a music blog
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”
Scottish singer-songwriter Rachel Sermanni launched her upcoming album So It Turns last night at Summerhall in Edinburgh, surrounded by a crowd of adoring fans and a supporting cast of impressively talented musicians who all made this evening a truly special treat. Continue reading “Live Review: Rachel Sermanni @ Summerhall, Edinburgh”
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”
Earlier this year Jenny Lewis released one of the best albums of 2019 and of her career. ‘On The Line’ told the story of her recent life, including bereavement and the end of her long term relationship. The music was unexpectedly uplifting, glorious even in the darkest moments. And so the sold out Saturday night crowd here in Edinburgh had come to celebrate and commiserate with her, and maybe even dance a little. Continue reading “Live Review: Jenny Lewis @ The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh”
Last Friday we finally heard the first new music from the country music dream team The Highwomen. This project has been much talked about, with endless teases in interviews and hype on social media to the point where I began to worry the weight of expectations was going to crush the whole thing before it even began. I’m pleased to report that so far, so damn good. Continue reading “The Highwomen Are Finally Here! Thoughts On ‘Redesigning Women’”
Highway Queens 