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SOUTHERN COMPANION 1000 Days Of Rain [Release date 23.02.15]
On first listen you’d be forgiven for thinking The Southern Companion were from across the pond with their soulful brand of blues / rock infused Americana / country. In fact, you need look no further than Hampshire.
A vehicle for the talents of singer songwriter Darren Hodson, the collective of players that make up The Southern Companion have a wealth of experience as session players for artists such as Rumer, Lana Del Ray, James Morrison, Lulu, Pete Townsend and Tom Jones.
While the line is flexible depending on availability, the core band on 1000 Days Of Rain the band’s second album is Hodson (vocals and guitar), Simon Johnson (guitars and mandolin), Olly Richmond-Jones (drums), Stuart Ross (bass) and Lee Maycock (keys).
Influences of The Black Crowes, The Allman Brothers, Tom Petty, The Band, Del Amitri, Derek Trucks, Warren Haynes, The Beatles, and Ryan Adams shine through in a supremely consummate and polished set that bears many of the hallmarks by way of material, delivery and vocally of Van ‘The Man’. High praise, indeed. ***1/2
Review by Pete Whalley
MATT WOOSEY Desiderata [Release date 02.03.16]
Singers, songwriters. There’s one, or more, in every street. Or so it seems these days. So it takes something pretty special to climb to the top of the pile.
From the opening refrains, it’s clear that Desiderata the eigtth studio release by Cornish based singer songwriter Matt Woosey is a beautifully crafted and loving produced piece of work.
But the two essential are ingredients and the song, and the singer. In that order. The greatest singer in the world is nothing without the right material. And the further your singing voice is away from pitch perfect X Factor perfection, the better the chance of standing out from the crowd.
Vocally, Woosey in the same space as a young Billy Joel with just a hint of a Lou Reed drawl, and it serves his folk, rock, and blues influenced material well, with the instrumentation nicely separated and some lovely playing from Royal Shakespeare Company’s Head of Music, Bruce O’Neil on piano, in particular.
In terms of material, Desiderata is what you might call ‘smooth’. It’s an easy listen, but somehow never really gets under the skin. ***
Review by Pete Whalley
RACKHOUSE PILFER Love And Havoc [Release date 28.03.14]
An Irish six piece, who live perform their own unique takes on songs from Bruce Springsteen, Ryan Adams, Gillian Welch, Steve Earl and John Hiatt as well as traditional bluegrass songs and originals, Rackhouse Pilfer cook up a storm on their banjo, mandolin and fiddle toting sophomore release of largely self-penned material.
In a toe tapping set, packed with consummate playing no small wonder they were invited to perform on Tom Jones’ Long Lost Suitcase album, and open for Imelda May – the band bring a subtle Celtic vibe to the increasingly popular Americana genre, and while they’re well capable of ‘toning it down’ as on the mournful ‘Two Oceans’, it’s when the sparks fly that they’re at their most entertaining.
Best enjoyed ‘live’ with a pint or three of Guinness. ***
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
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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.
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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)
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