Seth Lakeman featuring Wildwood Kin - Ballads Of The Broken Few (Album Review)

September 15, 2016 by David Vousden in Acoustic, Folk, Singer-Songwriter, Album Reviews

Sometimes a project just has a way of coming together and the superb new album from Seth Lakeman is a case in point. When Seth met Wildwood Kin at a charity event he was struck by the ability of the trio (sisters Emillie and Beth Key and their cousin Meghann Loney) to effortlessly create harmonies. One roughly recorded demo on a mobile phone of Seth and the girls singing together enticed famed producer Ethan Johns (Ryan Adams, Kings Of Leon, Paul McCartney) to get involved and the result is a sublime combination of strident instrumentation and delicious vocal harmonies.

Ian Hunter & The Rant Band - Fingers Crossed (Album Review)

September 07, 2016 by David Vousden in Classic Rock, Singer-Songwriter, Album Reviews

Ian Hunter can trace his career back to the late 1950’s but has demonstrated absolutely no signs of slowing down his touring schedule (UK tour dates are booked for November) and even less signs of a drop in quality with ‘Fingers Crossed’ his first album since ‘When I’m President’ received great reviews in 2012. Opener ‘That’s When The Trouble Starts’ is a rollicking, ramshackle barroom brawl of a tune that shows that Hunter is in no mood to retire to a life of watching daytime TV in his slippers just yet and for that fans of quality tunesmiths can be very grateful.

Ruth Theodore - Cactacus (Album Review)

September 02, 2016 by Rich Barnard in Folk, Singer-Songwriter, Album Reviews

It’s been a decade since I first heard Ruth Theodore. I remember a tiny girl playing in a tiny bar in Kentish Town to a tiny crowd. Nonetheless, she made a big impression. It was rare, at that time, to find a female singer-songwriter who wasn’t all insipid waif and whimsy (thanks, Dido) and Ruth Theodore, although blessed with a beautiful voice, backed it up with amazingly accomplished guitar skills, songs of substance and huge onstage cojones. It felt like I’d stumbled upon Britain’s answer to Ani DiFranco, because, basically, I had. She’s been a mainstay of the London circuit ever since and, living on a narrowboat deep in the East End, she’s a genuine troubadour of the capital. I’m very heartened to discover that with her fourth album, Theodore has matured but lost none of her youthful bite. Listeners ought to beware, Cactacus is a record with spikes.

Lydia Loveless - Real (Album Review)

August 23, 2016 by David Vousden in Alt-Country, Americana, Singer-Songwriter, Album Reviews

Hard to believe but ‘Real’ is the fourth album from Ohio native Lydia Loveless and she’s still only 25. On previous Bloodshot album releases Loveless has been compared to country and rock royalty in Loretta Lynn and Stevie Nicks alongside highly influential alt-rock pioneers The Replacements (needless to say with The Replacements name checked there are guitars on this record…actually that should read… there are GUITARS on this record). The album was recorded close to home at Sonic Lounge Studios in Columbus, Ohio with Joe Viers (Dr John, Twenty One Pilots) her regular producer and the result is a very fine record indeed.

Terra Lightfoot - Every Time My Mind Runs Wild (Album Review)

August 18, 2016 by David Vousden in Album Reviews, Classic Rock, Americana, Folk, Singer-Songwriter

Hamilton, Ontario singer and guitarist Terra Lightfoot is clearly intent on making a statement with the release of ‘Every Time My Mind Runs Wild’ the subdued vibe of her debut album, released back in 2011, is but a distant memory. For her sophomore release a new band has been enlisted and producers Gus Van Go & Werner F, best known for their work with The Stills, are behind the desk. The result is a strident rock record that manages to successfully perform the delicate balancing act of maintaining Terra Lightfoot’s roots, soul and blues influences while adding a catchy pop sensibility.

The Cadillac Three - Bury Me In My Boots (Album Review)

August 04, 2016 by David Vousden in Classic Rock, Country, Southern Rock, Album Reviews

Hailing from Nashville, Tennessee The Cadillac Three are perhaps an unlikely act to be enjoying success this side of the pond. The trio employ a sound that appeals to Southern rockers and country fans alike but historically this has proved a hard sell in the UK. For TC3 this has not been an issue as they’ve been incredibly well received and built an increasingly ardent following with a run of impressive festival slots and headline shows at increasingly larger venues. The release of new long-player ‘Bury Me In My Boots’ and a UK tour, that will include a show at Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London, is confirmation that the guys are on a roll. The band are here to have a good time, turn the music up and crack open the Tennessee Whiskey which kinda helps and definitely works for me.

