Tag: americana

Album Review: Beth Bombara – Evergreen

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” →

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The Highwomen Are Finally Here! Thoughts On ‘Redesigning Women’

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’” →

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Album Review: Jade Jackson – Wilderness

In a recent article for The Bluegrass Situation, Jade Jackson spoke about the central theme of her new album: ‘Loneliness is something I’ve experienced as long as I can remember…I naturally gravitated toward music that evoked that feeling and when I started writing and creating art, it was my biggest inspiration.’ Wilderness take us to some lonely places, exploring her inner turmoil and channeling her influences to create an emotionally cathartic collection of songs. Continue reading “Album Review: Jade Jackson – Wilderness” →

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Album Review: Mavis Staples – We Get By

For Mavis Staples’s 80th birthday the great and the good from across the musical spectrum came together in three concerts that celebrated the legacy of an artist who has been bringing light to the world for decades and shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. As a force for harmony and unity there are few who can touch her. She’s skateboarding her way into the twilight of her career with more confidence than ever. Continue reading “Album Review: Mavis Staples – We Get By” →

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Live Review: Yola with Lady Nade @ St Luke’s, Glasgow

Since the release of her solo album Walk Through Fire earlier this year Yola has been winning fans and admirers on both sides of the Atlantic. As well as support from Radio 2, she has been receiving rave reviews across the board and will tour later in the year supporting Kacey Musgraves.

As everyone took their seats on the gorgeous spring evening there was a real buzz of anticipation and happiness in the air. St Luke’s is the best venue in Glasgow – the church acoustics never fail to showcase a singer to the best of their ability. Continue reading “Live Review: Yola with Lady Nade @ St Luke’s, Glasgow” →

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Album Review: Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi – there is no Other

Rhiannon Giddens collects songs, instruments and stories from all through history and synthesises them perfectly with her modern musical purpose. She believes in teaching us the failings of the past, to better understand our present. On her new album she has paired up with Italian virtuoso musician Francesco Turrisi, someone who shares her connection with folk music history, with his expertise in Islamic, Mediterranean and eastern styles. By pairing together on this album ‘there is no Other‘ (capitalisation deliberate) they want to show that no matter where we come from we are all one voice, one history, one future.

Continue reading “Album Review: Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi – there is no Other” →

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Album Review: Joy Williams – Front Porch

After the dramatic dissolution of her band The Civil Wars, Joy Williams seemed like an artist searching for herself. Before those fractious and fiery albums of absorbing Americana she had been a contemporary gospel singer, offering polite pop prayers. To many fans unfamiliar with her earlier work, her 2015 solo synth pop album ‘Venus’ sounded not just a like an evolution of her sound but an entirely different artist. So this new album ‘Front Porch’ is a welcome reset of her musical style and a quiet return to form. Continue reading “Album Review: Joy Williams – Front Porch” →

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