Country
Reissue: Terry Allen – Lubbock (On Everything)
I’m not a huge fan of ‘country’ music. Sure, I can appreciate its narrative qualities, I have a well chosen Johnny Cash compilation in my album collection, I love the output of Dr Hook before they took the full-on cheese-ballad route, I have a healthy respect for the music of Frankie Laine and Marty Robbins, …
Album Review: Dolly Parton – Pure and Simple
I can’t remember a time when I hadn’t heard of Dolly Parton. As I grew up during the 80s, Parton always seemed to be part of the cultural background noise, and as the years have progressed she has seemingly remained a constant fixture. As my taste in music developed through the years, Parton was never …
Album Review: D Ferren – Trials And Dusty Trails
by Mary Moore Photo by Ryan Hodges Photography Mary Moore is a supporter of the arts. She’s a giver of sunshine and a purveyor of the whimsical as well. She also loves music. Especially music of the local variety. She used to host both local and touring musicians at her home in the town of …
See: Billy Bragg and Joe Henry release video ahead of Shine A Light
A preview of the Shine A Light project, looking at the history and songs of the American railway, Billy Bragg and Joe Henry have released a video of the recording of “The L&N Don’t Stop Here Anymore”. It’s part of a fascinating trip on the US railroad, in particular the route from Chicago to LA. …
Track: Modern Mal – Wild Heart
Out of Michigan, Modern Mal are a collective of musicians, including Rachel Brooke and Savannah Buist from The Accidentals. Wild Heart is their new and debut video, and features an intriguing blend of lilting country vocals over Tiki style exotica and a blues beat. The video features vintage clips of circus performers, burlesque beauty queens, and hula …
Live: Hurray For The Riff Raff. Birmingham 29.06.16
The Rainbow is one of my favourite venues in Birmingham, a quirky pub has a discreet back door towards the toilets that opens into what appears to be a disused warehouse. The exposed beams (and wires) and brickwork providing a backdrop to a corner stage. Despite the shabby appearance, the sound is always good in the Rainbow. And even …
Album Review: William Tyler : Modern Country
William Tyler doesn’t make music as much as he paints aural landscapes. There’s a vast space within his records as a solo musician. The former Lambchop guitarist -over the course of three studio LPs- has created a musical world of dusty fields, endless horizons, and open roads that seem to never end. On his newest …
Reissue: George Jones – Cold Hard Truth/Live With The Possum
Even people who hate country have heard of Dolly or Kenny, but ironically the late, great George Jones outsold the pair of them despite hardly anyone on this side of the pond having heard of him. Cold Hard Truth is late period Jones recorded after years of drunken hellraising that put him in the same …
Album Review: Lissie – My Wild West
Ultimately this is a decent effort, wearing a number of flaws on its sleeves. It’s an album whose pop landscape is broken up by howls of anguish, discordant laments and, ironically, trying too hard to be things other than itself. As well as disrupting its own coherence, there are other missteps. Not enough is made of the …
Live : Cadillac Three, Birmingham Institute 04.02.16
The Cadillac Three visit Birmingham in the midst of a steady stream of major country gigs at the Institute, in the last few months, this venue has also played host to the Band Perry, Kacey Musgraves and Hunter Hayes. Country is clearly a popular draw too, almost a sell out. Later, the Cadillac 3 will claim …