Missed some great music in January? Check out the RGM Spotify playlist.

January was a busy month at RGM with loads of news, new albums and tours announced. If you've missed anything, or just have a hunger to check out some new music, why not take a listen to our first Spotify Playlist that showcases artists featured during the month.

2018 got off to a great start with the arrival of the first EP by Walker McGuire and continued with strong releases from Glen Hansard, Mary Gauthier, Althea Grace and the debut from Dane Joneshill. Amongst the newcomers featured in January were folk duo Percival Elliott who bought us 'Forever' which bodes well for an upcoming album and multi-national country/pop duo O&O released a new single. Elsewhere Norwegian Torgeir Waldemar won't release his new album in the UK until March but for those of you who prefer things with a little more rock edge 'Streets' should fit the bill. On the soundtrack front, 'American Folk' looks like a cool film and the soundtrack is folktastic. January concluded for RGM with a trip down to Islington Assembly Hall to catch Deer Tick play two sets, one quiet and one not so quiet which was pretty cool. February is just around the corner and who knows what'll turn up, all I do know is a new favourite song/artist is waiting to be discovered.

Featured Album Reviews @ RGM

Apr 10, 2019

Glen Hansard - This Wild Willing (Album Review)

Apr 10, 2019

After three lauded solo records and countless packed-out shows across the globe, Glen Hansard has amassed laurels aplenty upon which to rest if he were that way inclined. Thankfully, it would appear he is not, as This Wild Willing represents a decisive step forward in the post-Once career of the onetime Frames frontman as he eases off on the Van Morrisonisms he’s become synonymous with and begins re-engaging with the boundary-pushing of his earlier work.

Apr 10, 2019

Apr 9, 2019

Animal Drive - Back To The Roots EP (Album Review)

Apr 9, 2019

I’ve had an extended break from reviewing hard rock, although as a genre it remains my first love. There is a cynicism that comes with age and I simply struggle to get excited about most new releases. I find myself shaking my head (like the old man I am) and coming to the predictable but inevitable conclusion that they just don’t make rock records like they used to. I suspect that a similar sentiment was the starting point for Animal Drive’s new covers EP Back to the Roots.

Apr 9, 2019

Apr 8, 2019

Field Guide - Full Time EP (Album Review)

Apr 8, 2019

One of the most welcome surprises to land in the RGM inbox this week is the new self-produced EP from Field Guide. Hailing from Manitoba, Canada, Field Guide is the brainchild of singer-songwriter Dylan MacDonald and Full Time is a beautifully hushed quartet of thoughtfully written, warmly delivered songs of heartbreak, loss and leaving. Artists trading in confessional acoustic intimacy are pretty easy to come by but what sets Field Guide apart from the crowd is the lyrical quality and the careful, understated execution in what they do. Rather than wallowing in regret, the songs take a more philosophical path, which oddly makes this record feel more like a pick-me-up than a drag-me-down. The songs are sad but matter-of-fact; sober but wry.

Apr 8, 2019

Mar 19, 2019

JD Simo - Off At 11 (Album Review)

Mar 19, 2019

Nashville-based singer and guitarist JD Simo is currently touring the UK (March 2019) with guitar great Tommy Emmanuel CGP so his credentials as a guitarist will not be in question. I’d incorrectly assumed that JD was a straight-ahead bluesman; an assumption blown out of the water by ‘Off At 11’. The blues play a major part in JD’s sound but jazz fans and psychedelic rockers will find much to enjoy as JD and his terrific band; Adam Abrashoff (drums) and bass player Luke Easterling play up a storm on a freewheeling set that owes as big a debt to Miles Davis and The Grateful Dead as it does the Lightnin’ Hopkins and BB King.

Mar 19, 2019

Mar 14, 2019

David Ian Roberts - Travelling Bright (Album Review)

Mar 14, 2019

It’s not often we come across a record as carefully crafted as Travelling Bright, the second full-length release from Welshman David Ian Roberts. It is an album in the truest sense - a journey - an immersive and hypnotic journey into a glittering world of acoustic delights. Travelling Bright is designed to be taken in at one sitting and is therefore fittingly available as a double LP, and if you’ve an hour to spare, not only could it take you places, it could also help you fall back in love with the forgotten act of sitting still and listening to some nice vinyl.

Mar 14, 2019