As individual musicians Kelly Willis, Brennen Leigh and Melissa Carper mastered the art of classic country songwriting; their vintage charms often felt transported from another era, one where talent and musicianship were celebrated. Now together they have formed a super group, called Wonder Women of Country, where their shared music sensibility and throwback style is a terrific treble threat. The opening song ‘Fly Ya To Hawaii’ was begun by Brennen and finished by Melissa, and its catchy calypso style shows how well these women all write and perform together. The EP shares the lead vocals nice ..read more

Alynda Segarra’s last two albums looked outwards: The Navigator towards their Puerto Rico heritage, telling the story of immigrants living in a city, trying to find a place in a new world, while follow up Life on Earth sang of places and people under siege in a hostile world. Musically these albums ranged from innovative Latino inspired folk, to indie rock, to lo-fi electronica and spoken word. Here was an artist asking questions, searching, making exciting and original music that grew with every listen (like those rhododendron they sang about). New album The Past is Still Alive is less concep ..read more

Lola Kirke lives in Nashville and has flirted with country music on her first two albums, offering some indie Americana on her debut Heart Head West and a more light 80s pop country on ‘Lady for Sale’. On her new E.P., produced by Elle King, she finally admits to being ‘Country Curious’, fully exploring the genre with her heart wide open. The results are a delight – four songs that just remind you how much fun this genre can be. As an actress it’s no surprise she embraces the glamour and dress up elements of the genre’s history. Her music too has a sense of joy and an infectious spirit that ma ..read more

Being chosen to support a pop star like Harry Styles on a massive stadium tour looks from the outside like a dream. Here’s a guaranteed payday and an opportunity to play in front of thousands of fans who probably wouldn’t normally hear your music. By choosing women from mainly the indie/alternative sphere Harry was continuing on his quest to appear both cool and inclusive, distancing himself from his reality TV, manufactured boy band past. All credit to him (or more likely his savvy management team) for giving out these opportunities. However a little digging into the online fan culture would ..read more

The new album ‘Deeper Well’ by Kacey Musgraves was announced on Instagram with a photograph of her naked in a field in Iceland. A little cheeky nod to naturism and her love of grass for sure, but equally it read like a metaphor for new beginnings and rebirth. When title track ‘Deeper Well’ dropped on Thursday you could sense the relief in the fan base. Kacey was back. The glossy, stilted and sometimes cold pop version of Kacey which we got on Star-Crossed has gone. ‘Deeper Well’ has the acoustic guitars and wry self-deprecating lyrics that made us love Kacey in the first place. It’s not exactl ..read more

On Lizzie No’s debut album, Hard Won, she showcased her talents as a harp playing folk singer with something to say and she then built on that foundation with her second record Vanity, creating a more ambitious, rockier sound. Her new record Halfsies is released in conjunction with Americana label Thirty Tigers, which is fitting since Lizzie has been a vocal advocate for more black women in country and folk music. Halfsies is a fantastic record which blends those genres along with some intriguing indie rock influences. Opener title track ‘Halfsies’ begins softly but then crashes into a tumultu ..read more

2024 is only a few days old and already there is a plethora of new releases scheduled for your imminent listening pleasure. What’s also fun to do at this time of year is speculate and dream about potential new projects from our old favourites that we might be lucky enough to hear if the stars align. Firstly here are the upcoming scheduled album releases which I’m most looking forward to: 1. Hurray for the Riff Raff – The Past is Still Alive (February 23rd). On the album cover Alynda wears a cowboy hat and looks like they mean business. Lead track ‘Albi’ suggests they have left the more futuris ..read more

A few years back I wrote a post about trying to be a more minimalist music fan, addressing many of the issues I had with the constant demands on music fans to buy more and more and more and more stuff. After writing that post I slowly began to change my behaviour, and this year I have almost stopped buying new vinyl entirely. In fact the only album I have purchased on vinyl this year is a signed copy of Amanda Shires last album from her concert in June. Yes, you read that right, this vinyl addict has gone nearly six months without adding anything new to their collection at all. Please send me ..read more

After being nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Dolly Parton at first refused, not believing her music fit the genre, before deciding that if she was going to be voted in then she might as well prove herself to be worthy of the accolade by recording her first full rock album. My problem with the ‘Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’ has always been the name. Just what is rock and roll anyway? If it had simply called itself the ‘Music Hall of Fame’ none of these eligibility arguments would ever have occurred. The original inductees were Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Fats Do ..read more

The untimely death of Nanci Griffith in 2021 came after a long period of declining health and retreat from recording music. Her final album, released in 2012 was described by Paste magazine as being ‘utterly shot through with vitriolic anger, disappointment, fear and dissent.’ There was an air of bitterness in some of her interviews around the time of that album, suggesting a frustration with the music industry and her legacy as a whole. What is heartening then about this tribute album is the depth and breadth of the contributions – there are those who were her contemporaries and collaborators ..read more