Anthems To The Wind - Merry Hell (26/11/18)

• Artist: Merry Hell

• Release Date: 26th November,

• Genre: Folk, Folk-Rock

• Record Label: Mondo Tunes

• Website: http://www.merryhell.co.uk/

It’s always exciting when one of the best live UK folk-rock bands UK releases a new album. ‘Anthems To The Wind’ is a joyful, infectious, uplifting slice of folk and folk-rock with a social conscience. The themes are very timely and on-point. It celebrates community, togetherness & love as antidotes to the current climate of conflict, division and hatred.

The album is born out of a side project ‘Merry Hell Acoustic’, a slimmed-down six-piece version of this multi-award-winning festival favourite. The sound and vibe are perfect for intimate spaces including folk clubs and art centers, where appreciative audiences can get up close and personal. The album was recorded live at Bunbury Village Hall, The Music Projects, Wigan and the Lion Salt Works, Northwich and it wonderfully reflects both the energy and intimacy of the band’s live performances.

Written by Virginia, Bob and John Kettle this 12-track album is a perfect addition to the Merry Hell cannon. It’s full of great uplifting and thought-provoking songs including ‘Drunken Serenade’, ‘The Butcher & The Vegan’, Fear Of Falling’, ‘Satisfied’ and some of my personal favourites ‘Lovin’ The Skin You’re In’ and ‘The War Between Ourselves’,

Also check out their wonderful documentary ‘A Year In the Life of Merry Hell’ filmed in 2018 and early 2019.

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Hair and Hide - The Trials Of Cato (09/11/18)

• Artist: The Trials Of Cato

• Release Date: 9th November 2018

• Genre: Folk, Folk-Rock, Welsh Language Folk, Tradition Folk

• Record Label: Water Records

• Tracks: 10

• Website: https://www.thetrialsofcato.com

• Review By: Gary Smith (LCM)

One very fastest rising Folk trio are the excellent Welsh based Robin Jones (mandolin, tenor banjo, vocals), William Addison (irish bouzouki, vocals) and Tomos Williams (guitar, vocals) better known as The Trials Of Cato. The band was formed in Beirut in the winter of 2016 and the name is taken from their long-suffering landlord. Originally from North Wales and Yorkshire the band used their time in Lebanon to hone their craft returning to produce their self titled debut EP at the Abbey Road Institute in London.

With a clear nod to the folk revivals of the 60’s and 70’s their excellent debut album is rooted in the folk traditions of Britain and Ireland but with a fresh contemporary twist. It was recorded in the spring of 2018 at Penylan Studios in mid-Wales. The album perfectly balances English and Welsh language traditional and original folk music with a fresh new twist. Their excellent instrumentals showcase their musicianship and arrangements.

The album was mixed by Donald Thompson in Toronto and mastered by john Davis of Metropolis Studios in London.

The album opens with Difyrwch their own arrangement of three traditional melodies (two Welsh and one English) Hen Ferchetan, Difyrrwch Gwyr y Gogledd and The Parson’s Farewell. ‘Kadisha’ takes it’s name from the spectacular valley in Northern Lebanon finds the band exploring and being inspired by a region peppered with monasteries and ancient buildings. The album is as much about characters as it is about places.

One of the album stand-outs is the catchy and uptempo ‘Gloria’. A very human story of an ordinary character trying to deal with extraordinary circumstances. In this case a beheading match with a supernatural character of the green knight. The slightly psychedelic and folk-rock Eastern influenced ‘Gawain’ draws into inspiration from the medieval tale of Sir Gawain and The Green Knight. Watch out for a great version of ‘Tom Paine’s Bones’. ‘My Love’s in Germany’ is a seventeenth tune of a widow’s lament for a a lost soldier love seguing into the vibrant bounce of a stomping drinking and dance tune ‘The Drinkers’.

The Trails of Cato are a fantastic trio going places very fast. Watch out for them either on the festival circuit this year or one of their many sell-out shows.

Highly recommended.

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Port Saint Joe - Brothers Osborne (20/04/18)

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• Artist: Brothers Osborne

• Release Date: 20th April, 2018

• Genre: Country, Rock, Pop, Blues, Americana

• Record Label: Spinefarm Records / EMI /Universal

• Tracks: 10

• Website:

Recorded in a Florida beach house in the town of Port St. Joe, away from the sometimes sterile environs of the studio, this is the Maryland brothers’ second full-length offering. Raw, honest and uniquely homemade, the record was mostly captured in a series of live takes, retaining the atmospheric background noises of wind, roaring water and the excited and ‘refreshed’ encouragement of visiting Nashville friends. This unconventional location proved a perfect complement to the Brothers’ music, which instinctively bends rules and genres…

A diverse collection, ‘Port Saint Joe’ touches on half-lit drinking songs, emotive ballads, southern slow jams and roots-y rave-ups. The result is a record that's both familiar and fresh, mixing classic country touchstones with amplified guitars and memorable hooks. In short, a 10-track collection for the modern age – forward-thinking and versatile, with songs that nod to the past whilst still pushing forward into new territory.

