Tag: John Prine

Only available on Bandcamp for a limited time with all proceeds going to The Belonging Fund to benefit Nashville’s immigrant community, The Belonging EP Vol. 1 (Oh Boy Records) is a wonderful collection of rare covers by JOHN PRINE, two previously unreleased. It opens with a homespun fingerpicked ‘My Old Kentucky Home Goodnight’ with Jack Clement on dobro and guitar that was only ever released on the Stephen Foster tribute album Beautiful Dreamer, likewise, ‘Loretta’ is taken from Poet: A Tribute to Townes Van Zandt. The first of the unreleased cuts is a banjo-driven frisky (and likely live) shuffle though the Buddy Holly classic from which the label takes its name ‘Oh Boy (All My Love All My Kisses)’ while, indicating his eclectic tastes, the other is ‘Sweet And Dandy’, originally by ska icons Toots & The Maytals. The real gem though is a track that only ever appeared on a Spotify Sessions in 2018, Prine joined by The Secret Sisters and Fats Kaplin for a slowed down, countrified picked rework of Stevie Wonder’s ‘I Just Called To Say I Love You’. Roll on Vol 2.
www.johnprine.bandcamp.com/album/the-belonging-ep-vol-1-2

Aerial is the debut EP by Manchester-based singer-songwriter BRYONY LLOYD. Bryony cites Joni Mitchell, Nick Drake and Leonard Cohen and her voice has the fragility of Drake, certainly in the opener ‘Never, Never, Never’ while ‘4am’ has some of the soul-baring poetry of Mitchell together with the observations of everyday life that come from Bryony herself, maybe with a hint of Steve Ashley or Keith James.

The same minutiae of life fill ‘Moon In Libra’, a song that seems to be about a relationship that’s on the verge of going somewhere. It might just be the best track on the disc. ‘It’s Okay’ may possibly be moving onto the next stage but ‘When You Looked Away’ is definitely moving in the wrong direction with Bryony echoing the wistful voice of the young Joni Mitchell. Finally comes her cover of Tim Buckley’s ‘Phantasmagoria In Two’ with some rather strange percussive sounds. The music has a minimalist, almost primitive, style that suits Bryony’s voice well but there is no information about who is playing. That is a shame because they do a bang-up job.
https://www.facebook.com/bryonysongslloyd/?locale=en_GB

Approached to create songs for a production of As You Like It, Sydney Shepherd, Adrian Blake Enscoe and Regina Strayhorn, aka New York cello, guitar, accordion trio BANDITS ON THE RUN were inspired to put together The Shakespeare Tapes, a whole collection of arrangements of songs from that and ‘Twelfth Night’. From the latter where its sung by Feste, but relocated to the former in the production and sung by Orlando, Shepherd gives a vocal gender twist to ‘Tiny Boy’, with its famous “For the rain it raineth every day” line (which old Bill reprised for King Lear), here with a steady percussive rhythm and a gospel feel. That’s followed by the fingerpicked and gradually swelling ‘Mistress Mine’, another Feste’s song, and then the powerfully voiced jittery guitar arrangement of ‘Winter Wind’, a song about ingratitude sung by Amiens in ‘As You Like It’. Returning to ‘Twelfth Night’, perhaps the best known is (if music be the) ‘Food Of Love’, sung by Orsino, the trio offering lovely, dreamy, jazzy 30s arrangement that again builds in power as it goes. ‘For The Rain’ is a stripped back dreamy fingerpicked reprise of the opener and they close with one more from ASLI, the scratchy guitar, marching beat drums, part unaccompanied three part harmonies and mountain music feel of ‘Springtime’, or ‘It Was A Lover And His Lass’, complete with ding a ding ding dong. Play on indeed and give me excess of it.
www.banditsontherun.nyc

Michael Gallagher goes by the name THE MINING CO. and the Irish-born singer-songwriter releases his latest EP. Treasure In Spain, today. The opener, ‘Souvenir’, is richly arranged with an Americana feel and tells an intriguing story of a young woman seemingly running away from her life although the singer insists she is just taking a day off work. The key sound is an electric organ which also features in the title track. This song is more upbeat – a woman he meets is the only real thing; the only treasure of Spain.

