Reviews

Authentic is a word that, today, pops up on a regular basis as folks struggle to separate ‘real’ from ‘fake’. In music, it’s often about whether the music is played by musicians steeped in the cultural background of their chosen style. However, it’s never a question asked of Dale Watson. Some years ago, I asked… Read more »

If you’ve read any of my reviews of Nick Burbridge and McDermott’s 2 Hours albums in the past then you will know that I rate him as one of the best songwriters. Yep, full stop… OK so maybe that’s just my subjective view, but few could argue that he has a rare gift for songs… Read more »

Having celebrated fifty years of performing with his album, ’50’, Michael Chapman returns to the fray with a new release, ‘True North’. The title suggests it draws on his roots in the north of England which it does to an extent. However, he also returns to fish from the same cultural pool as used on… Read more »

If you were lucky enough to see the first tour of ‘The Ballad of Johnny Longstaff’, it will be no surprise to find that The Young’uns have packaged up the show into a new release. Mind you, the word ‘release’ doesn’t do its lavish packaging justice as you’ll find the music comes complete with a… Read more »

Topic Records has provided a home for the recordings of many leading folk artists over the years. So, they’re perfectly positioned to be releasing a series of keenly priced introductions to musicians like Martin Carthy, June Tabor and Martin Simpson. Many of these artists with long established careers that you might think have no need… Read more »

The Dodge Brothers return with a high-octane follow up to The Sun Set. They really are firing on all cylinders as they take us on a ride into the searing sunset of the mythical American Dream. OK, no more train/car/engine puns or references, but it’s hard not to… Drive Train is an unashamed celebration of… Read more »

Those who picked up on Colter Wall from previous recordings such as his ‘Imaginary Appalachia’ EP may have assumed that he has American roots. As ‘Songs Of The Plains’ lands with us, it makes clear that he’s a fully paid up native of the prairie province of Saskatchewan in western Canada. Its music draws upon… Read more »

When ‘world music’ emerged onto the radio airwaves in the 1980s courtesy of DJs like Andy Kershaw and Charlie Gillett, its fresh sound tickled many ears as something exotic. Even though it might have been music rooted in a nation’s tradition for many years, it was dramatic and new to Western ears. As time has… Read more »

Nathan Bell doesn’t follow convention. Let’s start with the title of this studio album, ‘Loves Bones and Stars, Love’s Bones and Stars’ – the marketing department would have a fit. He’s also released a new live album at exactly the same time – the management would claim that this is crazy. That live album was… Read more »

Phillip Henry is best known for his more recent duo work with Hannah Martin in Edgelarks. However, he’s been busy honing his skills as an instrumentalist for several years. Yet, ‘True North’ is his first solo album and it acts as a celebration of his various musical travels since leaving his origins in Chorley, Lancashire…. Read more »