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Blues Music Blog & Promotion

Fish in the Sea: Hertfordshire duo Tranquility Beach drops magnificent single Only One

Posted on 16 October 2022

After a memorable 48 second intro to wet our insatiable appetites, Tranquility Beach holds our attention with a masterful display that shall be your new theme song on Only One.

Tranquility Beach is a Hertfordshire, UK-based indie blues duo who makes those authentic gems you can’t help but smile with no matter the time of day.

”Formed as a covers band in 2018, they began writing and recording their own material in 2019. Their music fuses Molly’s soulful vocals with Ben’s guitar and percussion to produce tracks that blend modern rock, blues, folk and soul.” ~ Tranquility Beach

Proving once again that music made from the heart can warm your mood, Tranquility Beach are rather spellbinding and takes us on a ride that will awaken your precious soul from hiding.

Only One from Hertfordshire, UK-based indie blues band Tranquility Beach is a rather revved up single which might get your head nodding like it was 1999 again. Wrapped in a timeless authenticity that teases our ears awake. we have stumbled upon a truly outstanding single that has a cinematic excellence.

There are many fish in the sea if you look hard enough.

Listen up loud on Spotify and see more vibes on IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Live Review: The Virginmarys mainlined blues through punk veins with rock & roll reverence on their tour of their EP, Devil Keeps Coming.

Posted on 16 October 2022

The UK live music scene may be on its knees. But on October 15th, a near-capacity crowd flocked to Gorilla in Manchester to kneel at the unholy alter of The Virginmarys as the Macclesfield-hailing band played the home leg on their tour of their critically acclaimed EP, Devil Keeps Coming.

With it being my first Virginmarys show amongst their devout fans, I was unsure of their ability to cut through the usual awkwardness of live music in the new normal. From the very first note of The Meds, any sense of cynicism slipped away. The crowd was instantaneously thrown into animation. Yet evidently, this was no average punk rock pit. Euphoria fuelled the momentum in place of the usual boozy weight-throwing aggravation. Something I’ve scarcely seen unless Riot Grrrl icons and their descendants are gracing the stage. As a testament to how much adoration The Virginmarys garner from their fans, one couple made the 3,000+ mile journey from Ohio to witness the deafening duo tearing up the turf in their hometown.

One thing I will never forget is how it wasn’t just the blues mainlined through punk veins with holy rock n roll reverence that gripped the crowd through the symbiotic dynamism between Ally’s guitars and Danny’s Bonham-Esque drum fills. In every direction, I saw how viscerally the lyricism resonated and psyched the crowd into a frenzy through the wit-deep lines that strip the alienation from political disillusion and mental precariousness.

The acoustic rendition of Sleep was also a tear-jerking memorable feat of the hit-after-hit setlist, which forwent the egocentric inclusion of an encore. I’m fairly convinced that in Ally’s past life, he was a tortured soul from Tennessee. His uninhibited songwriting skills are only matched by his ability to get to the crux of emotions that mostly go unspoken.

If you get a chance to catch them on the remaining legs of their UK tour, take it. You won’t regret it.

Artist Links: Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, Twitter.

Live Review by Amelia Vandergast

Rachel Burns beat the odds in her theatrical retro-soul track, I Did It

Posted on 30 September 2022
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Slip into the retro soul of Rachel Burns’ latest pop single, I Did It, which spins a tale of triumph over trauma and adversity. The journey from surviving to overcoming to thriving is scarcely pretty; the Washington, DC-based singer-songwriter brought a profound amount of grace to the subject matter regardless.

The Gospel-Esque backing vocals take Burns’ soul-awakening vocal timbre to mind-blowingly celestial heights. When she stretches for those stridently high vocal notes, you’ll get a first-hand account of her resilience and the resilience that most of us have to muster to piece ourselves back together.

Inspired by Amy Winehouse, Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin and Tina Turner, Rachel Burns has exactly what it takes to become a legend in her own right with the theatrical twists to her signature sound, which plays with nuances of blues, country and jazz.

