The sweet, sweet sound of the fiddle contains the soul and spirit of folk music in one perfect instrument. Fiddler Bronwyn Keith-Hynes plays bluegrass music which understands the traditions of the instrument’s past but she isn’t afraid to cut loose and find her own path too. Continue reading “Album Review: Bronwyn Keith-Hynes – Fiddler’s Pastime”
The nineties would turn out to be a decade where Dolly achieved huge success on the pop charts, albeit thanks to Whitney Houston. A year before that Bodyguard soundtrack took over the world, Dolly released her 31st solo album Eagle When She Flies which was another strong collection of country songs, after her welcome return to the genre on the Trio project and previous album White Limozeen. Continue reading “Dolly Parton’s Discography – Eagle When She Flies (1991)”
To soothe means to relieve pain and discomfort, to have gently calming effect. On her new album Norwegian singer songwriter Siv Jakobsen offers us A Temporary Soothing, with songs exploring her own anxieties and offering us comfort through her beautifully created soundscapes. Continue reading “Album Review: Siv Jakobsen – A Temporary Soothing”
In his Nobel Prize acceptance lecture Bob Dylan discussed how he first began learning old folk songs, eventually internalising them into his own songwriting. ‘You hear all the finer points, and you learn the details,’ he explained. By singing these songs he discovered ‘the devices, the techniques, the secrets, the mysteries’, concluding that ‘songs are alive in the land of the living’. Old songs are meant not just to be heard, but to be sung anew by the next generations.
Emma Swift began ‘Blonde on the Tracks‘, her project of Dylan covers, as a way to recover her artistic inspiration after experiencing depression. Mainly recorded in 2017 these versions were not even intended to be an album but when the pandemic destroyed Swift’s plans for touring she decided to release the recordings. Continue reading “Album Review: Emma Swift – Blonde on the Tracks”
In summer I always crave a big sugary country pop album – one that has ambition, blends contemporary sounds with quality songwriting and real personality. Last year Maren’s ‘Girl’ did the trick and this summer that album is ‘Heart Theory’ by Lindsay Ell. I’ve always admired Lindsay as a rare mainstream artist in the country genre who is known equally for her guitar playing as her vocals. It really depresses me to see women putting their instruments aside to appeal to the mainstream charts. So I am happy to report that this new album ‘Heart Theory’ sounds a million times better than most big Nashville pop releases because of Ell’s fantastic guitar riffs. Continue reading “Album Review: Lindsay Ell – Heart Theory”
Having previously worked as a cellist for Brandi Carlile, Sam Rae now releases her third solo record Ten Thousand Years. Her producer is Jacob James, another member of Carlisle’s band, and together they have recorded songs which showcase Rae’s thoughtful songwriting voice. Continue reading “Album Review: Sam Rae – Ten Thousand Years”
Samantha Crain releases her new record after a time of personal turmoil which included physical injuries that left her unable to play her instrument. These challenging circumstances inspired her new album ‘A Small Death’ – creating a distinctive musical style that is atmospheric, dark and hauntingly beautiful. Continue reading “Album Review: Samantha Crain – A Small Death”
I started listening to this album on a cloudy summer’s day, with rain brewing in the stormy afternoon skies. As Courtney sang Some days are good, some days are bad / some days we want what we once had / some days I talk myself into a lie, I smiled in wry understanding. She might have been singing about the break up of a long term relationship which inspired this gorgeous new album Old Flowers but the words meant so much more now. On the cover she’s pensive as the sky darkens behind her; it’s almost like she knew this year would be spent in the shadows of what our lives could have been. As the songs swept their way across my living room in a sigh of sadness I admired their fragile perfection even more deeply knowing what we’ve all been through to get here. Continue reading “Album Review: Courtney Marie Andrews – Old Flowers”
In my opinion what is sometimes missing in the Americana music scene is a little bit of extra sass and swagger – too often artists will make beautiful music but they don’t really imprint themselves too much on the listener. In contrast Caitlin Cannon’s The Trashcannon Album has enough personality to make even the drunkest honky tonk angel sober up and take notice. Continue reading “Album Review: Caitlin Cannon – The Trashcannon Album”
