Marie - The Dales (08/06/18)
- Artists: The Dales
- Release Date: 8th June, 2018 (Re-release)
- Genre: Americana, Folk, Country Pop
- Record Label: Big Picnic Records
- Tracks: 12
- Website: http://www.thedalesband.com
Songs For The Living And Otherwise - The Mulligan Brothers (01/06/18)
LCM ALBUM OF THE WEEK
Artist: The Mulligan Brothers
Release Date: 1st June, 2018
Genre: Americana, Alt Country, Folk-Rock, Southern Rock
Record Label: Southern Routes Records
Tracks: 11
Website: https://www.themulliganbrothers.com/
Review By: Gary Smith (LCM)
Some bands spend their whole careers trying to find their signature sound or create material that define them as a band. The Alabama based Mulligan Brothers have done just that on their third full-length album in five years, the fantastic self produced, ‘Songs For The Living and Otherwise‘. Following on from their excellent self-titled debut and sophomore record, ‘Via Portland‘, The Mulligan Brothers have built on the formula that has worked so well for them in the past and then supercharged it. If like me you love The Eagles, CSNY, Van Morrison, The Lumineers and Colter Wall, this album could be right up your street.
Since ‘Via Portland’ the group has parted ways with one of their original members, Gram Rea. They have very wisely added the first ‘Mulligan Sister’, Melody Duncan on fiddle, who also contributes some lead and backing vocals and brilliant vocal harmonies. The result is an excellent highly crafted and rich collection of great music.
The album opener the wonderful ‘The Deal’ is a perfect start, acoustic guitar led with the soothing tone and reflective lyrics of lead vocalist and songwriter Ross Newell. The song builds slowly adding pedal steel, gentle tambourine and percussion then heads for the upbeat bridge with it’s sing-a-long section. ‘Roseanne’ follows immediately with Ross becoming a little more soulful and the band joining in on harmony vocals. Blues harmonica accents complement the overall feel of the song. One of my favourite songs on the album is the Deep South bluesy ‘Possession in Gm’. It’s a great character based song which also sees Melody Duncan take her first lead vocal, dueting with Ross as the verses go back and forth. Throughout the album there are countless moments of real high quality and excellence. The chilled and catchy ‘Ghost Town’ is a classic ‘Mulligan Brothers’ song. Watch out for the super guitar solo.
The centrepiece and one of the album’s highlights is ‘Great Grandaddy’s War’, which is arguably the group’s best and most personal. A beautifully written introspective ballad with beautiful string arrangements and rich harmonies, which all contribute to something quite special. ‘I Know That Man’ a fast country narrative song featuring an extended fiddle solo, foot stomps and a gravelly vocal delivery. ‘Loving You Is Easy’ is another real earworm which will be stuck in your head for days. It reminded me of a cross between The Eagles and CSNY.
‘Divine Design’ is a harmony-filled, mid-paced track and would serve as a great introduction to the band. The pace slows for the personal and reflective ‘Not That Way’ a tale of lost love and regret. Blues harmonica once again setting the mournful tone. The beautifully written piano led ‘The Basement’ sees Melody take the lead vocals. It reminded me a little of Missy Higgins at her most reflective. ‘I Need To Get Out’ is the album’s closing song and it experiments with an electronic drum sound and other instrumental effects. It is quite simply a super culmination to a brilliant album.
‘Songs For The Living and Otherwise‘ is a precious gem and one to really savor and enjoy. From start to finish it is a real joy to listen to and hopefully one which will cement the band’s rising status as one of the biggest names in Americana, Alt Country and Folk-Rock.
Please let us know what you think?
Lay Your Head Down - Carolina Story (13/07/18)
- Artist: Carolina Story
- Release Date: 13th July, 2018
- Genre: Americana, Folk
- Record Label: Black River Americana
- Tracks: 12
- Website: http://www.carolinastory.com/
By The Night - Alden, Patterson and Dashwood (11/06/18)
Artist: Alden, Patterson & Dashwood
Release Date: 11th June, 2018
Genre: Folk. Americana
Record Label:
Tracks: 10
Website:
Review By: Gary Smith (LCM)
Christina Alden (vocals/guitar), Alex Patterson (fiddle/vocals/occasional mandolin) and Noel Dashwood (dobro/vocals) are a fast rising folk and Americana trio from Norwich. Their second album 'By The Night' was recorded in late 2017 and early 2018 at a house in St Cross, South Elmham with Alex producing. It follows their critically acclaimed debut 'Call Me Home' released in 2016.
