Fat City Records [Release date 16.09.16]

The one thing you’re assured of with a Chris While and Julie Matthews release – Shoulder To Shoulder is their tenth studio album – is some of the finest folk music and female singing this country has to offer.

With 22 years of musical partnership, the former Albion Band duo share lead vocals seamlessly, the other providing the perfect harmony foil.  No airs, no graces just a rare purity of performance.  It’s no matter of chance that they were winners of the Best Duo at the 2009 BBC2 Folk Awards, and have been nine times nominees since 2001.

Shoulder To Shoulder sees them continuing to push the ‘folk’ boundaries straying into fields that might, across the pond, be better described as Americana – the upbeat ‘Here It Comes Again’ has an almost Police-like beat, ‘Pride’ could so easily be a Billboard hit for someone like Shawn Colvin, the percussive ‘Tree Of Life’ has soulful, almost gospel strains, and ‘Nothing Yanks My Chain (Like You Do)’ provides a hint of the blues.

The musicianship and production also merit comment.  The former – provided by a supporting cast of Neil Fairclough (bass), Neil Marshall (drums), Johnny Heyes (guitars), and Danny Hart (fiddle and banjo) is the perfect example of how to not overcomplicate things – every note counts.  And the self-production provides a stunning level of clarity and detail.

Whether to your musical taste or not, it’s impossible not to be moved by a record of this quality.  ***1/2

Review by Pete Whalley

---

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.

Next session: Sunday 19 January

Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio

---

David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 1 December 2024.

UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 3 December 2024.

How to Listen Live?

Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)

Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”

Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.

More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com

---

Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)

---

---

Popular (last 10 days)

---