Album review: Rise by Amber Ikeman

American singer-songwriter Amber Ikeman grew up in the state of Florida then moved to live and work in Yellowstone National Park in Montana. This journey echoes that of Australian artist Harmony James, whose first album, Tailwind, was created while she was working on the Barkly Tableland in the Northern Territory, and just as the Barkly lefts its mark on James's music, so has Ikeman's state of residence influenced the music she creates in her second album, Rise.

Rise is, therefore, not the music of sunshine and beaches - from its first song, 'Wild Buffalo', it's evocative of spaces and land and history, and of relationships forged around those elements. Ikeman's lineage is cited as folk and Americana, and there is traditional country music in there too. Her voice has a beautiful pure quality, and she has wonderful control of it (with excellent diction - longtime readers will know how highly I prize this!). When a singer can turn a phrase the way Ikeman can there's a temptation to say they sing 'sweetly' but while Ikeman's tones are sweet, there is an edge there throughout that is intriguing. Although that sweetness does hook you immediately.

Ikeman's is a voice that simultaneously suits an old-time sound and modern songs. Which is, probably, a way of saying that it's a well-developed instrument that can adapt to its material. That adaptability is evident in the first three songs, as she moves from the grit and force of 'Wild Buffalo' to the plaintive love song 'Cheyenne' to the ballad 'The Firefigher'. Ikeman's voice has a lot of nooks and crannies, and there are surprises accordingly. But it's all very well to listen to a voice - the songs have to be there to provide the right vehicle, and Ikeman has them. She's a storyteller who embraces emotional tales, and that's not a way of saying they're all love songs. There are songs of strength and challenge, and of loneliness. The love songs that are on the album also acknowledge the aforementioned spaces and land and history - albeit the history of the relationship concerned - as well as distance and challenge.

While the musical arrangements of the songs are spare - not sparse - all the better to support the songs and the singer, there is a lot going on in each song, to the point that before each song is over you know you'll want to go back and listen to it over and over again. This might be a second album but Ikeman is no sophomore - this is a very well-rounded and well-executed work that should attract listeners from across the spectrum (including pop) to bring Ikeman the audience she deserves.

Rise is available now on Bandcamp.



www.amberikeman.com

Album review: Queens of the Breakers by The Barr Brothers

The core of this Montreal band is, fairly obviously, the Barr Brothers, Brad and Andrew, who are joined by harpist Sarah Page. The band's folky sound initially seems to be not constrained so much as modest: there are no fancy tricks here. No doubt that's because they're not needed. The sound relies very much on the instruments, which are lovingly, crisply and expertly played, with the vocals floating over them. And it is to those instruments that the listener's attention keeps being drawn, not just because of how they're played but because of the attention to detail in the production: each of the individual sounds are so clean that it's possible to get lost inside each song, following each instrument, only to realise you need to go back and listen to the song again to listen to a different instrument ... and on it goes until you can sit back and realise that, for all the individuality, the songs cohese very, very well.

It may be self-evident to say that Canada has a rich, diverse music community - which country doesn't, really? But there is so much very good, if not excellent, Canadian music that seems to belong to a certain genre yet really plays with the boundaries of it. Call it an ingrained national trait of curiosity. There is also a strong tradition of storytelling, and it's one of the few places on the planet where a fiddle player can rise up the charts just as easily as a pop singer.

The Barr Brothers draw on those characteristics of Canadian music: they are telling stories not just in their lyrics but also through how these songs are played, offering a very well-rounded, fulfilling experience for the listener that demands you listen again and again, because there are all sorts of nooks and crannies in these songs, not to mention twists and turns. And so many jewels, too, waiting to be found.

Queens of the Breakers is out now through Secret City Records.


thebarrbrothers.com

Album review: The Closest Thing to Home by Ira Wolf

Ira Wolf is Montana born and Nashville resident, but her music has taken her around the globe - including to Australia - to tour. She draws on a lineage of folk, bluegrass and Americana, and she's also studied at the esteemed Berklee College of Music. A formal education in music is not essential, of course - some may argue that it can get in the way of an artist expressing themselves. But there's another argument to be made: that a knowledge of structure is fundamentally important in order to explore freely. Learn the rules before you break them.