I Did It will officially release on September 30th. Check it out on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

SRVR unleashed a debut of spacey blues with their alt-rock release, Birdman

Posted on 14 September 2022

In response to America’s political decline, the South London producers and songwriters Sidney Rivers and Vincent Rogue merged their visionary creativity under the moniker SRVR and released their art-rock debut, Birdman.

Converging bluesy guitars and spacey textures in the soulfully gospel-esque production, there’s a subversive surrealism to the release, making it more than fitting for the 2022 airwaves. With Rob Wilks (Foals, Florence and the Machine, Lianne La Havas) at the mixing desk, Birdman spread its wings as a cathartically compelling sensory experience that everyone with an affinity for the Avant Garde will want to aurally revel in.

With their debut LP due for release in early 2023, save a space on your radars.

Birdman will officially release on September 14th. Stream it on SoundCloud or watch the official music video on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

49 Burning Condors are arrestingly ablaze in their Southern Gothic album, Seventh Hymnal

Posted on 9 September 2022

49 Burning Condors released a strong contender for the album of the year with their latest tribally awakening release, Seventh Hymnal. Penned during lockdown, the 7-track release traverses some tender topics; with the sonorous amalgam of goth rock and occultist alchemy, it is as bewitching as it is emboldening.

It isn’t often I’m left speechless. But considering the very nature of Seventh Hymnal is to express what can never be portrayed through words alone, the arrested daze that 49 Burning Condors left me in speaks volumes of their ability to run with an powerful concept and take you along for the visceral ride until you’re subsequently soothed by the sonic vernacular.

The album opens on the swampy stripped-back bluesy single, Bayou, before Little Death delivers a haunting ode to frailty through baroque strings, sparse vocals and hypnotic percussion. Track 3, Willow Tree, lets the compassion pour through the gentle folkish melodicism before Red Drum Skin will make you want to lead a sacrificial lamb to slaughter. Track 5, Noonday, one of the previously released singles stands as a profound testament to the vocal soul from Kimber before the album concludes on the sorrowfully sublime title single, which is just as cinematic as Ramin Djawadi’s work on Westworld.

Here’s what 49 Burning Condors have to say about their latest release:

“Seventh Hymnal was written during the pandemic; a time of abounding uncertainty, where death loomed around every corner, and chaos lingered in our world, homes, and veins. Our songs are dripping with stories of grief, bodies floating down the river, men drowning to a siren’s song, and of the gods worshipped, who ultimately turned calamitous.

Seventh Hymnal is not only an outpouring of all the things we wanted to say but couldn’t express in regular words to those we loved and even to ourselves, but a benediction and examination of a woman’s role of power in the world of men.”

Seventh Hymnal will stream across all platforms from September 7th. Hear it on SoundCloud and Spotify.

For more info, head over to their official website or follow them on Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Play The Fool: Robert John Hanson knows that its hard to breathe sometimes in that Crowded Room

Posted on 30 August 2022

After stirring up our senses with a quality performance on Blue Cocktail, Robert John Hanson takes that one-more-dance with someone who will hopefully not leave any mental scars on Crowded Room.

Robert John Hanson is a hugely experienced Liverpool, UK-born, Rhode Island, USA-based indie blues singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and music producer.

”Hanson has lived in L.A. and New York where he played with Spinal Reflex and Grandma Tootle.” ~ Robert John Hanson describing his career so far

Filling our beating hearts with a reminder of what can be if you take a chance sometimes, Robert John Hanson returns with a top single, which will encourage many to speak up when a connection is felt inside that stuffy room. Packed with terrific vocals and his storytelling brilliance that will have you sensing you are listening to an underground legend who deserves more love.

