Single Review - Boy On The Train - Morganway

 

Described by the band as having Primal Scream and Rolling Stones vibes, Boy On The Train, the new single from Morganway, does indeed have those influences – at first at least!  Once the violin kicks in you know its Morganway - but with a difference.  It’s Morganway because of the energy in every line, the difference is in the vocal with Callum opening and  SJ sharing the lead this time.

It has always been hard to pin the band down to any one genre – we coined the expression “Rowdy folk” for them previously – but it is safe to say that by blending Country, Americana, Rock, and Folk they have developed their own sound, best described as “Morganway”.

The song starts with guitar, which is joined by violin, then drums – then just an explosion of energy as, well, everything joins in!

The song originated from Callum strumming a guitar at night on tour and developed into the finished article – fittingly a story of family and the separation and connection caused by touring, the inspiration being Callum’s family on their way to join the band on tour.  It’s a perfect time to release the song too, as the band have just come off a tour with Belle and Sebastian and will be playing across festivals this summer including the main stage at The Long Road Festival in August.

Boy On The Train is destined to be a crowd pleaser, and you can already hear the sing-along that will be happening as the audience join in with the incredibly catchy chorus.

Get yourself ready for the Morganway performances at this year’s festivals…

She’s got the ticket, and the Boy On The Train

Boy On The Train, the new single from Morganway is available to download and stream from Friday 28 June.

You can find Morganway on Facebook and Instagram and follow them on Spotify

Morganway are represented by Zimagined Artist Management

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Gig Review - Country In The Afternoon Nov 2023 - Half Moon Putney

 

This weekend saw the 9^th Country In The Afternoon at the Half Moon Pub in Putney, South West London, and on each occasion Gavin and Christine Chittick put together a lineup of 4 great acts each day from both the UK and overseas, it’s never the same but generally it sees the atmosphere build - so much so that you forget it is the afternoon and often are reluctant to leave! 

Saturday was opened by Terri Leavey, whose career seems to have started, or been accelerated by a karaoke night at Dixie fields where people discovered her voice, leading to an appearance on stage at Buckle and Boots.  Since her discovery at Dixie Fields, she has been building her brand and recording her own music. But, undoubtedly she has stage presence and anyone who watches her will not be disappointed but in for a good time - we can forgive the covers. There was nothing but positive reviews from her, and the support that she brought with her helped to form the biggest audience for any opening act at Country In The Afternoon so far

 

When we see Christine and Gavin at festivals, they always have their list of artists to check out, and they are always on the hunt…  At Black Deer festival last year they came across Liam Cromby in a songwriters round.  Black deer was Liam’s introduction to the UK Americana scene, and that’s quite a debut!  Liam told us that his songs can take 20 minutes to write – or seven years!  On a visit to Nashville (courtesy of his uncle’s business!) he had a writing session with Kenny Foster – another Country In The Afternoon favourite.  Accompanied on stage by guitarist Alfie and backing singer Shawn, Liam gave us a preview of his forthcoming album.  Liam has a superb voice which had the very full room listening to every word.

It was Raintown who gave us the fact about this being the 9^th CITA, but Gavin who gave us the fact that it was their first London appearance since before Covid.  Lockdown and “life” (a second child) have had an impact on Raintown’s touring, but the enforced break means that they too have an album coming up, and they used the time to continually polish it! Clair and Paul, with Stevie on guitar and Fiona on violin gave us a few of the new songs plus some absolutely foot stomping songs.  Raintown add a Scottish folk edge to country – and they also added that edge to a quite unusual cover.  As they started singing “One Love” you could see the crowd realise they knew it and they joined in, line by line. Originally a hit for Blue in 2002 it was a great version – and a bit of nostalgia!  With that album due out in March next year, it gives us something to look forward to after Christmas – and pre-save/save up for!

In between acts there is a chance to get a drink from the bar while the next band sets up – but also to meet the artists as they all hang around supporting each other, which is a great chance to grab a selfie, a chat, and catch up on the latest gossip!

Headliner Cody Pennington mixes covers with his original music for his touring show, and he obviously had brought quite a crowd to his only London show of this tour.  Opening with his recent singles Cowboy Sitting At The Bar and How About Kentucky the room weas once again singing along.  Cody’s belief is that you need to give the crowd what they want and good time so that they come back – throw in your own songs and they learn those too – its like a cycle.  He certainly gives a good time – and in return the venue gave him an unexpected extra ten minutes on his set!  Along with stand in Christiano Pochesci on pedal steel and his regular bandmates Niran Mistry on bass and Lee Brooks on drums Cody took the opportunity to drop in a medley of Country favourites including  9 to 5, Ring Of Fire, Folsom and the Gambler before a massive singalong to Country Roads.