Wolf's pedigree is evident in the construction of the nine wonderful songs on her third album, The Closest Thing to Home. There is a wealth of skill behind each of them: they are restrained and expressive at the same time, a balance that is often present in artists who are experienced enough to know exactly what to deliver and when. It's the difficult art of editing yourself, made more challenging when you have a voice like Wolf's, which clearly has great range and a lovely timbre, and which could, no doubt, be let off the leash to wander and trill all over the place. Except that wouldn't serve the song - and there is that restraint again. That's not to say that Wolf is straining - she sounds completely at ease within each of these songs. Instead, it is her saying to the audience, 'I'm here with you - I'm not going anywhere.' And that creates an intimacy with the listener that is an essential component of the experience of listening to this album.

Lyrically, Wolf is both vulnerable and strong. These are confessional, emotional songs that honour the listener, too, because Wolf is essentially saying that she trusts us enough to share. The album sounds immediately accessible - it felt weirdly like a relief to hear these songs for the first time. The album also grows richer and warmer with each listening, the way a great friendship should. And that's what Wolf seems to be offering: an opportunity to get to know her well. It's a beautiful privilege to have it, and to be able to listen to it over and over.

The Closest Thing to Home is out now.


 irawolfmusic.com

Album review: Nomad by Angus Gill

The debut status of Angus Gill’s album Nomad belies the fact that he is no novice in the Australian country music game. Already a Star Maker grand finalist and a three-time graduate of the CMAA Academy of Country Music, Gill has the credentials to create an impressive debut – and, as it turns out, he has the talent too.

Nomad is identifiably an Australian country music album that draws on its lineage – with shades of Slim Dusty and Lee Kernaghan – and also sounds like an album that a young man would release. Gill’s voice has a youthful lightness to it that’s paired with the seriousness with which he’s taken his craft and his history.

These are songs of the road, of mishaps and friendships, of hope and light. Gill doesn’t shy away from including genuine emotion in a song (‘Starin’ Out the Back of a Car’) but he’s also not averse to writing a very catchy song about traffic (‘Country Bloke City Driving’). This contrast does not seem at all incongruous, and that is, no doubt, due to Gill’s background in country music. Despite his youth, he’s paid a certain amount of dues, and he deserves respect accordingly – as evidenced by the appearance of luminaries such as Kevin Bennett and Adam Harvey on the album.

Come January, Gill will doubtless have many returning and new fans at the Tamworth Country Music Festival, and this album almost sounds like it was born of the festival, because it is so evocative of its genre and also captures the energy and enthusiasm that is characteristic of the festival. The album has an identity beyond that, of course, and it will be in farm houses and townhouses, on country roads and in that confounded city traffic. Gill has made an album that will please the traditionalists no end and also appeal to audiences around his age. This is quite a feat – no doubt the first of many.

Nomad is out now.

Google Play

angusgill.com.au

EP review: Calling You by Lyn Bowtell

There is absolutely no way that Lyn Bowtell could produce something that is not worthy of an effusive review. Even if you never paid attention to any of her lyrics, her voice alone makes her extraordinary. Those who have seen her play live know that her clean, sweet, warm, perfectly pitched sound is as pristine live as it is recorded. And they also know that she is adept at conjuring powerful emotions - it is hard to get through one of Bowtell's gigs without shedding a tear. So her voice is a powerful instrument, which means something - and means more because although she has a huge range and it has such an incredible sound, she never uses it for display. There are no superfluous notes because Bowtell also respects the song and will do whatever is necessary to serve it.

Calling You is Bowtell's first release since her exquisite 2014 album, Heart of Sorrow, although it is not entirely her work.

Three of the songs are covers: the first track, 'He Burns', was written by Foy Vance; there's also a version of her live favourite 'Hearts of Gold' by Sting, and of 'Let it Be' by that somewhat popular songwriting duo Lennon McCartney. Bowtell, of course, makes these songs sound like she wrote them - when a performer is so accomplished and also understands music so well, it can't be a surprise that she is able to find a new and personal way to interpret an old song.

Bowtell is also part of the country music troika Bennett Bowtell Urquhart and there is original music by her on their album. So I won't grumble that there's not a complete album from her now - instead, it is a treat to have any new songs. The three original songs on the EP - 'All My Life', 'Calling You' and 'Far Away' - sit beautifully beside the three covers. As with all of Bowtell's originals, they are stirring and thought provoking. If the EP were just those three songs, it would a lovely piece of work. It is an absolute treat to have more. Let's hope there is even more soon.

Calling You is out now.





