a music blog about women in Americana & beyond
There were so many brilliant shows on offer on Saturday at Celtic Connections, the only problem music fans had to face was deciding which one to attend. The lucky among us who chose The Lone Bellow were treated to a masterclass in vocal power and harmony that sent everyone home shaking their heads in awe. Continue reading “Live Review: The Lone Bellow @ Celtic Connections”
As she took to the stage for a rare live show in the UK, Iris DeMent admitted she was worried no one would turn up on a Monday night. Thankfully the Celtic Connections audience knows that such a trailblazing talent is one not to be missed. Continue reading “Live Review: Iris DeMent @ Celtic Connections”
Before I started this blog I wasn’t hugely familiar with Little Big Town, since their fame in the U.K. is niche at best. Many of my fellow Americana bloggers seemed to scoff at them, as though they were just another bad example of pop county and the Nashville big machine. However when I caught them live at C2C festival a couple of years ago I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed their set. This new album Nightfall has been mainly produced by the band themselves, alongside Golden Hour producers Daniel Tashian and Ian Fitchuk.
While a band like this don’t set trends themselves, their work and choice of songs has always been admirable in comparison with some other mainstream, major label county artists. Unfortunately this also means that they too have fallen victim to the current banishment of women from the country music radio airwaves, despite their previous success. Luckily for the listener that seems to have freed them to do something much more interesting on this album. Continue reading “Album Review: Little Big Town – Nightfall”
The new Della Mae album ‘Headlight’ is one of those rare albums that encapsulates everything that this blog stands for and hopes to promote, conveying the collective power of women’s voices through emotional and empathetic songs. The writing and musicianship from the band, made up of lead vocalist and guitarist Celia Woodsmith, fiddle player Kimber Ludiker and mandolinist Jenni Lynn Gardner, is pure quality throughout. Continue reading “Album Review: Della Mae – Headlight”
In March 2017, the first month of this blog, my posts got a grand total of 28 views. So it’s kind of crazy to be here nearly three years later looking at my stats that are now in the thousands and thinking back to how far the blog has come. Continue reading “Most Read Reviews of 2019”
Blood, Allison Moorer’s new memoir and album, recounts the shocking story of how her father killed her mother and then himself after years of abusive behaviour. The unmitigated horror of her childhood experience is faced head on and she contemplates the legacy of such trauma and loss in her adult life. Unflinchingly honest and achingly raw, Blood is one of the most profoundly moving testaments to the pain of grief and the power of love that I have ever experienced. Continue reading “Review: Allison Moorer – ‘Blood’”
Canadian singer songwriter Sarah Jane Scouten’s new album Confessions, takes us on a journey into the dark side of her heart, with some beautifully bewitching results. Continue reading “Album Review: Sarah Jane Scouten – Confessions”
In 2018 Lucy Dacus released one of the best albums of the year and a collaborative EP as part of boygenius, both of which cemented her place as one of our brightest and best young songwriters. This year she has spent time touring and releasing occasional singles and covers, the results of which are collected in this EP 2019. Continue reading “E.P. Review: Lucy Dacus – 2019”
After touring with the collective I’m With Her for most of the last couple of years Aoife O’Donovan is now back as a solo artist releasing her new acoustic E.P. ‘In the Magic Hour Solo Sessions’. As suggested by the title four of these songs are versions of tracks from her last solo album ‘In the Magic Hour’ which was released in 2016 and she also adds a couple of well chosen cover songs to the track-listing. Continue reading “E.P. Review: Aoife O’Donovan – In the Magic Hour Solo Sessions”
Highway Queens 