As well as working tirelessly putting together festivals such as The Gum Ball and Dashville Skyline on his family property in the Hunter Valley of NSW, Matt ‘Magpie’ Johnson also finds time to write music with Magpie Diaries. Sanctuary is their debut album and finds them inhabiting a sweet spot right at the nexus of … Continue reading
Yesterday we revealed our favourite 2018 local releases from Australia (and NZ). Today we go global with our 40 favourite albums of 2018. We were going to make it a list that excluded the local albums, seeing as we’ve already published those favourites, but as with previous years we decided we don’t want to separate … Continue reading
Kevin Welch has built a career both as a songwriter, respected and covered by his peers, and a solo and collaborative recording and touring artist in his own right. It’s his songs that are his calling cards, that and an open approach to the way he dresses and dances with each of them. On his … Continue reading
Here comes the break-up album. It’s a tried and true fallback for a million songwriters out there but only a small percentage really nail the heartache, despair, fallout and renewal that comes from a fractured relationship. Marlon Williams has taken an approach that doesn’t shy away from the bruises and open wounds, instead he presents … Continue reading
Album number three for Melbourne-based songwriter Matt Joe Gow and this one finds him hitting his stride with his most compelling and realised set of songs to date. Gow co-produced the album and it certainly sounds world class with space for the songs to breathe and backed up with some wonderful and stylistically varied playing … Continue reading
It’s been five years since Matthew Houck released his last Phosphorescent album and by all reports he’s gone through a bunch of stuff in that time – falling in love, starting a family, leaving New York for Nashville, building a studio from the ground up and nearly dying from meningitis. As a result, C’est La Vie … Continue reading
Country music is so often built on voices, distinctive personalities that convey wisdom and experience. Willie, Waylon, Johnny, Dolly – iconic names that all had their own unique sound. Each new generation throws up one or two artists that join that illustrious company. Sturgill Simpson is a recent one that comes to mind. Another is Colter … Continue reading
Matthew Baird’s 2014 album, Fall, caught these ears as a great example of how to absorb influence from varying genres and scenes with subtlety. Now, on the followup Time, Baird has again subverted the obvious and recorded a set of songs that dig into a number of musical corners with darkly rewarding results. Many of … Continue reading
There’s that age old conundrum with live albums – it’s never going to be as good as actually being there but you get to hear different versions of songs and and the nuances within them. Jason Isbell released a live EP back in 2008 and the Live From Alabama album in 2012 so it’s clear he’s … Continue reading
Jim Lauderdale is now 30 albums deep into his career and his latest is indeed a pearl of a record, blending his customary mix of country, soul and swing with sweet and subtle ease. The title track opens the album on a high with an aching sway that blossoms into a soaring chorus reminiscent of … Continue reading
The stars have certainly aligned for Lucero on this, their ninth album. It marks their 20th year as a band and was recorded by Matt Ross-Spang (Jason Isbell, Margo Price, Drive-By Truckers) at the auspicious Sam Phillips Recording Service studio in their hometown of Memphis. Most importantly, it stands tall as one of their strongest … Continue reading
Australian country music can stay true to its American roots and also sound like a product of its antipodean environment. While the big names chase the sales figures and follow well-worn formats there others that carve out a sweet niche of inner city honky tonk and heartworn laneways. James Ellis’ imagination was captured on a … Continue reading
It’s been nine years between albums for Sydney’s Lost In The Woods. A reinvigorated lineup has seen them gigging more often and slowly but surely working towards the release of their third record. Campfire Radio finds the expressive and emotive group adding a rich palette of colour and detail to the songs of Brian Yatman. … Continue reading
Newcastle’s Ben Leece has building a name for himself as a solo artist over the last 12 months with songwriting awards and support slots for artists such as Tim Rogers and Courtney Marie Andrews. On his highly accomplished debut album he’s brought together some of this country’s finest in producer and musician Shane Nicholson, singer … Continue reading
Sam Newton has been steadily building a cache of songs across three albums and with each new release he seems to find a more intuitive and direct line to his muse. Stare Into The Dark peels back the layers to expose the gentle core of his songwriting, some wonderful instrumental touches and plenty of space … Continue reading