Google Play

lynbowtell.com

Album review: Real Class Act by Fanny Lumsden

Since Fanny Lumsden released her debut album, Small Town Big Shot, she has established herself as a pillar of the Australian country music community. She was already seasoned at touring parts of Australia that rarely see a musical act, and she continued to do that - it was a fitting activity for someone whose music appeared almost to spring from the land and its people. Lumsden seems to intrinsically understand that one of the functions of country music is to tell the story of the country. It can be quite a responsibility, and it's one she is absolutely capable of undertaking, as she showed on Small Town Big Shot and now on her second album, Real Class Act.

On this new album Lumsden may return to the themes of her first - the land and its people - but she has moved on to new stories, and where there was a touch of (healthy) cynicism on the first album, the second is mostly a more jaunty affair. There is a notable exception: 'Real Men Don't Cry (War on Pride)' is Lumsden's serious - and needfully so - plea for Australians to relinquish the stoicism which can cause so much damage. It is the sort of directness that country music facilitates and allows to be sincerely received, because of the artist's relationship with the audience and theirs with the artist. In someone else's hands this song might sound hokey; in Lumsden's - so assured, experienced and empathetic - it is moving. And it has a companion in the beautiful final song on the album, 'Here to Hear'. 

The other songs on Real Class Act are the sort that evoke scratchy summer grass, dusty roads and old friendships, with all the mixed emotions they bring. Lumsden understands that the best way to communicate a story is not by trying to sweep up as many experiences and emotions as you can into the one song. Specificity is what offers the listener the opportunity to think, Me too. Or, if there's no commonality, there is a richly detailed story to listen to instead.

As with the title of her first album, Lumsden's use of 'Real Class Act' could be taken as ironic - except it's not. At every stage of her career she has proved herself to be the real deal, and a real class act. She's also a one-off. Lumsden honours the traditions of Australian country music and takes them further along the red dirt road with her, remaking them as she goes and creating a unique sound and style that can only continue to win more fans. 

Real Class Act is out now.

Google Play


fannylumsden.net

Album review: Queen of Boomtown by Gretta Ziller

Victorian singer-songwriter Gretta Ziller released her first EP, Hell's Half Acre, in late 2014. There was great talent, and great promise, in it - and, consequently, her fans (including me) have had an impatient wait for her first album, Queen of Boomtown. The wait has been worth it, not that there was much doubt: the talent and promise of Hell's Half Acre were not of the fleeting kind.

On Queen of Boomtown Ziller has resisted making another version of Hell's Half Acre. The songs on both are distinctively hers, but the album is a progression. These songs are the work of someone with more life behind her - more wistfulness, by the sound of it, and perhaps some cynicism that gives her voice even more of a knowing tone than it had before. And what a voice it is: Ziller has long sounded like she could emit the battle cry of an outlaw queen and follow it with a torch song, and that mix of mellow tone and strident edge is even better balanced on this album.

There is some melancholy on this album, most notably in 'This is Gonna Hurt' and 'Alright with Me', but that is not the predominant tone, for even 'Go On', which could be a song about a broken heart, is more about independence and self-determination. The lyrics of the title track could suggest hard times but no one could really call herself a queen if she wasn't feeling something close to assured about what she's doing. And Ziller does sound assured throughout this album - as well she should. These songs are great stories and musically wonderful, and at the centre of it all is Ziller's majestic voice and her commanding presence, which is clear in each note. This may be a debut album but Ziller doesn't sound like a beginner. If this were a third or sixth album she could be proud of it - for a debut, well, let's just say it sounds a lot like a queen claiming her throne.

Queen of Boomtown is out now from Social Family Records.
or Google Play.
grettaziller.com

EP review: Carousel

British four-piece band Carousel draw influences from Americana, folk, rock, blues and roots - which is not so unusual, you might think, because those influences work well together. What is unusual about this band from Southend-on-Sea, near Essex, are that all four members are accomplished vocalists. And from the evidence of the five tracks on this debut EP, they all have their preferred musical strand to marry to their voices, to great effect. They also deploy harmonies judiciously and beautifully.

The immediate standout track is the third, 'Porcelain', because of the lovely combination of male and female voices, and the sweetly lilting melody. However, closer listening to the other four tracks reveals the skill and experience behind each of them. 'Throw Me to the Wolves' has more of a driving rock style, 'Show' modern folk, 'Dead Horse' shows its country roots, and 'Comfortable Skin' is a wistful ballad.

Those influences mentioned above are evident but not overworked. Indeed, the songs seem to take inspiration from those musical styles rather than trying to consciously display them. If I were to guess, I'd say they each know what works for their voices and they draw on that in the songwriting process. The result is not a hodge-podge of styles; instead, it's an eclectic and also cohesive mixture of songs that are unified by a high standard of songwriting and performance.