Says guitarist John Osborne: “Every show we’ve played, every song we’ve written and every mile we’ve ridden has led to the making of this record”.

Watch out for the lovely Lucie Silvas providing backing vocals on a couple of tracks. "A Couple Wrongs Makin' It Alright" and "A Little Bit Trouble".

The Tree - Lori McKenna (20/07/18)

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• Artist: Lori McKenna

• Release Date: 20th July, 2018

• Genre: Singer-Songwriter, Country, Folk

• Record Label: Cn Records

• Tracks: 11

• Website:

Home and the people who make it have captivated Lori McKenna for years. Over the last three decades, as she became a wife and mother of five, she has also emerged as one of the most respected, prolific singer-songwriters in popular music. Her 2016 release The Bird and the Rifle netted three Grammy nominations, along with Americana Music Association nods––all firsts for McKenna as an artist. Then, she made history: In 2016, she became the first woman ever to win the Country Music Association’s Song of the Year two years in a row thanks to co-writing Little Big Town’s “Girl Crush” and penning Tim McGraw’s no. 1 “Humble and Kind” solo. Both songs also clinched back-to-back Grammy wins for Best Country Song. In 2017, she became the Academy of Country Music’s first female Songwriter of the Year. The Tree is her much-anticipated eleventh studio album. Produced by Dave Cobb, The Tree takes one of McKenna’s signature themes––family––and builds a tapestry of experiences she has lived and overheard, been told and dreamed up, to create a stunning ode to life’s defining relationships.

Dying Star - Ruston Kelly

• Artist: Ruston Kelly

• Release date: 7th September, 2018

• Genre: Americana, Folk, Singer-Songwriter

• Record Label: Concord Records

• Tracks: 14

• Website: https://www.rustonkelly.com

• Review By: Gary Smith (LCM)

When your wife has released one of the Grammy nominated albums of the year, it quite easy for you own debut release to be slightly overshadowed. But Ruston’s 'Dying Star’ is well worth exploring further. What really stands out for me is the cinematic storytelling and songwriting plus some great pedal steel arrangements

‘Dying Star’ is a very impressive debut from Ruston, a little-known Nashville singer-songwriter with a fine voice and a gift for pairing heavy lyrics with remarkably graceful melodies. The album is full of impressive high crafted songs. It is a lovely blend of Americana, Country and Folk.

The album has the recurring themes of love, loss, pain, substances, desperation, self-discovery and the hope for salvation. As Kacey Musgraves’ marriage to Ruston inspired the blissful cosmic country sound on ‘Golden Hour’, perhaps Ruston’s next album might explore more positive themes.

The album was co-produced by Kelly and Jarrad K (Kate Nash, Weezer) and recorded at Sonic Ranch in El Paso, TX. It includes 14 songs written/co-written by Ruston and features Ruston (lead vocals, acoustic guitar, xylophone, harmonica), Jarrad K (12-string guitar, background vocals, electric guitar, Rhodes), Tim Kelly (pedal steel), Ian Fitchuk (piano, organ, drums, percussion), Eli Beaird (bass) and Kyle Ryan (banjo) as well as background vocals from Jon Green, Natalie Hemby, Kacey Musgraves, Kate York, Abby Sevigny and Joy Williams. Of the album, Rushton comments, “A lot of my music is focused on suffering, or trying to understand the human condition through the lens of suffering…which probably sounds totally depressing, but it’s actually the flipside of that. Sometimes you’ve gotta go into that darkness—you need to get lost and then figure out for yourself how to find your way back. That’s the only way we can find pure joy, and really be thankful for the life we’ve been given.”

The album opens with the acoustic pop ‘Cover My Tracks’ followed by the lovely ‘Mockingbird’. I really like the acoustic guitar, pedal steel and harmonica interplay on this one. Classic Laurel Canyon fused with mid-tempo Country Rock, almost Neil Young meets Ryan Adams. Ruston shares, “I wrote ‘Mockingbird’ in a Dominican hotel, on the edge of a bed, at like six in the morning. I needed a release from a cyclical pattern of a doomed relationship. The kind that leaves you with less than what you went in with. It’s a story for everyone, the human condition, our connected plight in a mad world. Regardless of how it’s expressed, we all struggle through something with hope on the other side.”

