Daniel Champagne is a true troubadour, racking up countless live solo shows each year — both in Australia and internationally. Here he’s attempted to bottle the lightening that happens on stage yet, devoid of a live audience, there is often a sense of emptiness to the album making it something of a one-way musical street. Champagne’s virtuosity, … Continue reading
For the last few years William Crighton has been building a strong buzz around his songs and live performances – both solo and with his band. Finally we see the fruition of his songwriting and recording with this mesmerising debut album. There’s a dark weight to Crighton’s music, both in subject matter and delivery, with … Continue reading
This is the first album in over a decade for the legendary country music singer and it finds her surveying a life in music with new versions of classics such as Fist City and Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven, covers and new duets with Elvis Costello and Willie Nelson. Lynn sounds in surprisingly strong … Continue reading
South Australian Chris Altmann, now based in Canada, continues to hone his songwriting craft and guitar playing on this, his third solo album. There are dips into traditional West Coast sounding country rock, barroom honky tonk and pastoral folk rock in this varied journey through American roots music. Altmann is entirely convincing and comfortable with … Continue reading
Melbourne alt-country and folk duo The Weeping Willows recorded their sophomore album in Los Angeles and as such it has a lived-in, warm and lush sound. Their authenticity and craft as singers, as songwriters and in Andrew Wriggleworth’s sublime guitar playing makes this a hypnotic and alluring album. They’ve taken a detour down some darker and … Continue reading
Mia Dyson hit a fine songwriting streak on her last full length Idyllwild and she continues that here, especially the EP’s first single Tearing Up The Lawn. It’s a carefree, big and bold wash of rock guitar and an ineffable chorus hook. Elsewhere she finds great emotion and beauty in the more restrained corners of … Continue reading
Mark Lucas has been a prolific songwriter in the alt-country realm for a number of decades now, as leader of the Dead Setters, member of 90s group The Parwills and as a solo artist. His latest release with band The Dead Setters finds the group loosening their shoulders and opening up into a more eclectic … Continue reading
It’s been a long time coming but West Australian Davey Craddock has finally released his debut album and it’s as equally as impressive as the string of singles he’s released over the last few years. Sitting in the realm of soulful Americana music, City West is a beautifully recorded collection of songs that evoke emotional … Continue reading
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
John Flanagan went straight to the source for his new album – Nashville TN, where he used producer Viktor Krauss and some of the city’s finest session players to bring his melancholic songs to life on this classic-sounding Americana record. Flanagan has a smooth, familiar vocal sound reminiscent of Ron Sexsmith and John Fullbright and … Continue reading
Lucinda Williams has enjoying a wellspring of creativity in the last few years with her critically acclaimed and award-winning double album Down Where The Spirit Meets The Bone (2013) and now yet another double album in The Ghosts Of Highway 20. The key to prolific output is making sure the quality never drops off and … 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
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