The band's bio states that they were founded in 2015, four friends and solo musicians who decided to come together 'with the ideology that they are better together than they are apart'. I haven't heard their solo music but it is clear on this EP that they are very strong together, and no doubt stronger still as time goes on.

Carousel is out now.


www.carouseluk.com

Album review: A Foreign Country by Jed Rowe

Listening to an album for the first time is akin to starting a novel: there is a process of working out what is going on and also deciding if you want to continue with the story that is unfolding. It is rare for either album or novel to grab hold of you immediately; either you arrive at a point of being swept away or you don’t, and the decision is made accordingly. This is true even if you’re predisposed to like the creator: they have a certain advantage, in that you’ve decided to listen to the album (or, first, their single) or read the book. But they still have to win you over.

When I started listening to Jed Rowe’s new album, A Foreign Country, I was predisposed to like it, having found his previous work to be compelling, fascinating and complex. Still, no free pass here: I have a lot of music to listen to and I still need to reach that point of being grabbed.

That point came in song five, ‘Tailem Bend’, which Rowe has also released as a single. But I need to be clear: songs one through four were very, very good. It’s just that it was ‘Tailem Bend’ that made me think that we were off to the races. If you pressed me as to why, I couldn’t say – music is an art, a science and a mystery, and when all those elements are in harmony it’s impossible to say exactly what captures the attention apart from to say that it’s magic. And on the second playing of the album it was clear that the same magic was present in all ten songs.

A Foreign Country is Rowe’s most Australian album to date, meaning that the lyrical content names Australian places more regularly than his previous works; Port Douglas, Mission Beach, Bondi, the Murray and the Coorong and Narromine all appear. And while Rowe is Australian, the title of the album may be a nod to the fact that Australia is geographically so diverse and vast that even its lifelong residents can find themselves in what seems like a foreign land even if it’s a hundred kilometres down the road.

As with his previous albums, the songs are stories, usually of others – and if they are stories from Rowe’s own life we’ll never know, because he tells each story with the same feeling. Rowe is a deliberate, considered, meticulous lyricist, as well as a poetic one – if you read the lyrics on their own, it is immediately clear that they don’t need music to bring them to life, because Rowe has taken care of each word and line to ensure that they are works of art. That perhaps makes it more difficult for him to turn these into songs, for poems don’t always lend themselves to accompaniment. In Rowe’s case, though, they do. Rowe has always had a wonderful voice, and he’s an accomplished guitarist, using both instruments to bring more life, and nuance, to his lyrics.

The instrumentation on this album is sparse (but not threadbare). It’s true that Rowe doesn’t need much to bring his lyrics to musical life but he’s also wise enough to exercise restraint – not so much a case of ‘less is more’ as ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’.

Rowe has built an impressive catalogue of songs that satisfy on many levels. The lyrics always tell a story that seems complete until you realise that there are layers of story which aren’t in the songs but which have informed Rowe’s choice of words. Musically, Rowe always delivers because he applies the same attention to detail to the music as he does to the words. And then there is the meaning that Rowe brings to the songs and the space he allows for the listener to bring their own. When an artist is aware of his role, as Rowe is – when he’s aware that he is the creator but he is also the messenger and that the message never belongs completely to him – he produces songs like these, which gave the listener room to put themselves inside them. That requires a sublimation of ego to the greater purpose of art while also believing that you’re the right person to bring that message. It’s the same kind of delicately balanced dance that is required to make a great song, and Rowe has it.

A Foreign Country is out now.

or Google Play.

www.jedrowe.com

Album review: From the Bottom of a Well by Brad Butcher

If, like me, you have loved music for as long as you can remember, and even been obsessed with certain albums and artists at various times, your affection sometimes waning but generally keeping faith with those you have loved most, you'll have been lucky enough to feel the rapture that comes with discovering someone great, looking forward to their next release and being rewarded for your anticipation.

Brad Butcher is a Queensland singer-songwriter whose first album still has me in thrall. His second album, Jamestown, proved that the first was no fluke. Butcher is a terrific songwriter, and, yes, he can sing and all that good stuff. But some artists have magic in them – almost a sorcery that can make you think of their songs at the oddest times and all the emotions that those songs conjure are as strong as they were the first few times you heard that particular combination of notes and words. 