The vocoder infused ‘Son of a Highway Daughter’ has echoes of Imogen Heap’s “Hide and Seek.” updated for the young Nashville generation. Rushton is a great storyteller and a perfect example is the reflective and sad ‘Paratrooper’s Battlecry’

The bluesy pop ‘Faceplant’ deals with the the subject substance abuse and it’s aftermath. “I’ve come too far to turn back now”. Continuing the same theme is ‘Blackout’ is a lovely mid-tempo fusion of strings, pretty harmonies and plenty of heartbreak and booze. Travelling and moving on are explored on ‘Big Brown Bus’, which sees Ruston leaving San Antonio in Texas and heading south to Mexico. I really like the song’s strong storytelling and pedal steel solo. Wonderful word play and story telling abound on ‘Mercury’ “A dying star with a junkyard heart”.

The tempo drops for the reflective and atmospheric ‘Anchors’ dealing with the end of a relationship. Lush and beautiful harmonies provided by by a female choir including Joy Williams (Civil Wars), Natalie Hemby and wife Kacey really enrich ‘Just For the Record’. ‘Trying To Let Her’ is another down tempo reflective love song about a man trying to figure out his live and relationships. ‘She is trying to love me and I’m trying to let her’.

One of my favourite songs on the album is the classy and classic ‘Jericho’. Again very reflective, personal and inward looking with a memorable hook, It finds Ruston channeling the dark minimalism of Bruce Springsteen's ‘Nebraska’ with a stark guitar-and-a-harmonica aesthetic. He uses the biblical city's ancient wall as a representation of his own isolation, but it's cut through with the harmonies of Natalie Hemby and ex-Civil Wars member Joy Williams, with whom Ruston co-wrote the tune. Together, they lift the song up, singing on the chorus, "I raised Jericho around me, but these walls are built to scale."

The title track ‘Dying Star’ drifts away on pedal steel accents and light percussion. The album closes with the rather short but perfectly formed ‘Brightly Burst Into The Air’.

Glass Heart - Mel Parsons (30/11/18)

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• Artist: Mel Parsons

• Release Date: 30th November, 2018

• Genre:

• Record Label: Cape Road Recordings

• Tracks: 10

• Website:

‘Glass Heart’ is a bold and beautifully crafted body of work, which sees Mel Parsons revealing a darker and fuller sound, while still retaining her trademark poignant storytelling.

The album was recorded in Los Angeles with legendary American producer Mitchell Froom (Lindsey Buckingham Christine McVie, Crowded House, Missy Higgins, Randy Newman, Richard Thompson, Suzanne Vega) and an incredible cast of US-based musicians, including guitarist Adam Levy (Norah Jones), bass player Kaveh Rastegar (John Legend, Sia), drummer Ted Poor (Andrew Bird) and Froom on keyboards.

"I had been wanting to work with Mitchell for a few years, so when our schedules finally aligned things happened pretty quickly," says Mel. "Mitchell and I had first been in touch back about working together back in 2015, but I've admired his work for a long time - he has produced some of my favourite albums."

"You hear about how amazing these people are - and obviously by reputation you know that they're operating at a really high level - but it wasn't until we started working on the songs and got into the studio that I experienced Mitchell's quiet genius firsthand."

Mel Parsons is arguably one of New Zealand's most prolific touring acts, and is excited to be taking Glass Heart directly to her fans this December.

Voices of Equilibrium EP - Wildwood Kin (30/11/18)

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• Artist: Wildwood Kin

• Release date: 30th November, 2018

• Genre: Folk, Pop, Rock

• Record Label: Silvertone

• Tracks: 4

• Website:

A brand new covers EP from the very talented West Country family trio Wildwood Kin.

Wild Angels Sweet Demons EP - Fiona Bevan (15/11/18)

• Artist: Fiona Bevan

• Release Date: 15th November, 2018

• Record Label: Venus Climbing Ltd

• Tracks: 4

• Website:

After spending a couple of years writing for other artists, the excellent singer-songwriter Fiona Bevan releases her brand new EP ‘Wild Angels Sweet Demons’. It's an EP of four songs of love, life, death, sex, imperfection, obsession and lush widescreen cinematic joy!

It was produced by Fiona’s longtime friend and Grammy-winning engineer Robin Baynton who has worked with Isaac Gracie, Mumford And Sons, Laura Marling, Coldplay, Florence, Arcade Fire. He also produced Fiona’s first EP 'Us And The Darkness'.

