a music blog about women in Americana & beyond
This week the stars of the TV show Nashville are in Britain to tour. Take a look at these venues – Royal Albert Hall, Birmingham Arena, Glasgow Hydro – these have huge capacities and most of these shows are selling well. It seems ludicrous, really, considering none of the people on this bill have ever had a hit song or even released a successful album of their own. Continue reading “The Problem With ‘Nashville Live’”
‘It was the 3rd of June, another sleepy, dusty, Delta day,’ sings Bobbie Gentry in the opening of her most famous song Ode to Billie Joe, setting the scene for one of music’s most elusive mysteries. This song and the album of the same name is the topic of a book by Tara Murtha in her contribution to the 33 1/3 series about significant albums, published by Bloomsbury. Murtha explores both the recording and release of this album, alongside the life and eventual disappearance of Bobbie Gentry herself. Continue reading “Bobbie Gentry and the Power of Mystery”
Gentle Giants could not be a more fitting title for this album of sweet country classics made famous by Don Williams. The singers on this record have covered these songs with a simple softness and together this album has enough charm to reach straight up to the heavens. Continue reading “Album Review – Gentle Giants: The Songs of Don Williams”
Nowadays in popular music escapism is the name of the game. Songs are often nothing more than an attempt to make the listener feel good – even ballads are autotuned and polished to perfection. Raw emotion is no longer acceptable.
But look at the world. Look at all the terrible things that are happening. More than ever we need to hear songs that tell us the real stories of people’s lives – of their heartbreak and pain and suffering. These songs are still out there, but you won’t hear them much on the radio or at award shows. When Miranda Lambert stepped up to sing Tin Man at the ACM awards she said it was a ‘risk’ but it was a performance which proved that sad songs still have the most power. Continue reading “Why ‘Tin Man’ Is The Sad Song We Need Right Now”
There’s something refreshingly different about Jade Jackson’s version of country music. Her debut album Gilded mixes a little punk rock and motorcycle roars alongside the slide guitar and violins. Somehow it seems to work perfectly – after all some hell’s angels wore cowboy boots, didn’t they? Continue reading “Album Review: Jade Jackson – Gilded”
Liz Rose, a successful Nashville-based songwriter, only started writing in her late thirties and never planned on becoming a singer. Her debut album, Swimming Alone, is a collection of endearing songs which proves that it’s never too late to find your own voice. Continue reading “Album Review: Liz Rose – Swimming Alone”
The simple black and white photograph of Lillie Mae on cover of this record is striking for all the right reasons. It commands us to notice the distinctive style of this artist and remember her face. Stepping out from the shadows of both her family band and her employer turned producer Jack White might be daunting but her eyes and the songs on Forever and Then Some tell you she’s more than ready.
Continue reading “Album Review: Lillie Mae – Forever and Then Some”
Country music is steeped in stories of poverty and heartbreak. These simple, everyday experiences sung to us by Dolly, Johnny, Loretta et al gave the genre its reputation for three chords and the truth. Of course these artists turned dirt into gold, selling millions and buying themselves mansions, ranches, theme parks even. What happens to the rest of the singers who don’t make it? How do you cope with the realisation that no matter how good a musician or singer you are, no matter how much you bleed into the lyrics you are never going to be a mainstream success? This difficult question is addressed head on in Angaleena Presley’s sophomore album, Wrangled.
Continue reading “Album Review: Angaleena Presley – Wrangled”
Assigning artists to genres has always been an important music marketing strategy but now it seems even more vital to an artist’s success. Only by targeting your audience can you be heard amongst the constant chatter of the online world. Only by finding your genre will you discover the right people and publications to support you. In some ways this is also the reason why music has become so homogenised. If your sound doesn’t fit into the pop realm then major publications won’t cover you and the average music listener won’t find you. So it is refreshing to hear Valerie June’s The Order of Time, an album which has so many diverse influences and clearly couldn’t care less what genre it doesn’t fit into.
Continue reading “Album Review: Valerie June – The Order of Time”
Highway Queens 