” →

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Album Review: Cry Pretty – Carrie Underwood

Few artists have had the sustained success in country music as Carrie Underwood. When more and more women in the genre are seeing doors slam in their faces and are making moves towards pop or Americana or indie or oblivion Carrie has remained at the top of the game, faithful to the genre and its songwriters. She seemed to be the only one immune to the misogyny of the mainstream country music genre – hitting the top of the charts, getting support from radio and streaming platforms, headlining festivals, winning awards, selling records.

However two long years have passed since her last album, and the landscape has shifted so much that even she is now feeling the impact, with the lead single from this album underperforming (albeit only against her own high standards). At a time when the mainstream needs Carrie Underwood she has bravely decided to try something a little different, a little more thoughtful, a little more personal. Cry Pretty might not be what radio wants to hear but in my eyes that means it might just be her most important album to date. Continue reading “Album Review: Cry Pretty – Carrie Underwood” →

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Album Review: Juanita Stein – Until The Lights Fade

With the release of her second album in a year Howling Bells’ lead singer Juanita Stein is certainly not hanging around in establishing herself as a solo act, having also toured with the likes of The Killers and Bryan Ferry. On this new album ‘Until The Lights Fade’ the dreamy Americana sound she created on her debut (one of my favourite albums of 2017) is combined with a return to her indie rock roots, resulting in a confident and catchy collection of songs. Continue reading “Album Review: Juanita Stein – Until The Lights Fade” →

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Dolly Parton’s Discography – Bubbling Over

On her 1973 album Bubbling Over we find Dolly changing direction again, moving away from the deeply personal, autobiographical songs of My Tennessee Mountain Home. This lighter album feels like another step towards finding the sound that would eventually help her make the breakthrough beyond the country charts. The cover image is memorably kitsch with Dolly’s grinning face emerging from a fountain, taken by Les Leverett near the Country Music Hall of Fame. Continue reading “Dolly Parton’s Discography – Bubbling Over” →

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Album Review: Clare Bowen – Clare Bowen

The television series Nashville finished up its six series run earlier this year, and while I think it jumped the shark after they killed off a certain character, I still count myself a fan, in particular of the performances by Clare Bowen as Scarlett. Still I always had my doubts about whether anyone in the show actually wanted to make it in the music industry for real (and indeed whether they could cut it). Thankfully I’m pleased to say with this excellent self titled debut album Clare Bowen proves me dead wrong. This is an elegant collection of dreamy Americana, full of songs with something quietly interesting to say. Continue reading “Album Review: Clare Bowen – Clare Bowen” →

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Album Review: Shemekia Copeland – America’s Child

On ‘America’s Child’ Shemekia Copeland infuses blues, classic rock, country and soul music into songs which wrap traditional sounds around words reflecting the concerns of now. The magical voice of Copeland gives us all hope for a better future – we see that optimism reflected on the album cover where a little girl wears the American flag as a comfort blanket, even if her eyes are downcast you sense the potential of a new day in the warm glow of the sun behind her. Continue reading “Album Review: Shemekia Copeland – America’s Child” →

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Album Review: Mitski – Be The Cowboy

In an interview a few years back Mitski responded to Damon Albarn dismissing modern musicians as the ‘selfie generation’ by saying ‘Young artists talking about themselves can be the most political thing done today, and is something a lot of them couldn’t have done before, or at least not to an audience.’ On her new album ‘Be The Cowboy’ Mitski’s songs use the personal try to make sense of the complex world around her; constantly asking questions and contemplating her relationships. In the cover picture (coincidentally reminiscent of Blur’s Leisure album) Mitski is preparing for her performance, a knowing nod to the unreality of our image driven world. She looks at us sideways, unsmiling. We press play and she dives in. Continue reading “Album Review: Mitski – Be The Cowboy” →

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Album Review: Lori McKenna – The Tree

Trees have long spoken to the souls of poets. Walt Whitman called them ‘palpably artistic, heroic’. Herman Hesse believed ‘Nothing is holier, nothing is more exemplary than a beautiful, strong tree.’ Marianne Moore once wrote a poem to save a tree’s life (it worked). Lori McKenna is a modern poet of American life so it is fitting to see her title her new album after those silent friends whose importance and beauty may sometimes go unnoticed. The Tree tell stories of the internal domestic lives and relationships of your average everyday people who have simple, quiet ambitions – the roots of which grow deep underground, much like these songs themselves. Continue reading “Album Review: Lori McKenna – The Tree” →

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Album Review: The War and Treaty – Healing Tide

Recently there has been much discussion about the definition of ‘Americana’ music and how the genre needs to be more inclusive of diverse voices beyond white male altcountry singers. Husband and wife duo The War & Treaty are therefore exactly what the Americana genre needs right now – combining gospel, soul, country, folk and blues to create a rootsy sound which references music history but makes it sound fresh again for the modern listener. Debut album Healing Tide is full of astonishing songs that speak to the heart of humanity, suggesting that a better, happier, more loving world is possible. Continue reading “Album Review: The War and Treaty – Healing Tide” →

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