That is a kind of brilliance, and it's also something that can't really be defined, otherwise we'd all know what it is and go and pluck it from a shelf somewhere. Songs from both of Butcher's albums still make me stop and listen, and occasionally cry too, even though I know them well. His stories are not complicated but they are meaningful, and there's enough meaning in them to merit going back to them over and over, because they can deliver it each time.

So, listening to Butcher's third album, From the Bottom of a Well, for the first time, I obviously had expectations, while still trying to approach it with an open mind. I did not actually want a repeat of either of the first two albums, because they're perfect as they are – and that's lucky, because I didn't get it. Instead, From the Bottom of a Well is a beautiful evolution of Butcher's skills and sounds. One of his constant strengths has been has willingness to be emotional without being manipulative of his listener. He does not write songs to provoke a response – he tells the story as it is, and brings in whatever emotion is there without second guessing what's going to work (or perhaps he's just honed his craft well enough that the guessing gets eliminated early in the process). That is the authenticity that the country music audience loves, which is why he's found a home there.

His music is also a huge compliment to his listener: he is saying to us that he trusts that we'll understand what he's telling us, and he's inviting us into the experience. The compliment is also there in how he sings: he has always had crisp articulation married with a warm tone, and that combination, again, is an invitation to the listener.

The songs on this album are a mixture of personal accounts ('All Said & Done', 'More to the Story') and other people's stories ('Glasgow Train', 'Well Dressed Man'), and there is no sense that Butcher values one over the other. He understands his role as a storyteller, and he has always been adept at serving the story and the song.

These are also songs that grow in impact with each listening - several of them become more moving with time and consideration. That's due to the layers within them lyrically, and within Butcher's voice, and also, perhaps, those introduced in the recording process. Butcher's producer for this album is Matt Fell, who has given it a different sound to that heard on the previous two albums, with more texture and light and shade. These elements give the listener cues, but none of that matters if the songs aren't working. They do – every single one.

This is another album that will make me stop and listen for years to come, and as someone who has loved music for as long as I can remember, that is just the best thing ever.

From the Bottom of a Well will be released on 4 August 2017.
bradbutcher.com

Album review: Ben Bostick

When American singer-songwriter Ben Bostick released his EP My Country, I wrote that the future of country music in the United States would be safe if it were in hands like his. Upon the release of his eponymous debut long player, I have reason to believe that opinion is confirmed. That’s not just because Bostick is able to write and play to a high standard – it’s because of the breadth of style within his country music, and the fact that no matter what form of country music each of his songs takes, it feels authentic.

This suggests an artist who has a deep education: he’s listened to the albums, he’s studied how the songs are written, and he has found a way to exist within that lineage without it sounding like impersonation. This is noteworthy partly because of how voices work: a singing voice can suit certain styles of song and not others. Bostick has a distinctive voice, rich and gravelly, which is elastic enough to encompass different styles and stories.

The lyrical content of the album shifts from the serious (‘Paper Football’ and ‘Independence Day Eve’) to the outrageous and funny (‘The Juggler’), and all of it worth the attention of the listener. And while there may not be a theme at work - not everyone writes an album in an arc - the variety means this is a good first album: an introduction to Bostick's range and skills. As time goes on Bostick may find that he develops a musical sound that is distinctly his (as his voice is already distinctive) but for the moment I'll take the variety and enjoy it every single time.

Ben Bostick is out now.

www.benbostick.com

EP review: Lonestar by Hayley Marsten

Lonestar is the second EP from Queensland singer-songwriter Hayley Marsten and by her own reckoning it is quite a different work to the first. Marsten has a wonderful, rich, nuanced voice and a great sense of pace in her lyrics. There's an art to how to tell a story in a form as short as a song - what to reveal and when - and Marsten doesn't rush what she's doing. That sense of ease in the singing and storytelling automatically puts listeners at ease: if you don't feel like the artist has anything to prove, you know that they're not asking anything of you other than to listen.

The title song is about being left 'in a lonestar state' after the end of a relationship, and while it could be about wallowing in an ending, Marsten sounds almost defiant, just as she does on the first track, 'Second Fiddle'. The six tracks are a balance of ballad and nicely uptempo; there's the odd love song ('Cash' and 'Until You') but Marsten avoids the saccharine, swelling chorus and instead opts for genuine sweetness.

I have only one complaint about this EP: that there isn't more of it. In some ways these six songs sound like half of an album - or maybe I just want them to be. Instead I'll take them as evidence that Marsten easily has an album in her, and hopefully not too far away. She's a fantastic emerging talent in Australian country music with the right talent, pedigree and drive behind her - and the big audiences can't be too far away.