Songs For The Lost & Found - Hatful Of Rain (13/07/18)
- Artist: Hatful Of Rain
- Release Date: 13th July, 2018
- Genre: Americana, Folk
- Record Label: Long Way Home Music
- Tracks:
- Website: http://www.hatfulofrain.co.uk/
For their excellent third album and the second release on their own label, the Brighton-based quartet of Chloë Overton, Phil Jones, Fred Gregory and James Shenton again meld together the Celtic, American and English folk influences.
Hatful of Rain are a British contemporary folk group that combine powerful songwriting with musical flare, inspired by English, Celtic and American Roots styles. They use a single microphone approach to performing. This creates an intimate and engaging atmosphere characteristic of every Hatful show. They have released two albums 'Way Up On the Hill' in 2012 and 'The Morning Key' in 2014. EP 'Climb the Air' was released last year on their own 'Long Way Home Music label' and their third album Songs of the Lost and Found is due out on 13th July.
Free Yourself Up - Lake Street Dive (04/05/18)
- Artist: Lake Street Dive
- Release Date: 4th May, 2018
- Genre: Pop, Rock, Jazz
- Record Label: Nonesuch Records
- Tracks: 10
- Website: http://www.lakestreetdive.com/
The Continuum Project - Lindsay Ell (25/05/18)
- Artist: Lindsay Ell
- Release Date: 25th May, 2018
- Genre: Country, Country-Pop, Singer-Songwriter
- Record Label: Stoney Creek Records
- Tracks: 12
- Website:
Cusp - Alela Diane (09/02/18)
- Artist: Alela Diane
- Release Date: 9th February, 2018
- Genre: Indie-Folk, Singer-Songwriter
- Record Label: AllPoints
- Tracks: 11
- Website: https://aleladiane.com
Ghost Of You - Megan O'Neill (08/06/18)
- Artist: Megan O'Neill
- Release Date: 8th June, 2018
- Genre: Country, Country Pop
- Record Label: Megan O'Neill (Self released)
- Tracks: 12
- Website:
Topspin - Cardboard Fox (08/06/18)
- Artist: Cardboard Fox
- Release Date: 8th June, 2018
- Genre: Americana, Folk
- Record Label: Self-Released
- Tracks: 11
- Website: http://www.cardboardfox.co.uk/
Topspin, the new album from Cardboard Fox, leads the band in a subtly different direction. Drawing on a rich variety of influences, including jazz, folk and pop, but always rooted in bluegrass, the album uses a wide sonic palate with many layers of instrumentation and harmony. In addition to the core instruments of fiddle, mandolin, guitar and double bass, the band adds a selection of other instruments, with trumpet, banjo, lap steel, electric guitar and octave violin played by members of the band, and percussion provided by engineer and producer Josh Clark (Kate Rusby, Damien O'Kane, Ron Block, Sam Kelly and the Lost Boys).
Lead vocals are evenly split between twin sisters Charlotte and Laura Carrivick, with backing vocals from the other two band members, Joe Tozer and John Breese. Of the eleven tracks on the album, there are eight original songs, two covers and one original instrumental. The covers reflect the wide spectrum of the band's influences, ranging from legendary American roots songwriter, Gillian Welch's ‘Tear My Stillhouse Down’ to Owl City's synth-pop hit, ‘Fireflies’.
Topspin is the band's third release, preceded by their self-titled EP which won the 2015 Spiral Earth award for Best Debut, which was then followed by the band's first full length album, Out of Mind, in 2016 ("crisp and light, the arrangements delightfully layered" Country Music People). In the five years since their formation, Cardboard Fox have established themselves as a unique force on the UK roots scene and have successfully toured internationally, having performed across mainland Europe as well as Canada and the USA, building a reputation for explosive live performances.
Gota Fria - Beth Rowley (29/06/18)
- Artist: Beth Rowley
- Release Date: 29th June, 2018
- Genre: Blues, Americana, Jazz, Gospel
- Record Label: Stoopnik Records
- Tracks: 12
- Website: https://bethrowley.com/
The excellent highly anticipated second album from the wonderful Brit nominated Beth Rowley.
Electric Light - James Bay (17/05/18)
- Artist: James Bay
- Release Date: 17th May, 2018
- Genre: Singer-Songwriter
- Record Label: Universal Records
- Tracks: 14
- Website:
Following on from his huge multi-platinum debut album Chaos And The Calm, James Bay returns with Electric Light. Towering, rocky and soulful songs, it sounds like he's grasped influences in electronic music for this release.
“If I had to describe my first album visually it would probably be a flame – while this new album is about a real sonic and artistic evolution for me. The feeling of a 100 watt bulb expanding and brightening is what I envisioned. ‘Electric Light’ came to my mind and I knew it was perfect.”