‘Scars’ features hand percussion and jangly instrumentation – mandola or guitar perhaps? Or is there a glockenspiel in there? The scars appear to refer to railway lines, quite a contrast to the romanticism of most train songs. Finally, ‘We Are Not Alone’ is built on acoustic guitar and drone and is something of a puzzle – it may be about immigration disguised as an alien invasion, or it might be a pitch for a horror film. Fascinating!
http://theminingco.co.uk/

A collaboration with Tim Connelly, the honorary mayor of her California hometown Ramona, ASHLEY E. NORTON has self-released the all-acoustic EP, The Red Guitar.

The title track was inspired by Paula Stykel Wiessner who grew up in the Palace Het Loo in Apeldoorn in the Netherlands during the Nazi occupation. The building converted into a hospital for wounded soldiers, in her living room, behind a heavy curtain, was a red guitar. Never touched and never played, concealed inside was a radio transceiver that her father Paul, Housemaster of the Palace Het Loo, used to pass information to the Dutch resistance, the spire at the local orphanage concealing a radio antenna.  The guitar disappeared shortly before the war ended, its fate unknown but its story and the bravery of Paula’s father live on in the song.  The EP also includes three live in the studio acoustic versions of songs from Norton’s previous albums, Love You In The Dark, Every Woman I Know and That Girl.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bd9SCzbvR40

‘What Goes Down In The Ground’ is another epic single from acclaimed London based troubadour DAN RAZA.  Dan has a way of moving the soul with his lyrics.

Written five years ago after the dreadful murder of African American George Floyd Jr, who was killed by a White American police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota after a store clerk suspected Floyd had used a counterfeit dollar bill, on May 25, 2020. One of four police officers who arrived on the scene, knelt on Floyd’s neck and back for over nine minutes, fatally asphyxiating him. After his murder, a series of protests against police brutality, especially towards black people, quickly spread globally and across the United States. His dying words, “I can’t breathe”, became a rallying slogan.  The other three officers at the scene were also later convicted of violating Floyd’s civil rights.

Dan has captured the feelings of despair that ran around the globe after this happened. He hasn’t released it until now, as lockdown got in the way, but now we have this amazing song written with lyrics as only Dan can do.  He has released it now as it is around the fifth anniversary of this tragic event.  A lovely lilting bluesy/gospel type of melody that gets you singing along to the words. I see audience participation when Dan sings it live!!

Dan touches on history on Christopher Colombus, perhaps he should have turned back, and touches on cotton fields, and slavery.  Blood in the soil and Floyds death was seen publicly with horror around the world.  Good people are now rising up and protesting about slavery, statues are falling etc.

Dan has kindly decided to give proceeds to the sale of this single to The Anthony Walker Foundation, who rose up after the racially motivated murder of Antony Walker in Huyton, near Liverpool in Summer 2005.  The Foundation – set up by Anthony’s mother and family – works to tackle racism, hate crime and discrimination by providing educational opportunities, victim support services and by promoting equity and inclusion for all.  www.anthonywalkerfoundation.com Please support this wonderful single and charity.

Dan’s music can be found on Bandcamp and on www.danraza.com

A digital taster for his upcoming Restless Hearts album, featuring Mikey Kenney on fiddle and mandolinist Pippa Murdie, JOHN JENKINS releases the scampering train time rhythm ‘Cruel Winds’, a song of regrets for not treating his woman better (“I wounded her too often/And I was too late to comprehend”) now that she’s left him.
www.johnjenkinsmusic.com

‘Good As Gone’ is the new single from the remarkable combination of LADY MAISERY with JIMMY ALDRIDGE & SID GOLDSMITH. Originally appearing on The Incredible String Band’s debut album, the Robin Williamson song is given a distinctly Appalachian feel led by Aldridge’s rich banjo moving smoothly into squeezebox and a more English style. Interestingly, Clive Palmer’s banjo didn’t feature on the original so perhaps he’s been “written in” and the vocals are as rich as the accompaniment. The track comes from their new album, Wakefire, and it looks forward to the approaching summer.
https://www.ladymaisery.com/

Having stepped away from music for a while the UK’s answer to Tracey Chapman and vocally reminiscent of Tanita Tikaram, Batley singer-songwriter JASMINE KENNEDY finally returns with a double A-side single. Just her hushed, intimate voice and a ruminatively strummed guitar, ‘Where Would I Take You?  is a love song plea to build a relationship where she poignantly asks “So where will we take this? Where could it go?/It might’ve been one night in so many but I can’t bear not to know/So say that you might at least come see the sights/All our rolling hills and empty mills and a heart that wants to try, try be something that you’d like” but then faces the hard facts that “Wherever I take you, wherever we go/be it seaside towns or cricket grounds the answer will be no/It was one night and I know/I’ve got to give up and let go”.

