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today2 February 2025 167 54 5
Country music fans in south Wales may have seen Ags Connolly kicking off the South Wales Country Music Festival weekend last November in Newport. The country artist from Oxfordshire is hailed as one of the best singer-songwriters in the genre ever to emerge from the UK. A constant presence on the UK, Ireland and European touring and festival circuit – appearing regularly in the Netherlands, Germany and Scandinavia – Ags has shared stages with country music icons such as Rosanne Cash, Dale Watson and Jim Lauderdale. He has also opened shows for a newer batch of stars, including every date of Charley Crockett‘s major European tour in 2023.
James Hand was considered one of the most authentic artists in country music. In fact, when asked to describe Hand, Willie Nelson stated, “James Hand is the real deal.” Though remaining mostly obscure for much of his life and career, Hand has been enjoying something of a resurgence of interest since his death in 2020, due in part to Charley Crockett, who released a tribute to James in 2021 called 10 For Slim and now British troubadour Ags Connolly has released his own tribute Your Pal Slim.
Listening to the Oxfordshire native you could be forgiven for thinking he was from Nashville, fittingly Ags is a proponent of the ‘Ameripolitan’ movement and is a staunch advocate of traditional country music. The album features James’s last permanent guitar player and bandleader Chris McElrath, as well as contributions from acclaimed artists Jake Penrod, Brennen Leigh and Beth Chrisman, all of whom played with and loved James Hand.
Across these twelve tracks there’s something strong and impossible to ignore about the way the musicians deliver every single note, and it’s nothing short of inspiring that Your Pal Slim exists, it should be appreciated as a piece of history as well as pure entertainment.
(FINSTOCK MUSIC) www.agsconnolly.com
Having already had success in the UK with exposure across national TV, playlist support from BBC Radio 2 and reaching the top in the UK Country Chart, Jessica Clemmons and her band have already established themselves on an international level and played Bob Harris’ Under The Apple Tree sessions several times.
The autumn of 2023 marked a turning point in Jessica’s life, amidst the whirlwind of grief she found solace and excitement in returning to her country music roots. This album, brimming with storytelling and sheer entertainment, is a testament to her passion and these songs excel at combining artistry and sentiment. Unlike some of their contemporaries, The Bandits make no attempt to stray from the template or add any unexpected elements to the mix.
The charms of Jess’s compositions reveal slowly, like the resounding ‘Don’t Matter To Love’. Steeped in nostalgia and personal reflection, this shimmering tune features heartfelt lyrics and an infectious melody. She also has a knack for joyous, energetic songs that celebrate life and the good things in it like ‘God Did Good’. These ten songs speak loud, proud, and direct, with Jessica expressing herself as a fearless woman speaking openly to her audience
Full of southern-gothic textures and Tennessee twang, India Ramey has cultivated a distinctly unique sound with a new album every bit as fiery as the title would have you believe. Rising among the ranks of Country and Americana’s hottest burgeoning artists, she’s a maverick of spaghetti western backdrops interspersed with good time honky-tonk saloons. But as in any good honky-tonk, the people in the world she creates, come from all walks of life and wear all kinds of hats, both literally and metaphorically.
Fusing emotional strength with brisk musicality, this is a collection of songs that would sound equally as good on a road trip with the top down as it would in a crowded dancehall, stomping and hollering along. At her most intimate and personal, she paints a despairing portrait of pain and trauma, but turns her personal story into a universal message of freedom that result in tangible positive results.
Birmingham five-piece band The Lost Notes feature guitarists Oli Jobes and Ben Mills with Lucy Mills providing vocals and Steve Vantsis (Fish, KT Tunstall, Tilt) on bass and Max Tomlinson playing drums, this is their third release, produced mixed and mastered by themselves.
The band formed in 2014 when Ben first met Oli, and between them they wrote well over a dozen acoustic roots/Americana songs. Starting off at open mic slots as The Lost Notes they quickly built a following and received invites to headline club nights and appear at festivals. Lucy Mills was brought in to share three-part harmony vocals and the five-piece ensemble was complete.
Drawing comparisons with Fleet Foxes and Fairport Convention, Good Luck Shoes is a fully-fledged and realised album that presents a showcase for a brilliant set of musicians pouring their all into some of their strongest material to date. Among the many highlights are Lucy Mills singing beautifully on ‘Mine Is The Heart’ and the jaunty San Francisco country rock feel of ‘I’ll Be The River’.
These ten songs are instantly relatable, connecting with the listener both emotionally and musically. There’s a distinct honesty in the vocals throughout and overall, it makes for a pleasant and enjoyable listening experience.
Superposition…“is the concept where a quantum system exists in multiple states simultaneously until observed or measured”. That’s the easiest definition on a complex theory that Sam Lewis believes truly sums up his latest body of work. If you can get past the crash course physics lesson you’ll realise this is a bunch of friends having fun recording songs together. It doesn’t matter if you like it or not.
When the pandemic abruptly halted Sam’s 2020 world tour and cast uncertainty over the future, he was offered a job as a carpenter at Chase McGillis’ construction company in Nashville. Working alongside Chase, who also happens to be a stel bass player, they both joined forces on constructing a new recording studio and then collaborating their musical talents to help refine Sam’s new songs, the end result of their labours is the album Superposition.
Sam Lewis has drawn comparisons with Townes Van Zandt and John Prine on previous albums and again there is much lyrical depth to these new songs that bring an emotional complexity to the recordings. The arrangements somehow never draw attention to themselves and are peaceful and contemplative, stylistically there are no desperate declarations of love or fits of anger for it to be remembered by.
Mean Mary, real name Mary James was born in Geneva, Alabama. She was a child prodigy who could read music before she could read words. Mary gets her nickname from a song she wrote (helped by her mother) as a young child called “Mean Mary from Alabam”. Following a car crash that caused a paralysis of her right vocal cord she was told she would never sing again, but miraculously against all the odds her voice is fully restored.
Equally versatile on guitar, fiddle and nine other instruments, Mary has recorded 19 albums to date and this new record demonstrates her remarkable evolution as a recording artist that resides alongside a dynamic stage presence. If you like story-songs, harmonies, good guitar playing and absolute mastery of the banjo you’ll fall in love with Mean Mary.
Written by: Kym Frederick
Americana Colin Country Music Music Review
today7 February 2025 55 8
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