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’.

The Horizon Just Laughed - Damien Jurado (04/05/18)

• Artist: Damien Jurado

• Release Date: 4th May, 2018

• Genre: Indie Folk, Singer-Songwriter

• Record Label: Secretly Canadian

• Tracks: 11

• Website:

Damien Jurado presents his new album ‘The Horizon Just Laughed’. Like previous albums, The Horizon Just Laughed started with a dream - though that's where things change, as they often do. It is Damien Jurado's first self-produced album in a 20+ year career, more personal and more rooted than even his Maraqopa trilogy, as though after so much time on the road he's stumbled upon his home. The album feels like a beautiful collage - its narrative pieced together through letters and postcards, with each part contributing to its greater whole, and providing snapshots of ones journey to find a sense of place and connection to a changing world.

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.

Secondhand Smoke - Sean McConnell (08/02/19)

• Artist: Sean McConnell

• Release Date: 8th February, 2019

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

• Record Label: Big Picnic Records

• Tracks: 12

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

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:

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:

Snow - Angus and Julia Stone (15/09/17)

• Artist: Angus & Julia Stone

• Release Date: 15th September, 2017

• Genre: Alt-Folk, Folk, Acoustic

• Record Label: Le Label

• Tracks: 12

• Website: http://angusandjuliastone.com

SNOW continues a process the siblings began at the suggestion of producer Rick Rubin on their self-titled album of 2014. "That was the first time that we actually started writing together, in the same room, and I guess we took a leaf from that chapter into this record. This time round though, every song on the record we wrote together" Angus says. The Sydney-born siblings produced and largely engineered it themselves, in Angus's cottage studio, Belafonte, in the Byron Bay hinterland. "It was quite magical because Angus and I have never spent that much time together, just the two of us," says Julia. "There's always at least an engineer or tour manager but the last phase of writing and recording was just eight weeks of him and me and the quiet of the land. It was a beautiful time."

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”.

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.

Heartbreak Songs EP - Lucy Mae Walker (02/03/18)

• Artist: Lucy Mae Walker

• Release Date: 2nd March, 2018

• Genre: Pop, Folk, Singer-Songwriter

• Record Label: Independent

• Tracks: 5

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

Tablelands EP - India Electric Co (19/10/18)

• Artist: India Electric Co.

• Release Date: 19th October, 2018

• Genre: Folk, Contemporary Folk, Singer-Songwriter

• Record Label: Shoelay Music

• Tracks: 5

• Website: http://indiaelectricco.com/

India Electric Company present the third and final part of a series of releases focusing on the contrasting themes between the country and the city. Displacement and unification form the basis for Tablelands, along with more globalist inclinations. An exploration of their own travels and research that seeks to find musical ties that bind them with the premise that folk songs have evolved from the blending of different cultural traditions. With references including Gnawa rhythms, Norwegian folk melodies and Thomas Gray, Tablelands is a record that is built around using traditional instruments and rhythms in contemporary ways.

Brace For Impact - She Makes War (05/10/18)

• Artist: She Makes War

• Release Date: 5th October, 2018

• Genre: Indie, Alternative, Singer-Songwriter

• Record Label: My Big Sister Recordings

• Tracks: 12

• Website:

The Unfinished Violin - Sam Sweeney (02/11/18)

• Artist: Sam Sweeney

• Release Date: 2nd November, 2018

• Genre: Folk

• Record Label: Island

• Tracks: 16

• Website:

The Well Worn Path - Seth Lakeman (26/10/18)

• Artist: Seth Lakeman

• Release Date: 26th October, 2018

• Genre: Folk

• Record Label: Cooking Vinyl

• Tracks: 11

• Website:

Seth Lakeman takes a break from the Robert Plant musical juggernaut in Autumn 2018 to release his ninth studio album 'The Well Worn Path' on 26 October before heading out on tour in November with a new band line-up. Seth found time at the beginning of the year, in between charging around the globe with Robert and his band, the Sensational Space Shifters, to record his new studio album The Well Worn Path. It's a return to a no-nonsense, organic, classic folk-rock approach with hints of Fairport Convention, Neil Young, Nick Cave and Billy Bragg – plus Lakeman's trademark foot-stomping, fiddle bow-shredding and soaring vocals. Seth brought in top producer Ben Hillier and along with long-time collaborator Ben Nicholls on upright and electric bass he was joined by new boys Kit Hawes on electric and acoustic guitar and drummer Evan Jenkins. One of the finest female folk voices Kathryn Roberts also contributes sublime backing vocals to the album.

Keep The Flame Alight - Martha L Healy (05/10/18)

• Artist: Martha L Healy

• Release Date: 5th October, 2018

• Genre: Folk, Singer-Songwriter

• Record Label: Frogeye Records

• Tracks: 10

• Website: https://marthalhealy.com/

Martha L. Healy returns with her new album 'Keep The Flame Alight' on the 5th October 2018. 'Keep The Flame Alight' was written and recorded in Nashville, but undoubtedly maintains a strong sense of Martha's Celtic heritage. This new album sees Martha further develop her personal songwriting voice whilst remaining true to her musical roots, which included being raised on a diet of The Eagles, The Traveling Wilburys and folk heroes, The Dubliners - staples of the Healy family vinyl collection! Through a mix of personal insight and story songs, Martha provides a fresh take on some classic themes – the need to leave somewhere to help find your place in the world, the ache of an unfulfilled love, the complexity of family and friendships and the need to live your own dreams. She also explores how being a woman in the 21st century is not without its fair share of pressures and demands.

A Moment Of Your Time - Liv Austen (19/10/18)

• Artist: Liv Austen

• Release Date: 19th October, 2018

• Genre: Country, Pop

• Record Label: NUA Entertainment

• Tracks: 12

• Website: https://www.livausten.com/

  The highly anticipated debut album from Norwegian born UK Country and Pop rising star Liv Austen. This album positively sparkles with high quality gems from the hand of this very talented singer-songwriter and her very talented team of collaborators. Highly recommended