The new EP is available digitally and on vinyl today, with the CD available soon. All photos are polaroids taken by Chris Almeida

Evening Machines - Gregory Alan Isakov (04/10/18)

• Artist: Gregory Alan Isakov

• Release Date: 4th October, 2018

• Genre: Folk, Singer-Songwriter

• Record Label: Dualtone Music

• Tracks: 12

• Website: https://gregoryalanisakov.com

‘Evening Machines’ is the excellent new album from South African singer-songwriter Gregory Alan Isakov.

A Star Is Born Soundtrack - Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper (04/10/18)

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Artist: Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper

Release Date: 4th October, 2018

Genre: Country, Film Soundtrack

Record Label: A Star is Born OST

Tracks:

Website:

Jason Isbell: Live From The Ryman (19/10/18)

• Artist: Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

• Release Date: 19th October, 2018

• Genre: Country, Rock

• Record Label: Southeastern Records

• Tracks: 13

• Website:

Hush Kids - Hush Kids (26/10/18)

Artist: Hush Kids

Release Date: 26th October, 2018

Genre: Americana, Folk, Singer-Songwriter, Acoustic

Record Label: Hush Kids / Tone Tree Music

Tracks: 10

Website:

Mumford and Sons - Delta (16/11/18)

• Artist: Mumford & Sons

• Release Date: 16th November, 2018

• Genre: Folk, Rock, Pop

• Record Label: Island

• Tracks: 14

• Website:

Delta is the upcoming fourth studio album by British band Mumford & Sons. It is set to be released on 16 November 2018 through Gentlemen of the Road and Island Records.The album was recorded at The Church Studios in London with producer Paul Epworth..

The album is supported by the lead single, "Guiding Light", which was premiered on 20 September 2018 on BBC Radio 1. It will also be supported by a 60-date world tour to begin in November 2018

Motel Bouquet - Caitlin Canty (30/03/18)

• Artist: Caitlyn Canty

• Release Date: 30th March, 2018

• Genre: Folk, Blues, Americana, Singer-Songwriter

• Record Label: Caitlin Canty / Tone Tree Music

• Tracks: 10

• Website: https://www.caitlincanty.com

Caitlin Canty is an US singer/songwriter whose music carves a line through folk, blues, and country ballads. Her voice was called “casually devastating” by the San Francisco Chronicle and NPR Music describes her songs as having a “haunting urgency.”

’Motel Bouquet’, Caitlin’s third album, features ten original songs that hold her darkly radiant voice firmly in the spotlight. Produced by Grammy-nominated Noam Pikelny (Punch Brothers) and recorded live over three days in Nashville, the album boasts a band of some of finest musicians in roots music, including fiddler Stuart Duncan and vocalist Aoife O’Donovan. Rolling Stone hails Motel Bouquet as “dreamy and daring” with “poetic lyrics and haunting melodies.”

Jubilee Road - Tom Odell (26/10/18)

• Artist: Tom Odell

• Release Date: 26th October, 2018

• Genre: Singer-Songwriter

• Record Label: Columbia

• Tracks: 11

• Website:

Dear Walter EP - Lucy Grubb (31/10/18)

• Artist: Lucy Grubb

• Release Date: 31st October, 2018

• Genre: Country, Americana, Singer-Songwriter

• Record Label: Lucy Grubb

• Tracks: 4

• Website:

Wherever I Go - Frankie Davies (26/10/18)

• Artist: Frankie Davies

• Release Date: 26th October, 2018

• Genre: Country, Country-Pop

• Record Label: FD Music

• Tracks: 11

• Website: https://www.frankiedavies.co.uk

Some albums perfectly capture the music of their artists. ‘Wherever I Go’ the brand new debut from Jersey born singer-songwriter Frankie Davies does just that, giving us an insight to Frankie’s journey and experiences over the past four years.

‘Wherever I Go’ is an excellent debut full of memorable Country Rock and Pop gems. Frankie is one of young fast rising star of UK Country and we can see big things for her in the future. The album was produced by Peter Waterman of Longcroft Recordings who you might remember also produced Hattie Briggs two five star rated albums.

Frankie’s journey started in 2015 when released her debut EP ‘Dancing All Night’. Critical praise and national airplay followed. 2017 took her to the home of Country music Nashville, were she started recording on her debt with renowned musicians, the back home to the UK with her all female band.

Frankie has supported a host of great US Country artists including Maddie & Tae, Chris Young, Charlie Worsham, Mo Pitney and Josh Kelley. Closer to home she has been a regular at C2C, toured with The Shires and supported Ward Thomas. Frankie completed her first headline tour in 2017.

