Lately I’ve been listening to and writing about the sound of ambient country music. I guess it’s the state of the world – but quieter, more ruminative and relaxing sounds have become even more important than ever of late. There are the traditional ambient go-to’s such as Eno, Harold Budd, Jon Hassall, Williams Basinski and … Continue reading
Sarah Jarosz World On The Ground Rounder Records Conservatorium-trained musicians should always be approached with caution. Sure they have an A-grade level of music theory and playing expertise but sometimes that can come at the expense of heart and soul and the requisite rawness that so often makes folk and country music so compelling. On … Continue reading
Willie Nelson First Rose Of Spring Sony Music Willie Nelson just keeps on keeping on, churning out albums more regularly than artists a quarter of his age. Invariably they all hit the mark too, based on song selection, the worldly and weary tone of Nelson’s voice and his trusty six-string sidekick Trigger. First Rose of … Continue reading
The Jayhawks XOXO Thirty Tigers / Cooking Vinyl Australia It’s album number 11 for the Minnesotan band, still led by Gary Louris who has endured line-up changes and a five year hiatus through the band’s 35 year career. XOXO is The Jayhawks’ fourth album since they reunited in 2009 and it finds them still mining … Continue reading
Steve Earle & The Dukes Ghosts Of West Virginia New West Records The first sound you hear on Steve Earle’s new album is his solo voice, all gravel and grit as he leads a group chant which sits somewhere between the church and the railroad. It sets the scene magnificently for an album of songs … Continue reading
Courtney Marie Andrews Old Flowers Fat Possum Records / Inertia The evolution of one of the most consistently rewarding songwriters in recent years continues with this devastating treatise and rumination on heartbreak, despair and emotional renewal. Courtney Marie Andrews has taken the tried and true subject of the end of a long-term relationship and bled … Continue reading
JAIME WYATT NEON CROSS New West Records Back in 2017, Jaime hit the scene via her Felony Blues EP which documented her rocky road through drug addiction and jail time. She’s taken that statement of honest and raw songwriting and put her name up in lights with its exceptional followup Neon Cross. Produced by Shooter … Continue reading
New York quartet Echo Bloom recently released ‘Three Little Birds‘, the opening track from their forthcoming new album Wake. The song caught our ear immediately with its Iron & Wine and Calexico sound that incorporates a wonderful junk shop percussive quality that Tom Waits would be proud of. There’s also a wonderful emotive wail courtesy … Continue reading
D.C Cross Terabithian No Drums Records Bridge To Terabithia is a 1977 novel (and 2007 film) about two kids who discover an abandoned treehouse and create their own fantasy world to escape the trauma of their daily lives. Darren Cross has dialled into his own sonic Terabithia, in this unprecedented time of upheaval, and created … Continue reading
With her famous surname and the album’s opening shimmering tremolo guitar chords you’d think you were in for a straight country trip. There’s certainly a strong country streak, of the Nikki Lane kind, that runs through Walking Proof, but just as equally there’s an indie rock aesthetic that runs from Liz Phair to Jenny Lewis … Continue reading
Lucinda Williams Good Souls Better Angels Highway 20 / Cooking Vinyl Australia After a year spent looking back with her Car Wheels On A Gravel Road 20th anniversary tour, Lucinda Williams has now turned her mind to the modern world in the here and now, from internal battles of individuals to the heartless idiocy of … Continue reading
Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit Reunions Caroline Australia Jason Isbell cemented himself in the pantheon of 21st century songwriters with his Southeastern album in 2013. Since then he’s continued to release strong records but Reunions stands as his most consistent set of songs to date. Sure it might not have the exquisite emotional songwriting … Continue reading
Brandon Dodd What A Way To Die Independent ‘Absolute’, the opening track on Brandon Dodd’s debut solo album sets a high standard with its warmth and intimacy, a wonderful blend of country, folk and heart-on-sleeve soul. The subtlety and restraint in the guitar playing and Dodd’s voice introduce a solo artist who has treaded the … Continue reading
John Moreland LP5 Old Omens/Thirty Tigers John Moreland is a master of melancholy, a chronicler of the downhearted and down on their luck, with his weathered and worn ache of a voice. He has a knack for delivering maximum emotional impact from minimal window dressing in his songs and he’s as much a soul singer … Continue reading
Tami Neilson Chickaboom! Outside Music/Neilson Records On her latest album, Canadian-Kiwi Tami Neilson strips things right back to the core essence of song, rhythm and particularly a spotlight on her exceptional voice. Her focus was to record the songs as they would sound on stage, as performed by a three-piece band – her current preference … Continue reading