What an end to day 1 of the 9^th Country In The Afternoon!  The Sunday promised to be a great day too, featuring The Blue Highways , The Handlers Band , Tim Gerard and Emily Faye 

 

What will the tenth show bring? We know it will be on 18-19 May 2024, and we can’t wait to see the line ups!

Silverball Country attended Country In The Afternoon as guests of Cumbrae Promotions

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Album Review - A State Of Mind - Simon James

Has it really been three years?  Apparently so!  We saw Simon James play the most recent Country In The Afternoon (a wonderful “Festival In A Day” put on by  Gavin and Christine Chittick at the Half Moon in Putney) and when he started to sing we agreed that his was a voice we have missed.

 

Fear not.  Simon is back!  His new album A State Of Mind drops on Friday 13 October, and as ever we have had a copy in advance to have a listen to.  The question is then - was it worth the wait?  We were excited to find out…

 

Well, the simple answer is yes.  Simon has always added a certain UK edge to country music.  Unashamedly a Northern Man, his songwriting reflects this, by not trying to be an imitation of American country writers and performers.  Instead, his stories and imagery are real, recognisable and they draw you in.  In terms of the sound, there are influences of folk in there, perhaps some Celtic vibes – you get the feeling that Simon presents you with his music and says, “here it is, this is me”.  Defying a specific label, just sit back and enjoy the music.  This latest album in particular feels very warm and comforting, like a malt whisky and a log fire in winter.  As you listen to the tracks, you will feel the music wash over you, as you just appreciate the tones, the words and especially the instrumentation, with his guitar augmented by strings, drums, piano, and some great backing vocals!  When we last saw Simon play he was on stage with just his acoustic guitar, but this album would be ideal to be played live with a full orchestra – just an idea for you Simon!

 

So, is there a standout track?  In reality, this album should be seen as a body of work and listened to right through, but it would be wrong not to pull out a couple of highlights!  The title track – State Of Mind - opens the album with a very attention grabbing multi-instrumental intro.  After three years we have to wait almost a full minute before hearing Simons wonderful vocal – but in a way that is Simons expert stagecraft transferred to the recording studio.  Even if you were to get no further than this one track, you know you’re listening to Simon James and his absence has only improved his sound, with an extra level of maturity to it.  It is truly music for music’s sake – as any art should be. 

But do listen to the rest of the album, if only to reach Breakers Song!  It is possible that this one song encapsulates the album and indeed Simon’s music.  Guitar to open, strings and piano joining before Simon’s voice starts to tell the story.  Mixing a soft delivery with a soaring chorus, Simon is joined by Heidi Talbot in that chorus before Heidi takes over for a full verse.  Their two voices combine and complement each other perfectly, with Heidi adding that almost mystical Celtic quality.  A Harmonica brings a new edge as a bridge before a gentle crescendo – if there can be such a thing!

 

Though we’ve missed hearing Simon’s music over these past few years, we are thrilled to see him performing live and writing new music.  Whatever comes next, this album is a testament to his songwriting and his craft. 

 

Welcome back Simon.

A State Of Mind, the new album from Simon James, is available to download and stream from Friday 13 October.

You can find Simon on Facebook and Instagram, and you can follow him on Spotify

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Album Review - The Carnival - Eleri

 

Ok, first things first.  It rhymes with Fairy.  Hailing from Wales, Eleri will no doubt have had to explain that a few times, and she includes it in press releases – which was incredibly helpful when we introduced her on stage at Buckle and Boots this year – just one of many festival appearances she has made recently.  We got the chance to simply sit and listen (and share a drink) when she appeared on the line up of the super “festival in a day” Country In The Afternoon in Putney’s Half Moon.  It was at that meeting that Eleri told us she had an album coming out, and we have been excited to hear it, so we were thrilled when it arrived in our inbox.

To be honest, we are always excited by an album release, as we don’t seem to see so many of them now.  An album allows an artist to really explore their own part of the genre, and tell a few stories, set a theme and let us properly appreciate their talents.

