Folk music

Flo PerlinIt’s no secret that it’s been a hard two years for the music industry. Cambridge Folk Festival organiser Rebecca Stewart acknowledges that tough context in the opening lines of the programme for this year’s Festival, the first since 2019. It’s against that backdrop that Team FFS enter the arena with disbelief and a rising sense of...

by Jonathan Frahm • 7 August 2022 • Comments Off on Video | James and the Shame – Believe Me Best known for his work as a YouTube “internetainer”, Los Angeles artist Rhett McLaughlin is breaking from his trademark comedy to hone-in on another passion—country music—as James and the Shame. His debut single, ‘Believe Me’, takes a jab at political punditry...

One of Nashville’s most promising new implants, Chloe Kimes, released her self-titled LP this summer and it reliably swings between worlds. Originally from Ludington, Michigan, the singer-songwriter is as well-rounded as her pitstop portfolio; she sells her narrative lyricism with the vocal resonance of a rock chameleon reminiscent of Linda Ronstadt. An awesome interpreter of song, Kimes’...

Being named after the senator that help bring down Richard Nixon in the year he was born, Samuel Ervin Beam has had a tough legacy, choosing to ignore it entirely by recording as Iron & Wine. Beam has released LORI, a collection of four songs by Lori McKenna whose recordings helped him through the darkest days of the pandemic....

It’s been a half-decade since Mason dropped their debut album, Midnight Road. They electrified Arizona crowds with their smoky blues and they’re ready to do it again with a psychedelic lick of paint with My Kind of Trouble. Their second LP packs a heartier punch, recorded with a danceable, livewire jive in mind. They’re still bringing all...

by Bob Fish • 12 September 2022 • Comments Off on EP | Susie Merry – Body in Time There are points in life where things don’t seem to match up, for example the photo, Susie Merry on the cover of Body in Time and the lyrics to the album, where this seemingly sweet thing takes a harsh look at life and delivers...

The Brother Brothers have grown into a notable force on the roots circuit, regaled for reflective songwriting and gorgeous harmonies that have drawn comparison to the best of ’em. As the Milk Carton Kids would jest about the dubious identifiability of Simon & Garfunkel in their rise through the ranks, Adam and David Moss wouldn’t be remiss...

Nothing ever goes as planned, be it records or relationships, and for Lauren Balthrop her latest long player, Things Will Be Different, is no exception. This isn’t a record about nostalgia as some have suggested, rather it is about pain and hope, getting through to the other side of those things that hold you back. The initial recording...

While Loudon Wainwright III has won a few awards, Lifetime Achievement downplays that aspect of his life. Justifiably so. It’s never been about the awards. Or the press for that matter, even though Time Magazine named him the “new Dylan” back in the 70s. Now that the new Dylan is 75 (and the old Dylan is 81), Wainwright has...

by Jonathan Frahm • 23 August 2022 • Comments Off on Premiere | 3 Pairs of Boots – Just Call Him Love https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJo7X4dkDyI 3 Pairs of Boots pay tribute to Old West cowboy Nat Love on their latest. ‘Just Call Him Love’ recalls the tale of this swashbuckling rodeo champ, noted for adventures that have permanently left his imprint as an...