Find Lonestar on  
hayleymarsten.com

EP review: The Yellow Line by Ferris & Sylvester

I'm fond of saying that country music is a broad umbrella, and it seems that's true everywhere, including in the UK. There's some great country pop and rock being produced there, and also the sweet sounds of duo Ferris & Sylvester. With their Americana influences and touches of 60s folk, it's clear they have an interest in storytelling, and in writing the songs that can convey those stories.

On this new EP, The Yellow Line, they have produced four bittersweet stories with lead vocals from Issy Ferris backed by Archie Sylvester. Ferris has a voice that could turn pretty much any type of song into an interesting proposition, and the production on this album is suitably restrained, to allow her voice to shine. Sylvester's harmonies provide an effective - and, actually, necessary - anchor. Alone, Ferris is a chanteuse, carrying you away; with the addition of Sylvester, the songs become earthier and more relatable. Which is not so say that you won't be carried away - but it's nice to have that feeling of being brought home, too. The sound of this duo is fresh and comforting all at the same time.

The Yellow Line is out now.


Find Ferris & Sylvester on Facebook.

EP review: Starting from Now by Catherine McGrath

Irish artist Catherine McGrath is no doubt making her mark in the burgeoning British country music scene with her new EP, Starting from Now. In her previous releases McGrath may not have quite found her voice - and she is only nineteen years of age, so that's allowed - but on this release she has a sound that is hers, and she sounds strong and confident in it.

McGrath has a voice that could suit traditional country - or traditional folk, for that matter - but it is just as well suited to her country pop sound. The four tracks (and one acoustic version of 'Just in Case') are tightly written and well produced. Lyrically they're not revolutionary - a lot of pop and country pop is like that - but given that they've been released in the northern summer, they would make perfect summer songs. 

Given the strength of her voice, and that she's been able to produce such a solid EP, it will be interesting to see what McGrath does next. There's versatility there, and years ahead for her to try it out.

Starting from Now is out now.

www.catherinemcgrathmusic.com

Album review: An Introduction to Failure by Daudi Matsiko

Technically An Introduction to Failure is a double EP but as it has eight tracks in total, I'm classifying it as an album review ... calling it an EP review wouldn't hint at the length of the work, and it would also suggest that, as the name suggests, it's merely an introduction to Matsiko, when really this is a complete work.

The first half - the first EP - is reflective, ruminative and minor-keyed, while the second half kicks off with a relatively more jaunty tune and turns back to make a musical circle by the close. From the first song, 'Home', Matsiko's voice has a hook in it that will either catch you or not. There's a sense of sadness there - perhaps it's just longing, but the fact that it's ambiguous (to this listener, at least) means that Matsiko knows to allow room for the listener to bring their own interpretations.

Matsiko was born in the United Kingdom to Ugandan parents and has been playing guitar from a young age. An Introduction to Failure is said to feature 'fractured folk techniques' that have been influenced by musical discoveries from Matsiko's heritage. That may well be the case, but what I hear is a collection of songs that, even when layered with instruments, sound stripped back to allow Matsiko's voice to connect immediately with the listener. There is confidence in that: Matsiko is not hiding behind anything, and he's not letting the listener hide either.

Categorising music - as folk, country, rock, pop, and so many others - while necessary, can sometimes make a potential listener turn away from work they may enjoy (this is never more true than in country music, where the mere application of the label can cause an adverse reaction in someone who declares they 'never listen to country music' but in the same breath will anoint Ryan Adams as their favourite artist). This is a roundabout way of saying that maybe Matsiko is folk, and maybe he's other things, but 'singer-songwriter' is the label that seems to fit best. So if you like singer-songwriters of any stripe, you may well like this fine example of the form.

An Introduction to Failure is available now. You can buy it on Bandcamp or ...


daudi.co.uk

Album review: The Wide Horizon by Darren Coggan

Some would say it takes a brave man to cover the beloved Australian Crawl song 'Reckless'. For one thing, James Reyne's vocals are inimitable, so that brave man would be wise to not even try. But that brave man would also realise that a song so iconic has lingered for a reason: it's a bloody good song. Such a song is worth taking a tilt at then, and on his new album, The Wide Horizon, Darren Coggan is that brave man taking that tilt, with wonderful results. The occasionally hopeless melancholy of the original is still there in Coggan's interpretation, but this version has a bit more grit and determination. The song sounds completely contemporary, which is down to Reyne's skill, but also to Coggan's. And it is Coggan who has written most of the other songs on this impressive album.

