Mud Pie Records [usr 4] From East Anglia to the world In the fens and along the coasts of East Anglia, the blues burn with a fervour that the devoted each bring to their own individual pilgrimages and pleas to the unconverted to join this happy band. In the vanguard come The Dove and Boweevil …
New Mountain Music [usr 2] Terrific pickin’ and cool blues from a new young pretender. It’s always difficult to review an album of covers because there’s always an almost unavoidable tendency to compare what you hear to the originals and it doesn’t always end well. I’ve always believed that if an artist is going …
[usr 3] Irish musician delivers mysterious dreamy folk-inspired album Strawboy’s debut album, Tidal Islands was fittingly recorded in an old cinema projection room in Amsterdam, which adds to its quirkiness and experimental quality. The Irish musician, Ciarán O’Rourke (also known as The Trickster), was formerly a London-based session musician, yet in recent years he …
Demon Music Group ***** A musical tribute to one of Daniel’s heroes This is Daniel O’Donnell new release. During his amazing 30 years career in show business, life and music has taken the popular Irish singer down many roads, including a recent and very well-received appearance on one of Britain’s most popular television shows, ‘Strictly Come …
[usr 5] Utterly authentic and classic country-roots album “You live the life I’ve lived/you’d know the way country sounds.” As he details excerpts from his life, there’s no denying the raw honesty of Jeremy Pinnell’s pure and deep vocals on his opening track, The Way Country Sounds. With dark lyrics and real-life storytelling, …
At The Helm Records (in association with Last Chance Records) [usr 4] A talented writer and musician, listening to Best is like reading a book cover to cover. YOUR DOG, CHAMP is the solo debut of Brent Best; a talented singer-songwriter from Texas whose penchant for literature influences his intelligent lyrics and informs …
Review Date: November 7, 2015 Reviewed By: Liam Lynott Location: London, O2 The Dave Matthews Band might seem an odd choice to headline a blues festival, but that didn’t stop the boys from Charlottesville, Virginia from lighting up the O2 at this years’ Prudential BluesFest. From the opening middle-Eastern warble of Squirm, to the glorious …
Review Date: 22 November, 2015 Reviewed By: Ian Horne Location: London, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire Justin Davis and Sarah Zimmermann, otherwise known as Striking Matches, finished up their UK tour in November with a stellar set at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire. Utilising the acoustics and facilities of the venue, the duo were able to …
Review Date: 13 December, 2015 Reviewed By: John Roffey Location: Sugar & Spice Club, Boscombe What a bonus to have two of Bournemouth’s top attractions under one roof to whet the pre-Christmas musical appetite. The town responded by packing the Sugar & Spice Club to the rafters and the SRO audience were rewarded with stellar …
Self-released [usr 3.5] Irish Gaelic roots singer-songwriter expands her horizons A native of Tipperary, Paula Ryan has drawn on her Irish Gaelic roots whilst exploring the influences and unusual instruments of other cultures. She has come up with an album that is ‘solo’ in the true sense of the word. As well as writing …