Darlingside - Birds Say (Album Review)

July 11, 2016 by Rich Barnard in Folk, Acoustic, Album Reviews

It’s little wonder that Darlingside’s quad-vocal acoustic loveliness has had glowing reviews back home in Massachusetts, with critics comparing them to the legendary likes of Crosby Stills, Nash & Young and Simon & Garfunkel. Even though their sound is heavily informed by these godfathers of acoustic music, Darlingside are much more than just hippy throwbacks. Amid the bliss of the mandolin, banjo, lush acoustic guitars and strings, more contemporary heavyweights Iron & Wine, Fleet Foxes and Nickel Creek are all brought to mind as well. Birds Say gets a UK release on July 15th (the band already having released an EP and debut album Pilot Machines in the US) and they will be playing a short UK tour at the end of this month starting with a slot at the Cambridge Folk festival.

Blue October - Home (Album Review)

June 29, 2016 by Rich Barnard in Alternative Rock, Album Reviews

The last time I saw Blue October was at a packed-out London show in support of their 2011 album Any Man In America. To describe their live show as intense would be a serious understatement. Ferocious would be more appropriate. Petrifying would be accurate. The band’s sound was immense and frontman Justin Furstenfeld’s performance dripped with barely contained visceral rage as the album’s songs played out the bitter tales of broken family life and all its attendant carnage. It comes as something of a shock then that ‘Home,’ their new single from the release of the same name, paints a picture of total domestic bliss.

Ben Abraham - Sirens (Album Review)

June 16, 2016 by David Vousden in Singer-Songwriter, Pop, Folk, Album Reviews

Way back at the beginning of the year and my day started, as usual, with a trawl through my inbox when I discovered the link (cheers Jay) to a video entitled ‘You and Me’ by Australian singer-songwriter Ben Abraham. The video put together by the very clever people at Production Company Oh Yeah Wow is visually stunning, the set decoration / lighting in the final third really is a thing of beauty. The video perfectly complements the song and it really caught my attention. I had no clue who Ben Abraham was but I was keen to find out.

Mikko Joensuu - Amen 1 (Album Review)

June 09, 2016 by David Vousden in Country, Folk, Singer-Songwriter, Album Reviews

“Sometimes it feels like darkness has taken over. I know sometimes it feels that hope’s just not there” are the opening two lines of ‘Enjoy It While It Lasts’ from ‘Amen 1’ the debut solo album from Mikko Joensuu. Needless to say when you match the lyrics to plaintive pedal steel, gently picked acoustic guitar and the swell of strings it’s obvious that Mikko Joensuu is dealing with some seriously weighty issues. The fact that the track has an incredibly stark, raw beauty to compliment the melancholy marks ‘Amen 1’ as the beginning of something a little bit special.

Aukai - S.T. (Album Review)

June 02, 2016 by David Vousden in Instrumental, Ambient, Album Reviews

The press release for the debut Aukai album tells us “Aukai is a Hawaiian word meaning seafarer or traveller. It’s also used as a proper name, and people who are called “Aukai" tend to have a mystical, philosophical, introspective nature.” Aukai aka Markus Sieber lives up to the ideals of the name and takes us on an introspective, aural journey that allows your imagination to decide where you are going and why.

Andy Shauf - The Party (Album Review).

May 16, 2016 by Rich Barnard in Alternative Rock, Singer-Songwriter, Folk, Album Reviews

With 2015’s self-recorded and highly acclaimed The Bearer of Bad News, Andy Shauf put himself firmly on the musical map, playing all the instruments and recording the album single-handedly. Barely more than a year later, here he is with The Party, his debut release for ANTI- and it’s a very impressive thing. As I write, Shauf is quite deservedly being exposed to a wider audience, supporting The Lumineers on their current European tour.

T'Pau - Bridge Of Spies Remastered Expanded Edition (Album Review)

November 18, 2015 by David Vousden in Pop, 80s, Album Reviews

From the outside looking in the T'Pau story seems to bear all the hallmarks of an overnight success story. The band formed in Shropshire in the UK in 1986 and by mid 1987 they were signed to a major label and recording their debut album with legendary producer Roy Thomas Baker (Queen, The Cars, Journey). Despite the power of a major label and an A-list producer twiddling the knobs initially things were a little slow as ‘Heart and Soul’ failed to chart in the UK. The fortunes of the band would change when the single was featured in an ad for Pepe jeans resulting in a huge hit in the USA. A UK re-release would provide the band with their first hit before ‘China in Your Hand’ would spend five weeks at the top of the UK charts. Oddly the success of ‘China’ was not repeated to the same level in America despite it seemingly having all the prerequisite power ballad credentials to be massive.