Coggan is partly known for his Cat Stevens show, Peace Train, and there is plenty of Cat in his voice, but not so much that he sounds like an imitator. It's the warmth and slight edginess that's the same, and Coggan uses that to very good effect on this album of songs that are rich in sentiment and setting.

'The 'Bidgee' takes us to the Riverina of New South Wales - Coggan grew up in Wagga Wagga - and 'Inasmuch' to Norfolk Island (with guest vocals from Felicity Urquhart). 'Until We Meet Again' is a stirring farewell to a friend, and 'Seventeen' is an act of devotion to his wife. Each song is a story worth listening to over and over, and Coggan brings just the right amount of feeling to each.

In a country music culture as rich as Australia's, the standard has become very high. We have so much extraordinary music to choose from that even great artists who ply their craft with dedication and professionalism can get missed. If you are someone who likes their music to have heart and authenticity, who likes a good story well told, who doesn't need their country music to always sound country but who appreciates that at the core of country music is storytelling and respect for the audience, don't miss The Wide Horizon.

The Wide Horizon is available now.
www.darrencoggan.com

Album review: Gold Rush by Hannah Aldridge

A confession: I started listening to Hannah Aldridge's Gold Rush somewhat in the background, while I was doing other things. There were a lot of things on the to-do list and instead of being able to sit down and really listen, the background listening seemed to be the best way to become familiar with it. Except it very quickly stopped being something I could listen to without it pushing its way into the foreground, and it also didn't take long before I was hearing the songs in my head all the time. For me, as a listener - and, first and foremost, a reviewer has to be a listener - that is the prize: songs that I'm carrying with me, songs that won't leave me alone, songs that I'm humming, songs that I can't wait to hear again.

Aldridge is a daughter of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and she embraces that heritage in her lyrics. She opens the album with 'Aftermath', in which she declares 'I was born in a crossfire', and she does not resile from that throughout this hugely impressive album which is country-influenced rock, with an emphasis on the rock.

Aldridge's voice and sound remind me of Alannah Myles and Pat Benatar, who have quite different singing styles yet both come from a deep, dark place. Aldridge is prepared to go down that same well, and she pulls out track like 'The Irony of Love', a song laced with pain and knowing, and 'Living on Lonely'. These more melancholy tracks are offset by the occasional upbeat track but overall this album feels like a serious piece of work, created by an artist who takes her work seriously - and that is to its great benefit. Being serious about work is not always seen as cool - if a person is really talented they shouldn't have to try so hard, right? But the trying and the work is what allows the talent to shine. Aldridge has talent in spades, and these wonderful, thoughtful songs, executed with guts and grace, are clearly the result of hard work but are not themselves overworked.

Just as Aldridge says she was born in a crossfire, she's also in a crucible - forged in the fire, her steel burnished, weapons held high and wielded on behalf of those who care enough to listen. She deserves to be taken as seriously as she has taken this work, and this is a mighty fine album.

Gold Rush is out now in Europe and will be released on 16 June in the UK and other parts of the globe, via Rootys Music. 

www.hannah-aldridge.com

Album review: I Must Be Somewhere by Raised by Eagles

The last album from Melbourne band Raised by Eagles, Diamonds in the Bloodstream, was a cracker. A hard to follow, one might say. Well, clearly the band didn't buckle until that pressure (if they even felt it) because their newest LP, I Must Be Somewhere, is a worthy successor.

When reviewing Diamonds, I mentioned how successfully the band evokes a 1970s feeling, and that is even more pronounced on this album - in a wonderful way. The songs on this album have echoes of Mondo Rock mixed with a bit of Sherbet, with some laidback California rock sounds there too, and the country-music sensibility that informed a lot of the latter. So the album is nostalgic without being twee - and neither does it sound old. As much as these songs evoke long sun-filled days in a time before our brains became crammed with minutiae, they're also complete appropriate as a soundtrack for a walk along a busy city street as you try to sidestep the pedestrians too preoccupied looking at their phones to avoid the lamppost ahead of them. These are songs that make you want to put your head up and smile - they carry you along, riding the currents.

The standout track (for me) is title track 'I Must Be Somewhere', written by singer-guitarist Luke Sinclair. It embodies the wistfulness wrapped up in pragmatism that is a distinctive characteristic of RBE lyrics, whether written by Sinclair or Nick O'Mara, the other vocalist/guitarist in the band. It hints at loneliness but instead of making the listener feel lonely, it makes them feel heard.

