Live Review: Madison Cunningham @ Celtic Connections 17/01/25 

This week Karine Polwart shared a cover version of Madison Cunningham’s ‘Life According to Raechel’ and encouraged her followers to go see the young musician live at this Celtic Connections show.

Before the gig itself began, I spotted no less than three well-known Scottish musicians taking their seats in the stalls.

Later the excellent support act Louis Abbott would ask if there were any musicians in the audience and it seemed like more than half the crowd raised their hand (incidentally Louis confessed he had already bought a ticket for the gig before he was added as support). 

So it seems then that Madison Cunningham is your favourite musician’s favourite musician. 

Continue reading “Live Review: Madison Cunningham @ Celtic Connections 17/01/25 “ →
0

Top Ten Albums of the Year 2024

I’m still of the opinion that we should all wait until the end of the year to post our list of favourite albums and this year I am edging very close to the wire by posting on New Year’s Eve! 

Like most people I have found 2024 to have been good and bad, rewarding and frustrating in equal measure. In terms of music, I have been feeling really positive and found more to personally enjoy and get excited by this year than last. I still have been quite slow and uneven with posting on the blog, alongside an ever changing social media landscape it hasn’t been easy to maintain any kind of consistent online voice.

Still I am thankful to anyone who has read my blog and I just want to express my gratitude to anyone who still follows and comments. You have all made me want to keep posting. And I still believe small quiet places on the internet to share your thoughts are worthwhile things to have.

So then we come to my favourite albums of the year, in ranking order by the arbitrary rules I set up when I began this blog way back in 2017. For no particular reason I decided that to feature on the list an album should be made up of mainly new material by a female artist / group or duo and the top slot is reserved for an album which is majority self-written. The rest of the list reflects my own personal listening and is not intended to be any kind of ‘best of’. 

Please share yours in the comments! Click below to read any review if I have written about the album. 

Continue reading “Top Ten Albums of the Year 2024” →
0

Songs of the Year 2024

Another year is almost over and it’s the traditional time to reflect back on what musical treats have nourished us over the last twelve months. 

2024 has been a strong year for women in mainstream music, from Taylor Swift’s epic Eras tour to some stunning breakthrough pop performers like Chappell Roan, Charli XCX and Sabrina Carpenter. In country music Lainey Wilson won the coveted Entertainer of the Year award and there was also awards for newcomers Ella Langley and Megan Moroney in the genre too. None of these artists appear on my personal lists but I have been heartened by their success.

In terms of my own listening, I always veer towards comforting, introspective, poetic indie and Americana, adding some soft soul and folk with an occasional blast of epic pop or barnstorming country tunes for good measure. This year gave me much sustenance with the return of some of my all-time favourites, alongside a few newer artists who helped me through. 

Some of these tracks may have been released in 2023 but I count any song on an album released this year for this list. I have also included only one song per artist (excluding collaborations). 

Continue reading “Songs of the Year 2024” →
1

Album Review: Kim Deal – Nobody Loves You More

As a teenager growing up in the 90s I thought Kim Deal was cool in the best way – talented, fun and like she just didn’t give a fuck about anything. In the early 00s I met her while I was working at a venue she was playing at and she was super nice, even if a little out of it. She spoke of her addiction troubles during that time in a recent Guardian interview, saying ‘I would like to do those years again. I. Did. Not. Like. Them.” 

What also resonated with me about that interview was how she spoke about the beauty of failure saying ‘…there’s something about trying to do something and then just getting utterly clobbered by life.’ If you’re not afraid of fucking up then you can do the unpredictable, like releasing your debut solo album at 63. In the end that fearless attitude has made ‘Nobody Loves You More’ a little triumph. 

Continue reading “Album Review: Kim Deal – Nobody Loves You More” →
0

Blinded: Why Strobe Lights Should Be Banned 

Earlier this month I went to see the wonderful The Last Dinner Party play live in Glasgow. The all girl band have a young, fashionable, mainly female crowd and play music that is thrillingly orchestral, dramatic and fun. Being in a crowd like that is heartening and a privilege. The band seem to really care about their audience too, raising money for local food bank charities on each night of the tour. 

However thanks to their overuse of strobe lighting effects I left the show with a headache, feeling irritated to the point of anger. 

Continue reading “Blinded: Why Strobe Lights Should Be Banned “ →
2

Album Review: Lindi Ortega – From the Ether

A few years back I went to see Lindi Ortega play live in Glasgow, hoping to write a review of the show. I loved all her previous albums, especially the last one Liberty, and was looking forward to seeing her talent on stage. 

Unfortunately a few songs into the show I realised something was off. At first it seemed like an issue with the sound mix, Lindi’s vocals being too high or perhaps she couldn’t hear herself sing. When she played acoustic or quieter songs her voice was perfect, beautiful. At other times, she sounded strained, a little out of time and tune. I felt unable to write any kind of review of the show, considering how much she was struggling. 

The issue, it turned out, wasn’t confined to that one evening. Later she admitted to having issues with her in-ear monitors, which caused her to overcompensate and damage her voice. Soon she was terrified to play live and quit music altogether for four years.

But then after dealing with some difficult personal circumstances, she began writing songs again. With so much new music to share, she worked with vocal coaches to regain her confidence performing live.  

The result of this work is ‘From the Ether’, an album of haunting, unusual songs on a ghostly theme. Somewhat surprisingly considering her issues, there’s a stripped back, sparse sound to the record. Her vocals are given time to breathe, to work their quiet magic again without the crushing sound of a full band. 

Continue reading “Album Review: Lindi Ortega – From the Ether” →
0

Album Review: Mindy Smith – Quiet Town

Susan Cain, in her brilliant book ‘Quiet’, celebrated introverts and argued ‘culture is biased against quiet and reserved people, but introverts are responsible for some of humanity’s greatest achievements.’ 

The problem with being ‘quiet’ unfortunately is that sometimes you don’t get noticed for what you’ve achieved. Those who can shout and dance and sell themselves, or who can pay others who can do this for them, grab most of the attention. 

Twenty years have passed since Mindy Smith won the ‘Emerging Artist of the Year’ trophy at the Americana Awards, and twelve years since her last album. She’s been busy in that time, writing for others, working on songs, searching for herself in other ways by reconnecting with her birth family. This new album ‘Quiet Town’ is a welcome return and a chance to celebrate her quietly powerful artistic achievements.

Continue reading “Album Review: Mindy Smith – Quiet Town” →
0

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