written by Chris Familton For fans of Gillian Welch it has been a long and patient wait for a new album to follow up 2003’s Soul Journey. Her best release was a decade ago with Time (The Revelator), an album which really solidified her as a true auteur of stark and soulful country folk music … Continue reading
written by Chris Familton In the realm of americana and roots music bands tend to stay within the confines of their genre for the most part. Some like Wilco and My Morning Jacket stretch and blur their country-based templates but for the most part, re-invention and experimentation are limited in this neck of the woods. … Continue reading
written by Chris Familton When the bass drops one minute into the opening track Victory Dance a smile creeps upward and the head gratefully nods in a sign of satisfaction. My Morning Jacket started off with a couple of albums that established them as one of those classic genre stretching americana acts like Wilco who … Continue reading
written by Chris Familton Folk and country flecked indie music seems to be really carving out a niche market for listeners wary of venturing deep into those traditional genres and who need to be eased in by more contemporary sounds. A band like The Head and the Heart are the perfect type of group to … Continue reading
written by Chris Familton In 2009 The Low Anthem introduced themselves to the world with their 2nd album Oh My God, Charlie Darwin. With high profile championing from the likes of NPR and Mojo Magazine they quickly became part of the post-Bon Iver/Fleet Foxes world with their rustic americana and harmony-rich folk. Smart Flesh … Continue reading
written by Chris Familton The third album from The Cave Singers continues their folk blues riffing and continues to invite comparisons with the likes of Two Gallants. Across twelve tracks they keep things stripped right back to the minimum requirements for snaking grooves and tales from the dark side. Singer Pete Quirk has a great … Continue reading
written by Chris Familton With the stock of The Felice Bros still on the rise, Simone Felice split from his brothers and formed The Duke & The King. Their first album Nothing Gold Can Stay received wide acclaim before Felice hit a major stop sign this year – undergoing urgent heart surgery to rectify a … Continue reading
written by Chris Familton Robert Plant must have a firm grasp on what made 2007’s Raising Sand with Alison Krauss such a success as he has twisted the formula ever so slightly and come up with another wonderful set of warm, rich and beguiling songs. While others who share his musical past are content to … Continue reading
written by Chris Familton The Black Crowes were somewhat out of step with the times when they first emerged amid the hysteria of grunge in the early 90s. Their sound was traditional blues soaked American rock with flashes of gospel influence, southern rock and nods to americana and country. They really had little in common … Continue reading
written by Chris Familton Drive-By Truckers return with their tenth album, a landmark in any band’s history, proving that they are still remarkably consistent with their quality control and ability to create musical stories that captivate and enthrall the listener. This time round The Big To-Do loosely deals with crime and (self)-punishment but these heavy subjects … Continue reading
Over-population in the male singer songwriter realm of americana and folk is a constant risk and there are many pretenders who attempt to step up to the standard set by the likes of Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Jason Molina, Phosphorescent and more recently J. Tillman. Damien Jurado is another who is treading the same forest path and … Continue reading
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