Of her new album The Carnival, Eleri says

I always want to push myself to be better and on this album I’ve amped up the energy on my country sound infused with rock and pop and made a few fun country party tunes that wouldn’t be out of place at a Rodeo

 

So, lets go to The Carnival…

The album opens with Magic – but it’s a live version! Hearing Eleri address the crowd and announce the song almost had me cheering the stage! Bouncy, uptempo – and excellent percussion keeps the track moving and the listener clapping along.  This is very much our welcome to The Carnival, an invitation to enter the tent and behold the wonders within!  Heels to Hell keeps the up tempo feel, with a great rhythm and Eleri’s vocal being slightly darker than in the rest of her songs.  The whole album is a wonderful mix of stories and styles, with almost every track introduced with its own instrumental style, the link in every case being Eleri’s vocal.  Heads I’m Yours (Tails Your Mine) slows the mood, while Good For A Girl has an almost ethereal opening and uses background effects that show Eleri is willing to experiment and push boundaries with her sound.  Blue Skies a Comin’ is a very slow track, allowing us to really hear the purity of Eleri’s voice, as a song it tells us of looking to a better future.

Live Wire lifts the tempo again, and incorporates an interesting blend of voice/acoustic guitar and electric guitar/beat.  Theres a great guitar line to Karaoke which summons the memories of having fun in bars on a summers night. Snake Like You is a darker, Americana infused story, and as with When We Collide covers the almost obligatory relationship stories!

Burn the Candle Down is a softer, more gentle track – a couple trying to recover from a fight at night, with the vocals, instrumental and pacing all creating the feel of a late night chat.  It’s a duet and it is actually quite beautiful!  Leon Stanford’s voice blends so well with Eleri’s giving the song a slightly folk feel.

Calling It certainly picks up again after the previous track, its rocky and pacy, it’s very much a statement - I’m done, its over Bang Bang opens with drums rather than guitar, and is probably the most “country” part of the album, but firmly modern country.

The final track is Every Road.  It’s a reflective song, the tempo moving from the slow opening moving up to a guitar driven chorus.  The mix of tempos throughout make for a great final track on an album that is a variety show from start to finish that will keep you in your seat to see what happens next.

Most albums are named after one of the tracks but titling this album “The Carnival” is spot on. A blend of new songs and some favourites, Eleri has been on a physical and metaphorical journey, now she gets to set up her tent and present her show.

The Carnival, the new album from Eleri is available to download and stream from Friday 13 October with an album launch on Saturday 14 October 

You can find Eleri on Facebook and Instagram and follow her on Spotify

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Single Review - Along The Hippie Trail - Richard Gregory

We were intrigued when we recently received an email that said “I humbly submit” and went on to describe the song as “Country and Eastern”

How could we not take a listen? The polite artiste is Richard Gregory, the song All Along The Hippie Trail

Richard Gregory is not a familiar name to us, so the next step was to take a look at the bio.  Intriguing?  And some!  To say that Richard has “done some things in his life” would be a massive understatement!  It looks like he has packed several lifetimes into his mere 65 years on the planet, stretching from his native Shepherds Bush all the way to Kathmandu.

A signwriter (a real one), writer, editor, IT genius, father, “always a freak but never a hippie” and a musician, you feel that Richard could write albums of music about his life, but for now we must content ourselves with a single song about his 1974 trip from west London to Kathmandu by bus (the 207 from outside Shepherds Bush Market?).

Richard says the song includes a little poetic licence – I think it was also written and recorded with a little tongue in cheek too!  It has what can only be described as a unique sound, combining guitar, harmonica and eastern influenced pipes.  Its not a slick recording, but that adds to the charm.  It certainly includes the country tradition of storytelling.  There’s travel, there’s a girl, there’s reminiscing – truly country, whilst not necessarily being country!  The repeated “Far East Far East man” and reference to the green eyed yellow idol will make you crack a smile!

Without a doubt, this song is not quite the usual music that we are sent or listen to, but it is different, its fun and you will be singing along to the chorus before long.

If you don’t write the full album Richard, can we have a drink and hear some more stories from you?

All Along the Hippie Trail, the new single from Richard Gregory is available to purchase from Bandcamp or stream now on Spotify

To read more about the fascinating Richard, check his website

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Single Review - Driftwood - Mike Ross

Teasing his forthcoming album – The Clovis Limit Tennessee Transition – Mike Ross has today released the single Driftwood.  We have been sent the full album ahead of its scheduled release on 28 May and it is so tempting to listen to the whole album rather than just this one track!

Moderation in all things though! For now, Driftwood.

