Rosanne Cash stepped out of her father’s shadow many years ago and has increasingly delivered deeply emotive and personal albums. This may be her best yet, eschewing country music cliches while still remaining firmly rooted in the rich storytelling world of Americana music. There are swampy, Southern musical landscapes reminiscent of where Dylan now resides … Continue reading
Tag Archives: Album Review
Album Reviews / Folk / Videos
ALBUM REVIEW: The Darling Downs ~ In The Days When The World Was Wide
by Chris Familton Messrs Peno and Salmon reconvene for their third record under The Darling Downs moniker and as befits their general proclivity for exploring different musical forms they’ve gone and taken another sonic diversion, this time into 60s-tinged folk. Of course them being them they don’t restrict themselves to just folk. There are strains … Continue reading
Album Reviews / Americana / Blues / Soul
ALBUM REVIEW: Lo Carmen & Peter Head ~ The Apple Don’t Fall Far From The Tree
by Chris Familton Surprisingly this is the first collaborative album from Lo Carmen and her pianist father Peter Head and hopefully it won’t be the last, such is its endearing mix of country soul and late night jazz. Primarily the songs are built on Head’s elegant and melodious playing and Carmen’s playful purr of a … Continue reading
Album Reviews / Alt-Country / Americana / Folk / Indie Folk / Stream
ALBUM REVIEW: Basko Believes ~ Melancholic Melodies
by Chris Familton Swedish songwriter Johan Örjansson is the latest in a strong line of Scandinavians who manage to dial into authentic interpretations of folk and Americana. First Aid Kit, The Tallest Man on Earth and Kings of Convenience among others have nailed the melodic richness and vocal sensitivities of folk music and Örjansson is … Continue reading
Album Reviews / Folk / Stream
ALBUM REVIEW: Melody Pool ~ The Hurting Scene
Folk singers have been coming out of the woodwork at a rate of knots in recent years and while many fall into the generic strum and whimper category they do serve to highlight the qualities of the good ones that rise to the top. The Hunter Valley’s Melody Pool is one to take note of … Continue reading
ALBUMS: 2013 Mid Year Picks
We’re a bit off the pace with our mid year list of albums that have impressed us the most so far in 2013 but here they are. Some may not appear on our end of year list, many more will be added in the coming months and no doubt there are some we’ve missed. Here … Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Roger Knox and the Pine Valley Cosmonauts ~ Stranger in My Land
by Chris Familton Roger Knox’s new album, his first in nine years, is a ambitious and expansive affair that seamlessly weaves together American and Aboriginal strands of country music with a strong social conscience and a laconic sense of humour. The collaborative aspect of Stranger in My Land is important but not one that overshadows … Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Night Beds ~ Country Sleep
by Chris Familton There is a romanticised back story to Winston Yellen, the man behind Night Beds, who dropped out of college, travelled the USA for five months before unknowingly renting a home in the woods that used to belong to Johnny Cash and finding the inspiration for Country Sleep. It is a great story … Continue reading
Album Artwork / Album Reviews / Americana / Country / Stream
ALBUM REVIEW: Son Volt – Honky Tonk (2013)
It has been two decades since Uncle Tupelo split and gave birth to the Jeff Tweedy-led Wilco and Jay Farrar’s Son Volt. Wilco have been the more adventurous while Son Volt have mostly remained loyal to the traditional tenets of folk and country music. Honky Tonk sees them extending that stylistic allegiance by honouring honky tonk, … Continue reading
Album Reviews / Blues / Folk
ALBUM REVIEW: Mark Moldre | An Ear To The Earth
by Chris Familton An Ear To The Earth is the follow-up to Mark Moldre’s debut solo album The Waiting Room, an accomplished set of folk-tinged indie rock songs that no doubt gave him the confidence and curiosity to dig deeper into his own songwriting and explore some of the more diverse corners of his musical … Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Caitlin Rose ~ The Stand-In
by Chris Familton Caitlin Rose returns with her second album of bittersweet Americana that shows a marked progression from her 2010 debut. There is a confidence that now pervades her songwriting, casting her in a similar light to Rilo Kiley’s Jenny Lewis, infusing a country template with pop sensibilities in a classic songwriting format. The … Continue reading
Album Reviews / Country / Folk / Stream
ALBUM REVIEW: Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell ~ Old Yellow Moon
by Chris Familton Veritable veterans of country music, Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell have been friends ever since she heard a cassette demo of his song Bluebird Wine (covered here) back in 1975. She included the song on her debut album and he joined her band so it is surprising this is their first true … Continue reading
Album Reviews / Americana / Folk / Stream
ALBUM REVIEW: Dawn McCarthy & Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy ~ What The Brothers Sang
by Chris Familton Collaboration isn’t new to Dawn McCarthy and Will Oldham who released an album of demos in 2007 (Wai Notes) as an addendum to the previous year’s The Letting Go on which McCarthy sang. Those songs showed an ethereal synergy between their voices making this new album a tantalising proposition for those who … Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: The Weeping Willows ~ Till The North Wind Blows
by Chris Familton Melbourne duo The Weeping Willows released Till The North Wind Blows last year but their superb collection of songs could have dropped at any time in the last hundred years, such is the timeless quality they bring to their music and songwriting. The album drips with authenticity which can be a hard … Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Robert Ellis ~ Photographs
by Chris Familton Finding artists that can straddle the worlds of folk and country music while still harnessing the pure and honest elements of those genres can often be a hard thing. Contemporary songwriters like Justin Townes Earle, Ryan Adams and Will Oldham come to mind and now, with his debut album Photographs, you can … Continue reading
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