Shorebound - Ben Glover (04/05/18)
- Artist: Ben Glover
- Release Date: 4th May, 2018
- Genre: Folk, Singer-Songwriter
- Record Label: Proper Records
- Tracks: 12
- Website:
The newfound sounds and shapes that comprise Shorebound mark a moment in Ben Glover's musical history - a moment that nods to the past decade of his artistry even while pivoting into the next era. "I'm a believer in cycles, and 2018 will mark ten years since I released my first album," Glover says, "so it feels very much that this album is a major turning point in a cycle. Shorebound is an acknowledgment of where I am and a celebration of the people who I've gotten here with."
Indeed, collaboration has long filled Glover's career including co-writing the Americana Music Association UK's 2017 International Song of the Year ("Blackbirds") with Gretchen Peters. Playing well with others is something Glover both excels at and enjoys. He joins forces with friends on both sides of the Atlantic for Shorebound, including Peters, Ricky Ross (frontman and songwriter from Scottish rockers Deacon Blue), Mary Gauthier, Kim Richey, Angel Snow, Robert Vincent, Amy Speace, Anthony Toner, and others.
Not only does Shorebound pull together Glover's favorite musical collaborators, it also culls his best life lessons. Where previous albums Atlantic and The Emigrant witnessed him searching for his place in the world, geographically and otherwise, Shorebound finds him more settled, within himself, his career, and his two hometowns of Glenarm, N.Ireland, and Nashville, Tennessee.
Dancing With The Beast - Gretchen Peters (18/05/18)
- Artist: Gretchen Peters
- Release Date: 18th May, 2018
- Genre: Contemporary Folk, Singer-Songwriter
- Record Label: Proper Records
- Tracks: 11
- Website:
Dancing with the Beast, the new album from Gretchen Peters, puts female characters at the fore, from teenage girls to old women. And intentionally so. With the 2017 Women's March and the #MeToo Movement as bookends to her writing time, Peters knew that a feminist perspective would be the critical core of the record. She admits, "You can trace the feminist DNA in my songwriting back to 'Independence Day' and probably before. The thing that 2017 did is just put it front and center." Though Peters doesn't consider herself a political writer, she is politically minded and, therefore, knew she had to address the 2016 election and all that has happened since... but in her own way.
There's a bittersweet beauty to the passing of time -- the changes it brings are just as often heartbreaking as they are heartwarming. The inevitable tension that arises from that sway is Gretchen Peters' most trusted muse. With melody supporting that melancholy, the songs on the new album combine to lift the effort over the high artistic bar set by her last outing, 2015's award-winning Blackbirds.
Whether a single sentence or a simple setting, once planted, even the tiniest seed can grow into a vision unto itself. Strung together and populated with strong and broken female heroines, those vignettes make up Dancing with the Beast and, indeed, Peters' entire discography.
Beauty tempered by dread, sorrow buoyed by hope, these are the ever-present tugs of war that make life worth living and songs worth writing. And they are the over-riding themes that make Gretchen Peters one of her generation's most compelling singer/songwriters.
Free Rein - Rebelution (15/06/18)
- Artists: Rebelution
- Release Date: 15th June, 2018
- Genre: Rock, Reggae, Acoustic
- Record Label: Easy Star Records
- Tracks: 12
- Website: http://rebelutionmusic.com/site/
Rebelution follows up their Grammy-nominated 2016 album Falling Into Place with another amazing studio album full of their signature take on modern reggae. Free Rein features a band at the top of its game, delivering anthems that will rock their core audience at their sold-out live shows, while also exploring new sounds, like the acoustic "Healing," the moody "Constellation," and collaborations with two of the hottest young Jamaican producers around, Phillip "Winta" James and Don Corleon.
Tearing At The Seams - Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats (09/03/18)
- Artist: Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats
- Release Date: 9th March, 2018
- Genre: Folk Rock, Soul, Americana, Vintage R&B
- Record Label: Caroline International P&D
- Tracks: 12
- Website: http://www.nathanielrateliff.com/
Unbridled & Ablaze - Zialand (08/06/18)
- Artist: Zialand
- Release Date 8th June. 21018
- Genre: Soul-Pop, Singer-Songwriter
- Record Label: Glittermouth
- Tracks: 9
- Website: http://www.zialand.net/
Following her recent singles ‘Landslide’ and ‘Shelter’, the latter of which was played on BBC Scotland, BBC Ulster, Soho Radio, Resonance and Juice FM (Brighton), the Norwegian artist ZIALAND (aka Zia Meyer) will release her new album, ‘Unbridled & Ablaze’ on 8th June.