Annie Keating - Make Believing (Album Review)

December 11, 2014 by Rich Barnard in Americana, Singer-Songwriter, Album Reviews

For many of us, myself included, this will be our introduction to Annie Keating, but it is in fact her sixth self-released CD. Originally from Boston, Keating relocated to New York in 1992 and is one of the thousands of excellent, if relatively undiscovered, singer-songwriters doing their troubadour thing, under the radar.

Run Boy Run - Something To Someone (Album Review)

December 09, 2014 by David Vousden in Folk, Country, Americana, Album Reviews

Run Boy Run features brother and sister Matt Rolland (fiddle, guitar) and Grace Rolland (cello, vocals), sisters Bekah Sandoval Rolland (fiddle, vocals) and Jen Sandoval (mandolin, vocals) with bass player Jesse Allen completing the quintet. ‘Something To Someone’ is their second album and was recorded at Bear Creek Studios in Woodinville, WA with producers Ryan Hadlock (The Lumineers) and Jerry Streeter (Brandi Carlile). The band may call Tucson, Arizona home but their acoustic blend of Bluegrass, Folk and Americana seems firmly rooted some 2000 miles across country in the sounds of the Appalachian South and is a treat for fans of traditional American music.

Fraser Anderson - Little Glass Box (Album Review)

November 30, 2014 by David Vousden in Folk, Singer-Songwriter, Album Reviews

Scottish singer-songwriter Fraser Anderson learnt his trade as a touring vocalist with Dougie MacLean OBE the Scottish institution best known for his song ‘Caledonia’. Anderson would go on to a solo career that commenced with a debut album ‘and the girl with the strawberry…’ released as far back as 2004 with the follow up ‘Coming Up For Air’ praised by Bob Harris no less in 2007. This decade of musical exploration has seen Anderson share the stage with such diverse talents as Joan Armatrading and rock legend Chuck Berry. Despite these achievements Anderson surprisingly still falls into the best kept secret category. It is even more surprising when you hear ‘Little Glass Box’.

Harem Scarem - Thirteen (Album Review)

November 28, 2014 by Rich Barnard in AOR, Classic Rock, Album Reviews, Melodic Rock

Canadian band Harem Scarem released their major label debut way back in 1991, an innocuous yet superbly crafted melodic rock record which was quietly well-received. They then went on to produce, to my mind, two of the very finest albums in the history of the genre: the seminal Mood Swings from 1993 (which was harder and took more chances than the debut) and 1995’s Voice of Reason, a record that was so forward-thinking many AOR buffs just couldn’t take it. Both were exquisite releases for different reasons: Mood Swings was genre-defining; Voice of Reason was genre-busting. When you’ve achieved this much with your first few releases, it’s fairly impossible to keep blowing people’s minds. As a result, Harem Scarem have found their early fanbase hard to please ever since. I have to confess that, as Harem Scarem’s career continued with a prolific stream of strong, if much safer, releases, I lost interest. In fact, I stopped paying attention somewhere around 2002’s Weight of The World, and barely even noticed that the band officially ceased to be in 2008. That said, I very much enjoyed the anniversary edition of a re-recorded Mood Swings, released last year, and its three new studio tracks revealed a band that had really benefitted from the five years off.

Michelle Lewis - The Parts Of Us That Still Remain (Album Review)

November 24, 2014 by David Vousden in Folk, Pop, Country, Singer-Songwriter, Album Reviews

If may have taken a decade for Michelle Lewis to release her second full length album but some things are worth waiting for and ‘The Parts Of Us That Still Remain’ which was self-released earlier this year in the USA will finally see the light of day in Europe on December 1st, 2014. The album was recorded in North Chelmsford, MA and at the Paramount Recording Studios in Los Angeles owned by her long-time collaborator Anthony J. Resta who co-produced the album with Lewis.

Various - Elements Of Frictions (Album Review)

November 21, 2014 by David Vousden in AOR, Melodic Rock, Album Reviews, Classic Rock

Lions Pride Music is a new label based in Denmark and their mission statement is to bring back some of the lost voices to the AOR / Melodic Rock scene. A new label is always to be welcomed especially in these difficult times for the music business. The first release on the label is a sampler that dips into the past and also offers something new entitled ‘Elements Of Frictions’ and it will be released December 15th 2014 on CD and Digital formats.

Satin - Satin (Album Review)

November 04, 2014 by David Vousden in AOR, Melodic Rock, Classic Rock, Album Reviews

Norwegian singer-songwriter-guitarist Satin is best known for an album of KISS cover tunes ‘A Million to One’ that received great reviews a few years back. The album was released free on the net and is essential for all KISS fans. The great thing about that album is Satin was happy to reinterpret the tracks in different and interesting ways, which I will always find more interesting that just trying to redo the originals.