Crowded Room from Liverpool, UK-born, Rhode Island, USA-based indie blues singer-songwriter Robert John Hanson is a late night single for anyone who needs to believe that there is actually a chance. With true love seemingly hard to find, this is a dreamy single that will get you knocking on the door of your heart again, to see if there is anything romantic left in your soul after so many disappointments.

Sung with his signature deep tone that will make many swoon in delight, showing us that classic music still has a place for those who desire something with actual substance.

Hear this fine release on Spotify and see more on his IG page.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Arbor Creek gave us the Chicago blues in their old school rock n roll single, Make Your Mind Up

Posted on 26 August 2022

Keeping the wheels turning on rock n roll, deep from Chicago’s south suburbs, Arbor Creek is set to release their debut album, Thanks for Wading, featuring the nostalgically bluesy hit, Make Your Mind Up.

Immune to the allure of modern rock gimmicks, Arbor Creek is committed to keeping the warm overdriven vintage tones of rock n roll alive, and pouring soul into each of their tracks which are sure to appeal to any fans of The Rolling Stones, Muddy Waters, Freddie King and Buddy Guy. For the outro, Make Your Mind Up gives John Bonham a run for his legendary money; the nostalgically rich progressive single keeps on giving as it gradually builds in saturated analog momentum.

Thanks for Wading will officially release on August 26th. Check it out for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

When The River Took Over: Kit Lindsey watches the birds fly away on Appalachian Sunday

Posted on 25 August 2022

Showing us that shining style that was born from Mamma-taught hard work mentality, Kit Lindsey has reimagined an old tale that many will remember intently on Appalachian Sunday.

Kit Lindsey is a Landrum, South Carolina-based indie blues/country singer-songwriter who makes those nostalgic gems you can’t seem to forget.

”A culmination of so many influences, experiences, and moods. It’s at the top of my list when it comes to songs that still jerk my emotions around no matter how many times I’ve sung them.” ~ Kit Lindsey speaking about the meaning of Appalachian Sunday

Time-travelling us back to an old school murder ballad that will catch your attention, Kit Lindsey shows us the hero and the villain in a modern way that is rather incredible to witness. Her tone is somber, honest, and takes us right into the moment where that fateful moment took place.

Appalachian Sunday from Landrum, South Carolina-based indie blues/country singer-songwriter Kit Lindsey is an excellent track that will stop you in your tracks for 3 minutes and 30 seconds. It’s sung with a dynamic aura that shall have you lost in thought. Speaker-rattling beyond previous comprehension, to bring us into a classic story, in her own way.

Relate to a song made with a true class on YouTube and see more via her IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Escape in the roots of Drew Peterson’s Americana folk single, Duck

Posted on 25 August 2022

With the quirky intensity of Neutral Milk Hotel and the bluegrass crooning of Tom Waits, we couldn’t help succumbing to the soul in Drew Peterson’s album, St. Jude, A Duck and the Crooked Line.

The opening single, Duck, is a narratively escapist Midwest adventure from the independent roots singer-songwriter who has been twanging acoustic strings and entertaining rowdy bars on the Minnesota scene for over two decades. The softly gruff vocals work their way through the dry humour in the lyrics over the minimalist production, consisting of little more than accordion and strings. But that is all Peterson needed to sonically consume you with the endearingly titled, Duck.

Check out Drew Peterson’s debut solo album via his official website and Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Annabel Brett makes sure we get the message in her alt-soul pop single, Voicemails

Posted on 23 August 2022

With the vocal poise of a 1950’s bluesy soulstress and the cutting indie folk pop edge of artists such as Mitski and Phoebe Bridgers, Annabel Brett is breath-taking in her dreamy pop single, Voicemails.

The vocal distinction gives few clues to the 23-year-old independent artist’s influences, and it’s a very similar story with the light, minimalist and acoustics. The two-minute tender track eclipses everything lo-fi should be; Voicemails resounds like you’ve just caught a Truman Capote character in an intimate melancholic moment.

Check out Annabel Brett’s latest single, Voicemails on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast