Browsing Tag

americana

Spin out of control with Nav’s Hook latest indie folk-pop single, Drivin’ Me Crazy

In his latest single, Drivin’ Me Crazy, up and coming artist Nav’s Hook pulled up the roots of rhythm, country and blues to create an indie-folk-pop jam that pays ode to romantic mania. The infectiously uplifting track comes complete with shimmering Gretschy guitars, foot-stompin’ rhythms and some all too efficacious vocal hooks which make an earworm out of the release.

Any fans of Ryan Adams, Chris Cornell, John Mayer and Jason Isbell won’t want to miss out on this expressively seductive radio-ready track that practically begs for repeat attention.

You can check out the official lyric video for yourselves by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Wait All Night: Wisconsin country act Eric Hagen and Red River Revival can’t wait to get a glimpse of her again on ‘Hope’

Taken off his striking five-track ‘Crossroads Motel‘ EP from earlier this year, Eric Hagen and Red River Revival reminds us that it is possible to catch the eye of the one who you desire no matter how long it takes on ‘Hope‘.

Eric Hagen and Red River Revival is an indie Americana/folk/blues/rock and country act based in Door County, Wisconsin. Led by Eric, this is a soulfully expressive band with an honest touch who create that perfect road trip music.

Hagen has always been around music in some form or fashion. His first words may have even been “Hey Jude”. He grew up listening to records his parents played including The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Bob Dylan. Many timeless records still influence his music today in combination with newer artists such as Jason Isbell and Chris Stapleton.” ~ Eric Hagen

You feel the calming nature of a truly skilled singer-songwriter who has many a story to tell from his travels. His intricate musicianship is of a really high standard – as his smooth vocals have you lighting the romantic candles – and pouring another cold one with ice, to get the whole picture of this movie-like experience.

Hope‘ from the Wisconsin-based indie Americana/folk/blues/rock and country act Eric Hagen and Red River Revival, is the story of wishing that you could spend more time with her as you feel like there is a special bond. Sung with a majestic tone that towers over all your self-doubts and sadness, this is a wonderful effort that has you feeling so reflective.

Sometimes you can’t be together with that true soul who you want at first, as the timing seems to be off every time. That hope of it finally coming together no matter the time of night, keeps you coming back for more.

Hear this new single on Spotify and see more on the IG music channel.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

ELLSWORTH delivers 70s Americana escapism with ‘Potholes’.

ELLSWORTH

Oregon-born folk singer-songwriter ELLSWORTH’s latest single, Potholes, carries the same amount of soul as Jack Johnson’s consoling releases, the Americana escapism of Dylan’s records in the 70s and the same melancholic air that truthfully resides in us all from time to time.

The relatability in this façade-less dreamy feat of folky bluegrass indie sweetens the already choral tones. With lyrics such as ‘turn my body inside out, I shook it real hard, nothing fell out’ for your mind to devour, you’d have to be dead from the soul down not to feel something as you listen to Potholes weave through the stunningly composed progressions.

Check out ELLSWORTH on her website and Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Rich Ragany and the Digressions – ‘Beyond Nostalgia and Heartache’ album review

Beyond Nostalgia & Heartache by Rich Ragany And The Digressions

Why is Rich Ragany not consistently selling-out theatres and gracing the covers of the likes of Mojo and The Wire? That’s a question that repeatedly came to mind during the first couple of listens through new album Beyond Nostalgia and Heartache. So, for the uninitiated, first – some history; ‘Rags’, Canadian-born but now firmly London-based, was frontman and principle songwriter with The Role Models, who gave us three great albums, the last of which – 2017’s Dance Moves – hit #25 on Vive Le Rock magazine’s Albums of the Year Top 50.

But, at the same time, Rags had a “bunch of songs that weren’t very Role Models-like”, and – with the help of guitarists Gaff and Kit Swing, and a plan to just do “a little solo thing” – they grew into the first Rich Ragany and the Digressions album Like We’ll Never Make It, and a band completed by the excellent additions of Andy Brook (keyboards), Ricky McGuire (bass), and Simon Maxwell (drums). Tours followed with The Lemonheads, The Men They Couldn’t Hang, Whitfield Crane, and Warrior Soul, and a slated slot as main support for Status Quo’s Backbone UK tour. Then…lockdown.

So, with plenty of time and ample supplies of talent on hand, the band got busy writing, arranging, and recording a bunch of new songs. The result, then, is this; Beyond Nostalgia and Heartache. There’s a poignancy to that title that’s reflected throughout the album; September 2020 saw the sudden, tragic death of Rags’ older brother George, aged just 57, from Glioblastoma, an aggressive and fast-developing form of brain cancer. That led to last year’s From Nowhere To You single, a touching tribute to George in aid of The Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada, but you can hear George’s presence throughout Beyond Nostalgia…particularly in the slower, more reflective Sleep and album opener Sometimes You Can Hear The Voices.

That’s not to say that Beyond Nostalgia… is melancholy, though; far from it. This is a record about hope, about finding the light in dark times, and about bright futures; it’s uplifting, instantly familiar and yet fresh and light and scintillating all at once. There’s pop sensibilities in here hand-in-glove with the rock, along with touches of Country Rock and Americana, and that airiness that seemed to come from Minneapolis bands like Hang Time-era Soul Asylum, Husker Du, and The Replacements; in fact, it’s Paul Westerberg that springs to mind most often whilst listening to Beyond Nostalgia…, both in terms of Ragany’s vocal delivery and lyric writing and in the deliciously well-crafted song-writing, the upfront arrangements, and the instant catchiness and ear-worm hooks of songs like It Was Lonely At The Time, Fade In Blue, and the rockier Marionette, little flashes of the lyrical poetry of Dave Pirner and the road-trip rock choruses of Ragany’s compatriot Brian Adams.

Guitarist Kit Swing delivers some stunning, soaring co-vocal work across the album, notably on Heartbreakers Don’t Try, Blackout ‘Til Tuesday, and album closer This Is How You Spell Tonight, and there’s some subtly gorgeous guitar work and tasteful, retro-feeling Hammond and Rhodes piano work throughout, but ultimately – despite the masterly performances – this is primarily a record about songs. And it delivers them in spades.

Beyond Nostalgia and Heartache is a stunning, beautiful record, inspiring and optimistic, positive, comfortable, and immediate. Catchy, hummable, and full of songs that glue themselves inside your head as if they’ve been old friends for years, Beyond Nostalgia and Heartache could just be the album The Replacements never made.

9.5                               Alex Holmes

Award-winning alt-folk artist Colin Clyne has released his latest single, ‘Within Hindsight’

Colin Clyne

Award-winning Scottish alt-folk singer-songwriter Colin Clyne’s latest single, Within Hindsight, takes you back to the time when ballads were tender and minimal instrumentation carried alchemically profound magnetism.

The tones in Within Hindsight are enough to evoke synaesthesia as you drink in the sepia colours weaved into the acoustic guitar progression and soft neo-classic-style meanderings of the piano. The gravelly whisky-soaked vocals hit the high notes with soaring ease, allowing Clyne to exhibit both his arresting vocal range and emotional range. They say that there are 34,000 possible human emotions, Within Hindsight resonates as capable of evoking most of them.

After spending ten years in California collecting accolades, including being a two-time winner of ‘The Best Acoustic Act’ at San Diego Music Awards, and featuring on a list of the best singer-songwriters curated by NBC that listed him alongside Tom Waits, it is safe to say that he made quite the impression. There is no reason why he can’t celebrate the same success on this side of the pond.

Within Hindsight is due for official release on June 25th.

You can check out Colin Clyne via his website, Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Gabrielle Gore served an infectiously euphoric slice of Americana with her single, ‘My Mustang’.

Eighteen-year-old Oklahoma-hailing country singer-songwriter Gabrielle Gore already has 14-years of performative experience behind her, when it came to writing her latest single, My Mustang, she was primed to serve an infectiously euphoric slice of Americana.

With bluegrass folk meeting crawling rockabilly rhythms, and a few pop elements thrown in for good measure, My Mustang crosses genres while staying true to each style borrowed from. The distinction doesn’t end with the instrumentals either; the rich and resonant vocal projection brings a vibrant energy to the up-tempo track that will transport you to the heart of Nashville before the chorus hits.

My Mustang is now available to stream via SoundCloud. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Take a rural trip with Mike and the Psychedelic Humans debut single, ‘UFO’.

Why listen to Alex Jones ranting about UFOs when you could listen to Mike and the Psychedelic Humans’ debut single, UFO, which brings small-town rural vibes to international airwaves and celebrates the quintessential nature of them?

UFO is a psych-rock soiree that takes you deep into the heart of the old-school Louisiana funk sound while tapping into the soul of raw Chicago blues. It’s a psychedelic trip that any city slicker will want to take. With vocal reminiscence to Frank Zappa, UFO is all too efficacious at abducting your consciousness and filling it with kaleidoscopic colour. Naturally, we can’t wait to hear what comes next from Mike and the Psychedelic Humans.

UFO is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

D Boone Pittman paints a panoramic picture of romantic disparity in ‘She Likes the Beach’

‘She Likes the Beach’ is just one of the instantly immersive bluegrass singles taken from country-folk singer-songwriter D Boone Pittman’s debut album, Emerge.

The 10-track straight from the soul album pays a fitting ode to the storytelling roots of folk. As the acoustic bluegrass chords lay out the welcome mat, Pittman paints a panoramic picture of romantic disparity with his endlessly magnetic vocals as he expresses his frustration at being with someone that you can’t quite see eye to eye with but you end up in a situationship regardless.

You can check out D Boone Pittman on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Marshall Artz are ‘Coming Home’ with their twin guitars and a brand new album

Marshall Artz

Taken from their fifth album ‘What Matters’, Marshall Artz’ new single ‘Coming Home’ is a mildly folky, Louisiana-tinged acoustic-led duet, fast-paced and upbeat with some bluegrass vibes in places around the banjo-roll lead breaks and slide guitar pieces, all wrapped around the uber-tight fingerstyle rhythm work of Kevin Artz. There’s a folk-rock, Americana feel to the track, reminiscent of 70’s trio America, Bread, or Harry Chapin, with maybe an element of the Doobie Brothers thrown in in the way both players interact organically around the track to create something that sounds fuller than ‘just’ two guitars and vocals.

It’s an excellent track, pacey and tight; lyrically, the title’s pretty much on the money – a long time away, nothing but ‘FaceTime on my iPhone’ to connect with, and ‘today is the day that I’m coming home’. Gentle, fun, and uplifting, ‘Coming Home’ is a great introduction to Marshall Artz new album.

You can hear ‘Coming Home’ here.

Review by Alex Holmes

Be There For You: Vibrant Virginia band Franklin Gotham wishes they could offer support on ‘I Can’t’

As he wonders why he can’t be there like she was for him, Franklin Gotham returns with a striking story about how sometimes the heart just won’t let you get in too deep on ‘I Can’t‘.

Franklin Gotham is a likable pop infused Americana three-piece act from Alexandria, Virginia. They bring that catchy music to the fore, that has your heart alight with possibilities, whilst providing us a soundtrack to jump right into the upcoming summer days.

With a punchy acoustic tone and fresh vocals that entrenches in your mind, you feel the sense of regret in his voice as he knows that he needs to be there, but just isn’t able as she has moved on and you miss those moments together.

The visuals are fun to watch on this exciting music video at the fair — and you feel engrossed into their story that you have felt before in your life — when you needed to be present to help out.

I Can’t’ from the awesome three-piece Alexandria, Virginia band Franklin Gotham, shows us into the light to where you want to be but feel its best to rather give them space. You know you need to do this simple thing, however you are madly in love with them and don’t want to ruin that special friendship.

Stream this catchy video on YouTube and see more on IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen