Tag Archives: roots

Quick plays: TIM HOCKENBERRY, JOSH HARTY

Posted on February 22, 2016 by GRTR! HQ

TIM HOCKENBERRY Tim Hockenberry [Release date 04.03.16] You know with an ex-America’s Got Talent performer (Hockenberry made the semi-finals in 2012) you’re going to get a decent vocal performance. And his debut release doesn’t disappoint in that respect – his … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Quick Plays | Tagged album, America's Got Talent, Americana, country, Holding On, Josh Harty, review, roots, singer, songwriter, Tim Hockenberry | Leave a comment

Album review: JENNIFER WARNES – The Well

Posted on February 4, 2016 by GRTR! HQ

BMG [Release date 04.03.16] It comes to something when it takes a fifteen year old album – getting its first UK release – to highlight just how sterile and bland the singer songwriter scene has become. Warnes’ eighth studio album, … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Americana, Jennifer Warnes, pop, review, rock, roots, singer, songwriter, The Well | Leave a comment

Quick plays: JULIA FORDHAM (1988 reissue), UNDERHILL ROSE

Posted on January 23, 2016 by GRTR! HQ

Cherry Pop [Release date 29.01.16] Julia Fordham is one of those artists who could only really flourish in the 1980s when there were expansive label budgets, solid production values, and exposure on national radio. Her exquisite blend of self-penned pop … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Quick Plays, Reissues | Tagged album, Americana, bonus tracks, folk, Julia Fordham, live, pop, reissue, review, roots, singer, songwriter, The Great Tomorrow, Underhill Rose | Leave a comment

Quick plays: MY FAIR FIEND, ARI AND THE ALIBIS, LOCUST HONEY STRING BAND, EUREKA

Posted on December 10, 2015 by GRTR! HQ

MY FAIR FIEND Making Monsters ‘Quirky’ is an oft used description in the singer songwriter world, but it does describe the sophomore release from Utah-based My Fair Fiend a vehicle for the talents of singer songwriter Callie Crofts. Musically, the … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Quick Plays | Tagged album, alternative, Ari And The Alibis, Dirty Little Secret, Eliza Carthy, Eureka, fusion, Gret Escapes, Jenny Hill, Locust Honey String Band, Making Monsters, My Fair Fiend, Never Let Me Cross Your Mind, prog, progressive, review, rock, roots, RPWL, songs of separation, Yogi Lang | Leave a comment

Album review: BABAJACK – Babajack Live Summer 2015

Posted on December 3, 2015 by petefeenstra

Self release [Release date 10.1o.15] ‘Babajack Live’ starts out as a blues album – all wailing harp, rough-hewn slide and hypnotic rhythms on homemade instruments – but quickly develops organically into a body of music with more depth. The background … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Adam Bertenshaw, album, Babajack, Babajack Live Summer 2015, Becky Tate, blues, Julia Palmer Price, Paul Long, rap, review, rock, roots, Tosh Murase, Trevor Steger | Leave a comment

Album review: THE GETAWAY DRIVERS – Bellatopia

Posted on November 18, 2015 by GRTR! HQ

[Release date 04.07.15] Bellatopia, their fourth release, marks The Getaway Drivers’ 10 year anniversary, although only Wisconsin folk singer-songwriter Bob Manor (guitar, piano, vocals) and bassist Ken Keeley remain from the original line up. Essentially an Americana/rock outfit, the band’s … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Americana, Bellatopia, review, rock, roots, soft rock, The Getaway Driver | Leave a comment

Album review: CURLY WOLF – Calling Your Bluff

Posted on November 14, 2015 by petefeenstra

The Curly Wolf [Release date 07.08.15] ‘Our aim is to show that there is more to country music than radio pop lets you believe’. Curly Wolf hammers home their sense of purpose with a defining mission statement and from the … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged 16 Horse Power, album, alt country, Anders Osborne, Calling Your Bluff, Curly Wolf, Grant Benziger, mariachi, Matt Pliskin, Mike Bouchard, review, rock, roots, The Long Ryders | Leave a comment

Album review: MIKE ZITO & THE WHEEL – Keep Coming Back

Posted on October 28, 2015 by petefeenstra

The Pete Feenstra Feature – Mike Zito (1 November 2015) by Get Ready To Rock! Radio on Mixcloud Ruf [Release date 06.11.15] And so after three albums with the award winning Royal Southern Brotherhood super group, Mike Zito returns to … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, INTERVIEWS, Radio interview | Tagged album, Anders Osborne, blues, Bruce Springsteen, funk, interview, Jimmy carpenter, John Fogerty, Mike Zito, Mike Zito & The Wheel, review, rock, roots, Royal Southern Brotherhood, Sheryl Crow, soul, Suzi Simms, The Wheel, Trina Shoemaker | Leave a comment

Album review: AMY HELM – Didn’t It Rain

Posted on September 17, 2015 by GRTR! HQ

Membran [Release date 02.10.15] Amy Helm reminds me of Joss Stone. An unquestionable vocal talent. But lacking in material to exploit it commercially. First a member of the post 9/11 alt-country collective Ollabelle, and subsequently working extensively with her late … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Americana, Amy Helm, Bill Payne, Didn't It Rain, Levon Helm, review, rock, roots, singer, songwriter | Leave a comment

Quick plays: GEORGIA SOUND, BOB BRADSHAW

Posted on September 17, 2015 by GRTR! HQ

GEORGIA SOUND Love Can Change [Release date 20.02.15] If you like a decent soft rock singer/songwriter tune, look no further than self-released indie folk / pop debut from Georgia Sound – Ryan Roy and Shannon Magee, a duo from Calgary, … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Quick Plays | Tagged album, Bob Bradshaw, folk, Georgia Sound, Love Can Change, pop, review, rock, roots, singer, songwriter, Whatever You Wanted | Leave a comment

Album review: BEN REEL – 7th

Posted on September 17, 2015 by GRTR! HQ

[Release date 22.06.15] www.benreel.com With each new release Northern Ireland songsmith Ben Reel steps inexorably closer to becoming the home soil torchbearer of American heartland rock. That is, the mantle occupied across the pond by the likes of The Boss … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged 7th, album, Americana, Ben Reel, blues, country, review, rock, roots, singer, songwriter | Leave a comment

Quick plays: OFFICER, GILMORE & ROBERTS, HIP HATCHET, SAM LEWIS

Posted on July 20, 2015 by GRTR! HQ

OFFICER Myriads You’d think – in these digital days – if you were going to record under a pseudo name, you’d have the foresight to pick one that might be a little easier to find via Google. But unless you’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Quick Plays | Tagged album, Americana, Conflict Tourism, country, folk, Gilmore & Roberts, Hip Hatchet, Hold You Like A Harness, Let It Be, Mark Brown, Myriads, Officer, pop, review, rock, roots, Sam Lewis, Simon Murphy, singer, Skin & Bone, songwriter, Waiting On You | Leave a comment

Album review: WATKINS FAMILY HOUR

Posted on July 8, 2015 by GRTR! HQ

Family Hour Records [Release date 24.07.15] With Nickel Creek seemingly back on ice, Sara and Sean Watkins have gone back to one of their favourite live formats for their latest release. The Watkins Family Hour brings to record their long … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, alt country, Americana, bluegrass, country, Fiona Apple, folk, Nickel Creek, review, roots, Sara Watkins, Sean Watkins, Watkins Family Hour | Leave a comment

DVD review: LOST SONGS: THE BASEMENT TAPES CONTINUED

Posted on June 19, 2015 by petefeenstra

Eagle Vision [Release date 25.05.15] ‘The Lost Songs: The Basement Tapes Continued’ is a publishers dream. Take a bunch of recently discovered and unrecorded Dylan songs from the legendary ‘Basement Tapes’ era, get a bunch of cross-generational roots artists and … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, DVD REVIEWS | Tagged Billy Bragg, Bob Dylan, Bob Weir, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Dawes, DVD, Elvis Costello, folk, Jerry Garcia, Jim James, Marcus Mumford, Mumford & Sons, review, Rhiannon Giddens, roots, T Bone Burnett, Taylor Goldsmith, The Band, The Lost Songs: The Basement Tapes Continued, Woody Guthrie | Leave a comment

Album review: DELLA MAE – Della Mae

Posted on June 4, 2015 by GRTR! HQ

Decca [Release date 10.07.15] There are obvious comparisons to be drawn here with the excellent Blame Sally – another multi-talented all female Americana combo, and in the case of Della Mae, featuring Celia Woodsmith on vocals and guitar, Kimber Ludiker … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Americana, blues, Della Mae, review, rock, roots | Leave a comment

Album review: TIMOTHY CRAIG – 360 Degrees

Posted on April 16, 2015 by petefeenstra

Ball & Chain Entertainment [Release date 09.02.15] Timothy Craig’s ‘360 Degrees’ is aimed at the country tinged, heartland crossover rock market, populated by Stetson wearing dudes in blue jeans, bling and white t shirts. It’s music with a wide appeal, … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged 360 Degrees, album, Bruce Spingsteen, country, Donny Roberts, Lauren Saks, Rascal Flatts, review, rock, roots, singer, songwriter, Timothy Craig, Webb Wilder | Leave a comment