Frankie comments ‘In one sense this album is a showcase of lessons learned from my beginnings and being young and naive in the music industry. From the rocker ‘You Don’t Know Me’ written by Emily Linden, where I let my frustration pour out, to the contrasting ‘Front Row Seat’. The latter song is about an experience that broke me. I had been led to believe that a show I had been booked for would suddenly change my life. When it came to showtime there was only one person in the audience”.

This confrontation with a harsh world at a young age only pushed Frankie forward and adds a grit to her songwriting as well as moments of heart-breaking honesty.

“I went out and from my disappointment and discovered something truly valuable. Even if there is one person to listen to my music, they deserve my performance. I am always grateful to anyone who wants to listen”.

Made In Streatham EP - Ferris & Sylvester (02/02/18)

• Artist: Ferris & Sylvester

• Release Date: 2nd February, 2018

• Genre: Folk, Contemporary Folk, Blues, Rock

• Record Label: Archtop Records

• Tracks: 5

• Website: http://www.ferrisandsylvester.com/

Down The Road Wherever - Mark Knopfler

• Artist: Mark Knopfler

• Release Date: 16th November, 2018

• Genre: Rock, Blues, Americana

• Record Label: Universal Music

• Tracks: 16

• Website: http://www.markknopfler.com/

Ask Mark Knopfler to explain the title of his ninth solo studio album and he will tell you that ‘Down The Road Wherever’ is a line from one of the tracks: 'One Song At A Time.' He'll give the credit for that title phrase to a sadly departed friend with whom he shared a lifelong love of songwriting and guitar playing, and their endless potential to change lives.

‘I remember my pal Chet Atkins once saying that he picked his way out of poverty one song at a time, and it just stuck in my mind,’ says Mark. ‘You get to an age where it is a few songs. But Down The Road Wherever seems to be appropriate, just because it's what I've always done. I've always tried to keep my own geography happening in the songs, that applies there as well.’ In One Song At A Time' that autobiographical geography pinpoints Deptford, where the up-and-coming Dire Straits began to make their way, one song at a time.

The unassuming spirit of the itinerant songsmith is still Knopfler's pilot light, inextinguishable through more than 40 years at the absolute pinnacle of his profession. ‘Down The Road Wherever’ is the latest, elegant evidence of that steadfast hunger, a bold and often surprising songbook of 14 selections (more on the deluxe editions) boiled down from twice as many that went into the workshop.

Mercury Lane - Jimmie Allen (12/10/18)

• Artist: Jimmie Allen

• Release Date: 12th OCtober, 2018

• Genre: Country, SInger-Songwriter

• Record Label: Stoney Creek Records

• Tracks: 15

• Website:

As an homage to the origin of his story and how far he’s come, the soul-baring album takes its name from the street Allen grew up on and pays tribute to the influence home and family has had on his incredible journey. Fans will instantly receive six songs with a pre-order of ‘Mercury Lane’, including “Best Shot,” “Underdogs,” “21,” “Warrior,” “Back of Your Mind” and “Make Me Want To,” a brand-new track that highlights the singer’s hopeless romantic side.

“Mercury Lane is where my journey began. All of the fundamental life lessons that shaped my values and make me who I am today, I was taught on that street—it’s where I learned about love, family, life, how to believe in myself, the concept of never giving up, following your dreams and being a good person,” said Jimmie Allen. “This album touches on all of those ideals and truly feels like I’m sharing a piece of my heart with the world. I’ve been working toward this moment for so long; I can’t wait to share it with everyone.”

‘Mercury Lane’ comes nearly one year to the day after Allen quietly dropped his self-titled EP which earned him recognition on a slew of “Artist to Watch” titles. Now with his debut single, “Best Shot” rocketing up the charts (currently Top 20), with more than 38 million streams to date, Jimmie has become one of the most buzzed about Country newcomers and is slated to make his national US TV debut next month on NBC’s TODAY. Fans have gone rabid for Allen’s undeniable talent and incredible story of perseverance and positivity, as depicted in his docu-series “Jimmie Allen All In.”

For months Jimmie Allen fans had been teased with the promise of a full-length album; hoping to satiate the craving for new music, the critically-acclaimed rising star had been sharing one brand-new track each month as a collection of songs he calls the “Slower Lower Sessions.” The series, inspired by the ‘Slower Lower’ region of the state, held fans off temporarily but it is clear that after teasing ‘Mercury Lane’ details on his Instagram story earlier this week, people are excited for more Jimmie Allen.