A new single entitled ‘Running Cold’ is also scheduled for the early summer. ZIa describes 'Running Cold' as “a song about a friend of mine and the deeply painful relationship she experienced with her alcoholic dad. Her pain was a complicated tapestry woven over time, blended together by watching him distance himself from the people closest to him and her profound love for him and the need for a dad. But her needs were never met because he always chose the bottle. She was the one who found him, barely conscious as he was slipping into a coma. Blood on the floor, on the walls and in the bed. She was the one who cleaned it all up, stayed by his hospital bed and was there as he fought the inevitable. His death wasn’t pretty. "I wanted to honour her and pour some love onto all that pain by writing her this song, bringing a kind of witnessing and a reckoning to it.”
Other highlights on the album include ‘Fever’ (“about living in exile, the vulnerability and precariousness of life in that existence, not knowing what comes next”), the aching ballad ‘Don't Look Down’ (“about a good man losing his partner to illness and his way of loving her is by showing up and being there in all the ways he can”), the powerful ’Shelter’ ("a love letter to my daughter”) and the intense torch song ‘Cleaved’ (“longing for your soulmate, the one you know is out there but not the ‘where’ or ‘how’ or ‘when’ you will meet”).
Zia thinks of the album as being about “‘in-between' moments, when something is ending and something new beginning. That moment where you finally give way to the transmutation. For anything to move and transcend, something else needs to die or be let go of. To me, these moments are imbued with both the deepest of grief as well as a most delicate beatitude and rapture. I think I’ve always been on the hunt for these moments because they are so elusive."
Pretty Warnings - Lucy Ward (15/06/18)
Artist: Lucy Ward
Release Date: 15th June, 2018
Genre: Folk
Record Label: Betty Beetroot
Tracks: 9
Website: www.lucywardsings.com
Review By: Gary Smith (LCM)
Pretty Warnings is the captivating fourth studio album from multi award winning Derbyshire singer-songwriter Lucy Ward. Rich with traditional folk and self penned original songs, this album explores matters of love, darkness, longing and joy. While Lucy’s previous albums dealt with larger more sweeping themes. With Lucy now married with a small child, Pretty Warnings seems more intimate and personal.
Lucy’s ability to inhabit the very heart of a song is bewitching and very beautiful. She is an excellent storyteller concerned with expressing truth and the exploring the human condition in all its facets. Lucy creates rich soundscapes, painting a vivid picture with her lyrics. The new album is an expressive collection of true stories and evocative imagery produced by the very talented Stu Hanna (Megson) & Stephen MacLachlan.
As well as innovative arrangements of traditional songs such as the ballad ‘Bill Norrie’, Lucy has delved into the folk tradition further to come up with beautiful retellings of traditional songs. ‘The Cruel Mother’ is the basis of her song Mari Fach (meaning ‘Sweet Mari’), the true story of a young welsh woman pregnant, unmarried and afraid. The archetypal rover becomes Lucy’s yearning ‘Silver Morning’, a wonderful taste of her originality. She has also addressed the recurring theme of the night visitor with the insistent ‘Cold Caller’. Pretty Warnings has a sublime quality, a real enchanting warmth runs through the album.
Lucy’s songwriting has evolved with a new richness born from her new life experiences and time away from both touring and the studio. Songs like ‘Sunshine Child’ and ‘The Sweetest Flowers’ being excellent examples.
Pieces EP - Drake White (04/04/18)
- Artist: Drake White
- Release Date: 4th May, 2018
- Genre: Country
- Record Label: Big Machine Records
- Tracks:5
- Website: http://drakewhite.com
Safe In The Arms Of Time - Rita Coolidge (04/04/18)
- Artist: Rita Coolidge
- Release Date: 4th May, 2018
- Genre: Folk, Singer-Songwriter
- Record Label: Blue Élan Records LLC
- Tracks: 12
- Website: https://ritacoolidge.net
One of music’s most enduring voices and composers, Rita Coolidge returns to her roots with a stunning new album ‘Safe In The Arms Of Time’, released on May 4th on Blue Elan Records. Along with Rita this musical work of art features the songwriting talents of Graham Nash, Chris Stapleton, Stan Lynch, and Keb’ Mo’.
The album marks the two-time Grammy winner’s return to songwriting, drawing inspiration for her new material as she often does, from her personal journey and what an epic journey it’s been!
“I’ve written so many songs assuming a role like an actor, but this time I got to write from experience,” says Coolidge, who co-wrote three of the album’s 12 wondrous cuts. “This is the best record I’ve ever done. I’m extremely proud of it.”
In many ways, 'Safe in the Arms of Time’ is both a reflection and a continuation of Rita's remarkable history, one that took flight during the heyday of the ‘70s L.A. music scene when she sang backup on Stephen Stills’ 'Love the One You’re With' and Eric Clapton’s 'After Midnight' (Astute music fans are also well aware of how she contributed the classic – and uncredited – piano coda to Derek & the Dominoes’ Layla) “The idea was making an album that had the same appeal of my early records, to make a roots record about my own roots,” Coolidge says.