Album review: ANNABELLE CHVOSTEK – Be The Media

Posted on March 31, 2015 by GRTR! HQ

Those expecting a folk roots album from former Wailin’ Jenny singer songwriter Annabelle Chvostek can think again. After releasing two albums on Canada’s most foremost folk label Chvostek has gone back to her independent roots, picking up a 1957 Kay … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Annabelle Chvostek, Be The Media, review, rock, roots, singer, songwriter, The Wailin' Jennies | Leave a comment

Quick plays: TRISTAN MACKAY, THE KENNEDYS, VANESSA PETERS

Posted on March 6, 2015 by GRTR! HQ

TRISTAN MACKAY Wire & Wood The clue, as they say, is in the title – Wire & Wood is a pared back acoustic follow-up to singer songwriter Tiverton, Devon-born Tristan Mackay’s debut release Out Along The Wire (2012). Originally ‘discovered’ … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Quick Plays | Tagged album, Americana, Chris Gray, Diamonds In Your Tree, folk, review, rock, roots, singer, songwriter, THE KENNEDYS, Tristan Mackay, Vanessa Peters, West, Wire & Wood, With The Sentimentals | Leave a comment

Quick plays: AWNA TEIXEIRA, KIMMIE RHODES, PAUL BIBBY, LYNRYD SKYNYRD

Posted on January 17, 2015 by GRTR! HQ

AWNA TEIXEIRA Wild One Like Po’ Girl Awna Teixeira’s solo debut – Where The Darkness Goes (2012) – her follow up Wild One is a sparse, plaintive set. For the most part written in Salt Lake City and reflecting on … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Quick Plays | Tagged album, Awna Teixeira, Bliss & Lullabies, country, Cowgirl Boudoir, Invocations, John The Baptist And The Second Coming, Kimmie Rhodes, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Midwich Assembly, Nashville, Paul Bibby, Po' Girl, review, roots, singer, songwriter, Vinyl, Wild One | Leave a comment

Album review: DREW HOLCOMB & THE NEIGHBORS – Medicine

Posted on December 4, 2014 by GRTR! HQ

Magnolia Music [Release date 26.01.15] With a Divinity Masters degree from St Andrews, and a dissertation on ‘Springsteen and American Redemptive Imagination’ under his belt, it’s clear where Southern singer songwriter Drew Holcomb’s heart lies. His 2005 debut Washed In … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Americana, Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors, Medicine, review, roots | Leave a comment

Album review: ROGER CHAPMAN – Peaceology

Posted on November 3, 2014 by petefeenstra

Hypertension [Release date 24.11.14] ‘Peaceology’ is a successfully re-mastered version of the 2007 Americana influenced album ‘One More Time For Peace’. It comes with a new title, new art work, three new tracks and a completely different running order that … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Americana, Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Henry Spinetti, Jim Cregan, Max Middleton, Mike Oldfield, Peaceology, review, Roger Chapman, Rollin Stoned, roots, The Bolland Brothers, vocal, Willie Dixon | Leave a comment

Album review: SARAH DUNN BAND – You Or The Whiskey

Posted on November 2, 2014 by GRTR! HQ

Audacity Records [Release date 19.08.14] When you hear the opening bars of ‘Finish What You Started’ – the opening number on You Or The Whiskey – a mix of Southern blues rock, rootsy fiddle and mandolin, a crisp production and … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, country, pop, Reba McIntyre, review, rock, roots, Sarah Dunn Band, Tim McGraw, Vince Gill, You Or The Whiskey | Leave a comment

Album review: LARKIN POE – Kin

Posted on September 26, 2014 by GRTR! HQ

RH Music [Release date 25.08.14] Having lost all sense of direction on their last release – The Sound Of The Ocean Sound with Thom Hell in 2013 – you wondered whether sisters Rebecca and Megan Poe were destined for obscurity. … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, bluegrass, blues, country, Dixie Chicks, Kin, Larkin Poe, pop, review, roots | Leave a comment

Gig review: CAMBRIDGE FOLK FESTIVAL – 31 July-3 August 2014

Posted on August 24, 2014 by GRTR! HQ

So I cast my mind back to 1994 and the very first Cambridge Folk Festival that I attended and remember the feeling of walking on-site and just thinking this is going to be very special, that was the 30th and … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS, Special Events | Tagged 1 August, 2 August, 3 August 2014, 31 July, Afro celt Sound System, Americana, Cambridge Folk Festival, Cara Dillon, folk, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Richard Thompson, rock, roots, Rosanne Cash, Seth Lakeman, Sinead O'Connor | Leave a comment

Album review: DAVID MIGDEN & THE TWISTED ROOTS – Animal & Man

Posted on August 7, 2014 by petefeenstra

Blues Boulevard [Released 10.10.14] On ‘Hunters Moon’, David Migden sings: “I walk the hills on my own, I’ve hunted down all that is flesh and bone, An arrow and a bow, I have a knife in my hand, I carved a … Continue reading →