Music

18 January 2022

Review: ‘Overground’ – Police Dog Hogan

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This is a band that I’ve had the pleasure of seeing live a couple of times, born entertainers that do well on the festival circuit however their studio recordings capture that energy that they bring to the stage and showcases their musicianship as a unit. Overground features some lyrical gems in the form of ‘Here Comes Crow’ and ‘Funfair On Shepherd’s Bush Green’, the latter of which is a wonderful storytelling song which paints a clear picture in the listeners mind with it’s beautiful imagery. Meanwhile, ‘Here Comes crow’ is a slightly haunting number, the use of the instruments here, to compliment the lyrical themes, is innovative, particularly that fiddle part that starts the song off. ‘I Need Your Love’ is powerful yet simple whereas ‘Kathleen O’Hare’, again, showcases the ability of the band to tell a good story. To conclude, after a long, enforced hiatus off the road due to the pandemic, the band have been busy plugging away, crafting what is arguably their best collection of songs to date and I can’t wait to see them bring these stories to life in a live setting once more. 

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Review: ‘Be a Better Me’ – George Ensle

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This is a fantastic Texas folk record and a good one to add to any music fan’s collection. Ensle’s storytelling lyrics coupled with his fingerpicking guitar style set the scene for an intimate and authentic foundation. A laid-back, raw vocal style delivers the 11-song collection, which takes you on a journey. The title track opens the album, it’s a positive introduction with an inspiring message. His writing draws on everyday experiences as is shown on ‘$1.65’ where he humanises the plight of a homeless man, and gives him the titular sum without judgement or questioning. It’s a beautiful song with another lesson to be learnt from it’s lyrics. There’s a live feel about the whole record which is stripped back with an authentic instrumentation. It’s well produced to capture the realness and down to earth nature of Ensle and his songs. The closing track is the bouncy, ‘Down by the Riverside’ a toe-tappingly good ending to a strong record from Ensle. 

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Review: ‘Good To Be’ – Keb Mo

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After celebrating fifty years in the industry, country blues icon, Keb Mo, returns with the Compton-meets-Nashville, genre defying ‘Good To Be’. The record is a celebration of his roots and of his growth as an artist over the years. From the laid-back title track, the whole record oozes with a sense of optimism and the five time GRAMMY award winning singer’s soulful vocals have never sounded better. Keb Mo is joined by some special guests on a couple of tracks, he teams up with Darius Rucker on stand out song ‘Good Strong Woman’, the pedal steel soars as the pair celebrate the influence of true love. Meanwhile, he is joined by Kristin Chenoweth on the intimate closing track, ‘Quiet Moments’ a vulnerability creeping into his voice, the strings beautifully complementing the feeling and emotions that the song portrays. It’s a brilliant record from Keb Mo where, even when he tackles more difficult topics, such as social justice on the track ‘Louder’, he finds a way to appreciate what he has, celebrating the present and that’s exactly what a lot of us need to listen and learn from. 

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