If you’re looking for some Christmas gifts this year then one glance through the Celtic Connections schedule will leave you overwhelmed by choice. Last year Omicron decimated the usually strong Americana programme, leaving only a few overseas artists playing the funded Transatlantic Sessions. Thankfully this year they have been able to return to a more normal looking schedule, with the festival celebrating its 30th year and offering a diverse array of artists across genres for every kind of roots music fan.
Continue reading “Celtic Connections 2023 Preview”Album Review: Lizzie No – Vanity
On her engaging second album Vanity, New York’s Lizzie No expands her sound and contemplates themes such as doomed love and loneliness. Continue reading “Album Review: Lizzie No – Vanity”
E.P. Review: Caroline Reese – Two Horses
One of my favourite ways to find new music is to see who some of my favourite artists are working or touring with. So when I reviewed Lizzie No’s album earlier this year I also discovered her friend and fellow musician Caroline Reese, who writes the kind of gorgeous indie alt-country songs they call Americana nowadays. Caroline has opened for artists like Brandi Carlile, Chris Stapleton and Ray Wylie Hubbard. Her new E.P. Two Horses consists of four stripped back new songs which tell the story of her recent move to Montana and her life as a struggling musician. Continue reading “E.P. Review: Caroline Reese – Two Horses “
Album Review: Lizzie No – Hard Won
Lizzie No grew up singing in her church choir before discovering Dylan and learning to play his songs on the harp. Her debut album Hard Won takes these musical influences and combines them with a poetic lyricism that impresses throughout. Continue reading “Album Review: Lizzie No – Hard Won”