Category: Reviews

Album Review: Brandi Carlile – By The Way, I Forgive You

When I reviewed the project Cover Stories last year I was completely unfamiliar with Brandi Carlile’s music, so it was kind of strange that my first experience of her songs was hearing other people sing them. When her new album was announced I was immediately intrigued, especially as she was working with Dave Cobb, who has produced some of my favourite albums of the last few years and the legendary Shooter Jennings. While I admired the initial single The Joke I wasn’t immediately sold on her more orchestral based sound, so I held off listening to this album for a while. Well that was a stupid idea since By The Way I Forgive You is one of the best releases of the year so far. Continue reading “Album Review: Brandi Carlile – By The Way, I Forgive You” →

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Live Review: Country to Country Festival, Glasgow, Friday 9th March 2018

You could tell this was going to be a good day because it was unusually sunny in Glasgow, with thankfully no sign of the snowmaggedon conditions that had caused shows to be cancelled at the same venue last week. I was at the Hydro to attend Country 2 Country festival, which brings the best of Nashville to the UK for three days every March. The Friday evening show featured performances from Lukas Nelson, Ashley Campbell, Midland, Margo Price, Emmylou Harris and Little Big Town. Continue reading “Live Review: Country to Country Festival, Glasgow, Friday 9th March 2018” →

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Album Review: Vivian Leva – Time is Everything

Virginia native Vivian Leva grew up steeped in the Appalachian tradition, learning from her parents who were both musicians. She began singing on stage aged nine and then formed many bands, developing a deep understanding of country, bluegrass and old time music. Her debut collection Time is Everything weaves these influences with modern Americana to create bittersweet songs full of wisdom about the nature of life and love. Continue reading “Album Review: Vivian Leva – Time is Everything” →

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Album Review: Courtney Patton – What It’s Like To Fly Alone

On a long drive home after a show Courtney Patton was shocked when a hawk flew in front of her car. Alone on that road she found herself identifying with the bird and its solitary pursuits. When she got home she wrote a song that would be the centrepiece to this, her third solo album. Courtney’s music is steeped in traditional country, down in the earth with the lives of her characters. What It’s Like To Fly Alone weaves stories of loneliness, winding highways, regret, love and grief into songs that are some of the most haunting music you will hear all year. Continue reading “Album Review: Courtney Patton – What It’s Like To Fly Alone” →

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Album Review: High Up – You Are Here

High Up singer Christine Fink didn’t originally intend to become a singer, but after working in a series of unfulfilling jobs she found herself drawn to performing in karaoke bars. She would sing classic soul songs and tear down the house every time. Eventually she moved to Omaha and began working with her sister, musician Orenda Fink, writing songs together for this new band High Up. Their debut album You Are Here, produced by Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes, combines soul influences with a gritty garage rock sound to create a ferocious collection of songs. Continue reading “Album Review: High Up – You Are Here” →

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Album Review: Bonnie Montgomery – Forever

Traditional country has been having a good year in 2018 so far, with albums from Laura Benitez and Courtney Patton plus this new one from Bonnie Montgomery. Bonnie is from Arkansas and recorded Forever at the Ameripolitan studio in Austin, Texas which is owned by Dale Watson, who appears on the album and Chris Burns, who is her producer. The album cover shows the beautiful open highway, and these songs are a perfect soundtrack for highway queens and vagabonds everywhere. Continue reading “Album Review: Bonnie Montgomery – Forever” →

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Dolly’s Discography – My Blue Ridge Mountain Boy

Picasso’s ‘Blue’ period was characterised by dark and somber paintings, expressing the emotional turmoil of the traumas of his youth. For a woman known to bring sunshine and rainbows it’s perhaps a surprise to find an album in Dolly Parton’s career which creates a similar morose tone, lyrically if not musically. There were no hits generated from My Blue Ridge Mountain Boy and the music confronts topics that she would shy away from as her career progressed: death, suicide, prostitution, pain, failure, anger, regret and suffering. Continue reading “Dolly’s Discography – My Blue Ridge Mountain Boy” →

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Album Review: I’m With Her – See You Around

Aoife O’Donovan, Sara Watkins and Sarah Jarosz first played together in a bathroom at a bluegrass festival a few years ago, and immediately realised the musical harmony they created was something special. Soon after they formed a group, adopted the name I’m With Her, playing shows and eventually finding time to write songs.

Then something strange happened. Purely by coincidence the band name became the slogan for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. Overnight they were a hashtag. For a project that had barely begun to suddenly be associated with something so politically significant must have been surreal. The band themselves appear to be quick to distance themselves from the connection, but at the same time it would have been easy enough for them to record under a different name. ‘I’m With Her’ now reads like a declaration of unity and I’ll See You Around proves how strong you can be when you work together.

Continue reading “Album Review: I’m With Her – See You Around” →

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