This is an album that is both entertaining and meaningful, which, really, is what culture should be, because if artists can't entertain the people they're less likely to get their meaning across. Raised by Eagles are, in their marrow, entertainers - and they take that responsibility seriously. What that means it that you, as the listener, can enjoy what they produce and know it's good for you at the same time.

I Must Be Somewhere is out now through ABC Music.

www.raisedbyeagles.com

Album review: Road Less Traveled by Sara Petite

It’s not hard to fall immediately in thrall to Sara Petite’s sound. From the first (title) song of her new album, Road Less Traveled, the only possible response is a big smile, a tapping foot and a willingness to go wherever she’s taking us. There is a jauntiness to the track that is infectious, but the key is Petite’s voice: round and warm even as it delivers a wink and a nod to the listener.

This is not to suggest that the whole album runs in this vein – it does not, as Petite is a well-rounded artist who can also deliver sadness, reflectiveness and pathos, and it all clearly comes from the heart. Mind you, even the break-up song ‘Getting Over You’ has a swinging beat, so while Petite explores the end of a relationship she also sounds like she doesn’t regret it. And ‘I Will Rise’ is not a self-pitying rumble through hard knocks but, rather, a proclamation.

The musical style of these songs is swampy country: the tunes are laced with banjo, horns make an appearance, and there’s some prominent electric guitar as well. Country suits Petite – and so does rock and blues. These are all genres of music that do not support sugar-coating and Petite certainly sounds like she is not interested in anything other than the truth. Happily, she has found a way to meld them into a sound that is gloriously hers. She sounds like she belongs in an LA bar as much as a Nashville stage, and she could also sit by the side of a road with a guitar and churn out tunes for passers-by. She has a drive to communicate that goes right along with her willingness to sing from the heart, and accordingly she will find audiences everywhere.

Road Less Traveled is out now.

www.sarapetite.com

Album review: Gilded by Jade Jackson

A small amount of research on Californian singer-songwriter Jade Jackson will reveal that Lucinda Williams – I want to call her a troubadour, but perhaps ‘raconteur’ is better – is an influence on her music. That influence is there in Jackson’s singing style, in the way she is sometimes tempted to flatten a note to emphasise it, and in her willingness to mine the less shiny parts of life, but its impression doesn’t last long. At the risk of offending Williams fans, let’s just say that Jackson is a singer and Williams is, well, a raconteur. That’s Williams’s style, but Jackson’s instincts as a singer are stronger than any influence, and they will likely become stronger as time goes on and she feels more comfortable in her own musical identity.

This is not to suggest that Jackson doesn’t sound comfortable – more, that there is a rich, rounded, gutsy voice there and it sometimes feels like she’s holding it back. Of course, that means there is certainly more ahead for her fans: more layers to peel back, more depths to plunge into. And there is a lot already on Gilded, which could be defined as country-blues-rock and which would also respond well to the label announcement – as in, Jackson has announced her arrival.

There is no way to properly define or describe talent – there aren’t many words for it, just that one word – and it’s clear Jackson has it in spades. It’s also clear that she has the work behind her to actually make something of it: the songs each have a story and a purpose; they are cleanly constructed and thoughtfully executed. This album is not the creation of someone who rushed that announcement. There are no bad or even half-baked songs here, only songs that will grab you right away and hang around for a long while, welcome visitors all.

The opening track, ‘Aden’, is a lost-love track but even as Jackson sings ‘you are tearing me apart’, she doesn’t sound sorry for herself, and the beat of the song suggests she’s moving forwards even as she’s looking back. ‘Finish Line’ was released as a single along with what looked like an autobiographical video, although it seems that all the songs on Gilded are drawn from Jackson’s personal experiences. ‘Motorcycle’ is a riveting, growling declaration of self-sufficiency. There is sentimentality on this album, as on ‘Back When’, but it’s of the reflective, not sappy, kind.

The album was produced by Mike Ness of punk-rock band Social Distortion, but Ness has certainly not tried to turn Jackson into a mini-me. Rather, it sounds as though he’s used what he knows about songs done economically for their own good and applied the principles on Gilded. There are few instruments, and Jackson’s voice is the main attraction, as it should be. Because we can hear her quickly we can hear all the emotion in her songs, as well as the imperfections that make them more perfect.

Gilded is out now from ANTI-

jadejackson.com