Set to a choppier rhythm, ‘The List You Made Of The Things You’d Miss’ is a perfect example of why she’s been acclaimed as a songwriter, a song about mental health and depression and an encouragement to not dwell on the dark side (“make a long list, of all the things you’re grateful for of the things you’d miss…think really good thoughts/You know we all ought to recognise the virtue of a positive mind ”) but also a commentary on the poor state of the NHS in treating those suffering (“Have you tried counting from one to ten and back down again, till we can fit you in?/’Cause we’ll put you on our waiting list…The one a hundred times as long as the one you made of the things you’d miss”). A very welcome return.
www.jasminekennedy.bandcamp.com

‘Cool Summer Rain’ is cracking new digital single by Newcastle band THE OFTEN HERD. The track was inspired by their visit to the La Roche Bluegrass Festival although the bluegrass influences are restricted to Niles Krieger’s fiddle and the song is more Americana pop that bounces along winningly. The Often Herd will play Glastonbury this year which should do them a whole power of good.
https://www.theoftenherd.com/

Their first new music in four years, TEKLA WATERFIELD & JEFF FIELDER release the easy slow loping countrified and bluesy ‘I See You Mama’, the first from an upcoming album addressing themes of mental health and motherhood. It has its origins in her having a rough postpartum experience after giving birth in October 22 and with David Salonen on upright bass, drummer William Sage, Daniel Walker on organ and violinist Sietse Van Gorkom, is a song of gratitude to all mothers   doing the hard work of raising our future generations as she sings simply “You light up the world with your love Mama/Thank you”.
www.teklawaterfield.bandcamp.com/track/i-see-you-mama

Scottish powerhouse MÀNRAN release a new single written by Kim Carnie and Aidan Moody. ‘Something That I Said’ is rather poppier than you might expect and is very catchy. The underlying Scottishness that lies at the heart of the band is still there but the sound marks a huge step in their evolution.
https://manran.co.uk/

Steven Collins, the driving force of THE OWL SERVICE project, pays tribute to Sandy Denny (a continuing influence on his work) with a tribute single using two fine songs: ‘The Sea’, from Fotheringay’s eponymous 1970 album, and ‘Here In Silence’ from the soundtrack of the short film Pass Of Arms and released in 1972 as an extended single.

‘The Sea’ slightly resembles ‘Who Knows Where The Time Goes’ in feel, though the melody and structure are more complex and the lyric has a more mature diffused ambiguity. Collins hasn’t strayed far from the original arrangement but eschews the prominent lead guitar work of Jerry Donahue that features in the Gold Dust concert and the Fotheringay versions. Perhaps it gives more focus to the vocal and lyric. It’s a minor complaint, but the drum part is rather stolid. Dorothy Chappell’ vocal, though, is a revelation. Her pure tone and careful delivery recall Denny without imitating her. I hope to hear more from her.

‘Here In Silence’, perhaps owing something to Brel’s ‘La Colombe’, was composed by Don Fraser as part of the soundtrack for Peter Elford’s film Pass At Arms. However, its tone fits very comfortably with other Denny recordings like ‘John The Gun’ and Richard Farina’s ‘Quiet Joys Of Brotherhood’. While the core arrangement is fairly close to the original, the instrumentation is very different, being almost entirely electronic. Chappell’s vocal is technically almost flawless but doesn’t display the same suppressed emotion as Sandy’s: however, this does seem to suit the artificial, almost frigid tone of the instrumentation.
theowlservice.bandcamp.com/album/a-tribute-to-sandy-denny

GITTA DE RIDDER is a Dutch/English singer/songwriter/musician now back in The Netherlands after living for a spell in England. Her new single, ‘Heroes For A Day’, has something of a nursery rhyme feel but is very engaging with piano and hand percussion leading the sound and strings building towards the close.
https://www.gittaderidder.com/

Australia-born Sweden-domiciled HAZLETT will release a new album, Last Night You Said You Missed Me in September. As a taster we have ‘Tell Me Something’ with a surprisingly light voice over pounding drums and a powerful arrangement telling of breakup and disappointment.
https://www.thisishazlett.com/