I’m not sure if I should be describing this single as pure or raw.  Perhaps it is both.  Mike is a multi-instrumentalist and, apart from the occasional guest collaborator, his albums are all him on both vocals and instruments.  Driftwood opens with a count in, a guitar and pure Mike – although the lyrics are far from “pure”!  The sound, with a bit of slide and a certain gruffness summons up the image of a log cabin, or perhaps a shack with a singer plying his trade. The song, the music, the vocals are bluesy, rocky and raw.

This isn’t just a flight of fantasy – Mike really has recorded in a shack – or “a cabin retreat” – but despite the heavy southern influence very evident in his sound, Mike is actually a Durham lad.  When you discover that he was raised on 70s rock you begin to understand his influences.  Don’t try to pigeonhole though, Mike is a bit of rock, a little blues, some folk, Americana… his style is recognisable and at the same time uniquely him.  From shack to Nashville to Brighton, Mike Ross is happy to incorporate styles and environments into his music and the outcome is incredibly listenable. 

With Driftwood as a teaser, it is so tempting to listen to the rest of the album, and ahead of its release we certainly will do so, but for now it’s a pleasure to listen to Driftwood, in a shack, accompanied by sips of a fine whiskey.  Trust me – try it!

Driftwood, from the forthcoming album The Clovis Limit Tennessee Transition is available now to download and stream.

 

You can find and follow Mike on Facebook, Instagram, his website and on Spotify

Single Review - As Much As I Miss You - Adele & Andy

 

The story of a soldier going off to war is not a new theme in country and folk music – The Dixie Chicks with Travellin’ Soldier, Toby Keith’s “American Soldier, the Australian song “The Band Played Waltzing Matilda” by Eric Bogle among many others tell stories of going to war, being at war or returning from war.  Fighting for your country is a strongly held belief, especially in America.

With their new single As Much As I Miss You, Adele and Andy have brought their own angle to the soldier’s story.  The boy in this tale is the son of a soldier, his father died when the boy was very young.  It tells of being caught between following in his father’s footsteps and honouring his memory, and the love for his mother.  The title is the words that he “hears” when he visits his father’s grave “The place upon the Hill” – “as much as I miss you, your momma she needs you more”. Despite this, he heads off to war, has a battlefield realisation and survives so he can return home to the love of his mother.

Although the song is about the young soldier, it is also about the sacrifices the mother makes in life – first seeing her husband go to war and not return, then watching her son making the same journey.

Musically, the song is essentially Adele’s vocals over a simple guitar backing from Andy with a little percussion.  The mix is very much biased to the vocal, presumably to accent the storytelling, but although the instrumentation is simple, it deserves a little more exposure!  A slow song, which will perhaps have you thinking rather than dancing or foot tapping.

Overall, the song is heartfelt, well written and well performed by this Midlands based duo who seem to have kept busy throughout lockdown!

 

As Much As I Miss You, the new song from Adele and Andy is available to download and stream from all major platforms from Friday 30 April

You can connect with the pair on Facebook, Instagram, and on Spotify

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Single Review - God's Own Country - Sam Turner

 

There are many reasons why Yorkshire is called God’s Own Country, and in his new single Sam Turner lists many of them!  It would take an album to list all of them, but Sam has done well to squeeze the highlights into just under three and a half minutes of boasting about his birthplace!

 

With just his vocals and a guitar Sam presents us with a folk/country crossover with a definite nod to the songwriters of modern English folk – think Kate Rusby and Village Green Preservation Society – with a country leaning guitar style.  His debut single was more pop country with a rocky edge, so it is safe to say that Sam is not only finding his style but is adaptable with his singing.  The clever song writing and uplifting style is ever present.  Sam writes songs that you will sing along to, and smile as you do.

 

With a list of Yorkshires musical greats - The Human League, Pulp, and the Kaiser Chiefs, Arctic Monkeys and The Housemartins, plus Festivals, historical  successes and Yorkshire Tea Sam is obviously a proud Yorkshireman, but his real love is clearly the scenery and especially Flamborough Head where he shot a video for the song.  In fact the final chorus reflects that everlasting love as he says

“Take me Flamborough where the white cliffs meet the sea

Throw me in the air and let me scatter in the breeze

Say your last goodbyes, then let me rest in peace”

 

If Sam keeps up this level of song writing, his well deserved success will surely see him included on future lists of Yorkshire’s finest.  And as they say in Yorkshire

That’ll do

God's Own Country, the new single from Sam Turner is available to download and stream now

You can find and follow Sam on Facebook, Instagram,  and on Spotify