Sal Kimber has taken the expansive, soulful route through country and pop music on her new album. With a strong backing band sparkling and shimmering with keyboards and some fine guitar playing it is certainly a warm, breezy and welcoming record that steers clear of the Nashville clichés and instead rides the more commercial currents … Continue reading
We’ve long championed Davey Craddock ever since we heard the brilliant single ‘Keep On Waiting’ back in 2012. The good news is that his debut album City West is ready for release on Feb 5th via MGM. Below you can check out the beautiful and haunting new single ‘Peaceful Bay’ with Craddock’s emotive and soaring voice trailing across the … Continue reading
The middle of the 1960s was a turbulent time culturally. Collars were loosening, hair was growing and music was changing at a rapid rate as rock ’n’ roll began to explore its possibilities aided by free thinking and stimulants. Dylan was the poster boy, the artist out front pushing the limits with a wild surrealistic … Continue reading
Neil Young continues his archival Performance Series releases, this time chronicling the latter part of the ‘80s which for many fans was a head scratching and frustrating period. On the back of the This Note’s For You album he hit the road with a full band including organ and horn section, applying that sound to … Continue reading
I found myself immersed in Americana music much more than other genres in 2015 and as such I ended up with a large list of great albums to whittle down to the 40 you’ll find below. They’re all worthy of a listen, ranging from excellent to brilliant and they cover all bases – from … Continue reading
Given our general focus on Americana music in this part of the world we thought we’d publish our favourite local releases from Australia and New Zealand in 2015. Some of these will also appear in our main Americana albums of the year list but until then, here are local folk who released music that caught … Continue reading
The Felice Brothers have just released a digital 5-track EP for the festive season. The EP is $5.00 (US) and net proceeds from its sale will be donated to the Food Bank of The Hudson Valley. The band have also announced they’ll be released a new full length album in 2016. Felice Navidad Track Listing: Carriage The Dollar Store … Continue reading
I first heard Lo Carmen’s music on her 2009 album It Walks Like Love and was immediately taken by her ability to weave beautiful, otherworldly sounds out of indie rock, dark psych folk and dreamy gothic country. A solo EP and a collaborative album with her father Peter Head later and Carmen has finally released … Continue reading
Lyttleton is fast becoming the ground zero for contemporary country and folk music in New Zealand. From Marlon Williams to Aldous Harding, Tami Neilson to Julia Jacklin, The Sitting Room has been perfectly capturing New Zealand music for over a decade now and the latest album to emerge from the studio is singer/songwriter Nadia Reid‘s. … Continue reading
A long time between drinks for Keith Richards solo albums, the last one was 23 years ago, and he’s even used the same band for this checklist of the usual ragged blues, low slung rock ’n’ roll and even a dodgy Gregory Isaacs reggae cover. That aside, the quality quota is high across the board. … Continue reading
On her tenth album Patty Griffin dives deep into the mysteries of love and nature, soundtracked by an organic and smokey mix of blues, jazz, folk and country noir. She possesses the kind of sultry tone that suggests hidden meaning, raw emotion and bruised romance. Songs snake and meander by, woven around drones and mantra-like … Continue reading
Papa Pilko & The Binrats come charging out of the gate with ‘On Your Own’ and lay down a rip-roaring swampy blues-funk testimonial that sets the scene for the rest of their debut album. Tried and true influences are at play but the way the band combines them is a winning formula. John Lee Hooker, Tom … Continue reading
Lachlan Bryan is one of those artists that straddles the worlds of commercial and alt. country, equally comfortable in Tamworth or an inner-city bar. The Mountain finds him exploring a more soulful sound complete with weeping pedal steel, fiddle, piano and shuffling drums. The emotional quota is high and generally hits the mark as Bryan … Continue reading
Their name may be a bit misleading as this is more of a breezy country sound than hillbilly music of the traditional kind but Jemma Rowlands and her Clifton Hillbillies still execute their take on country music with catchy melodic verve. Pedal steel, banjo and fiddle decorate these bittersweet songs that walk the on the … Continue reading
Four albums into her solo career, Suzannah Espie continues to mine the soulful and personal side of folk and country music. That she does so with such honesty and directness whilst still blending subtlety and beautiful melodies reinforces her standing as one of this country’s finest singer/songwriters. Espie has tackled the subject of motherhood on … Continue reading
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