Come Love Come - Rhiannon Giddens

Our next LCM featured artist is a superb vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter from Greensboro, North Carolina. With a Grammy with her previous band the Carolina Chocolate Drops and a BBC Radio 2 Folk Artist of the year award to her name, Rhiannon Giddens is a force to be reckoned with. Her latest album 'Freedom Highway' is an absolute marvel and we highly recommend that you have a listen if you haven't already. Our LCM #TrackOfTheDay is the wonderful and very powerful 'Come Love Come'.

It was toward the end of the T Bone Burnett–curated September 2013 'Another Day, Another Time' concert at New York City’s Town Hall—a celebration of the early ’60s folk revival that had inspired the Joel and Ethan Coen film Inside Llewyn Davis—when singer Rhiannon Giddens indisputably stole the show. Performing Odetta’s “Water Boy” with, as the New York Times put it, “the fervor of a spiritual, the yips of a folk holler, and the sultry insinuation of the blues,” Giddens brought the star-studded audience to its feet. She was the talk of the lobby during intermission as those attendees unfamiliar with her Grammy Award–winning work as a member of African-American folk interpreters Carolina Chocolate Drops wondered who exactly Rhiannon Giddens was, with her elegant bearing, prodigious voice, and fierce spirit.

On her Nonesuch solo debut 'Tomorrow Is My Turn', Giddens and Burnett revisit “Water Boy,” its Odetta-arranged work-song rhythm serving as both provocation and a statement of power. Giddens delivers an equally thunderous rendition, one made all the more striking when placed between a gentle, ruminative interpretation of Dolly Parton’s “Don’t Let It Trouble Your Mind” and a version of Hank Cochran’s “She’s Got You,” popularized by Patsy Cline, that Giddens imbues with “an old-timey R&B vibe,” abetted by Carolina Chocolate Drops band-mate Hubby Jenkins. The breadth of musical vision on 'Tomorrow Is My Turn' fulfills the promise of that brief but stunning star turn at Town Hall. The album incorporates gospel, jazz, blues, and country, plus a hint of proto-rock and roll, and Giddens displays an emotional range to match her dazzling vocal prowess throughout.

The life that Giddens explores at the climax of 'Tomorrow Is My Turn' is her own creative one, on the lilting, self-penned ballad “Angel City.” Though she regards herself far more as singer than songwriter, “Angel City,” composed in the course of a single night during the recording of the Burnett-helmed The New Basement Tapes project, fits perfectly at the close of the set, gently paying homage to the elder artists whose work comprise the rest of the album. “It was these women, these artists, who had helped me, who had come with me on this journey, and here are lyrics that represented that.”

Released in February 2017 her latest album based on a Pop Staples song 'Freedom Highway' is a wonderful exploration of Americana, Folk, Jazz, Blues and Gospel.

Take It From Me - Jarrod Dickenson

We travel to Brooklyn today to meet our next LCM featured artist Texan Jarrod Dickenson  Jarrod has released his latest album 'Ready The Horses' through Decca on the 29th September and he is currently on a UK tour with two London dates on the 18th and 19th October at St. Pancras Old Chuch (with the first one already sold out)  We really like Jarrod's music here at LCM and think it's a fusion of Folk, Americana, Blues, Soul, Country and Rock and Roll. He is definitely another musician to have to your radar and well worth seeing live. Our LCM #TrackOfTheDay is his wonderful latest single 'Take It From Me' taken from the new album.

Storytelling is something of a Texas tradition. Tall hats and even taller tales are woven into the fabric of The Lone Star State, and singer-songwriter, Jarrod Dickenson can spin a yarn with the best of them. Hailing from Waco, now based in Brooklyn, Jarrod spends most of his time on the road bringing his own particular brand of soulful Americana to a wide variety of music loving audiences around the globe.

Jarrod's critically acclaimed album 'The Lonesome Traveler' and his subsequent EP 'Songs From Willow St' paved the way for him to tour the UK, Ireland and Europe extensively over the last several years. Breakout performances at Glastonbury and Larmer Tree Festival, along with recent tours supporting legendary artists such as Bonnie Raitt, Don McLean and The Waterboys have earned Jarrod a formidable and loyal fan base across the globe, including BBC radio hosts Dermot O'Leary, Cerys Matthews, Huey Morgan, Janice Long, Robert Elms and Alex Lester.

Sister - Jess and the Bandits

Our next LCM featured artists are one of the leading Country music bands in the UK, the fabulous Jess & The Bandits. Jess and the guys are due to release their great new second album 'Smoke & Mirrors' on the 15th September, one all of us here at LCM are looking forward to. Our LCM #TrackOfTheDay is their new single, the very powerful blusey-pop gospel infused 'Sister'. We think it really has hints of Jenn Bostic :) It has just been Radio 2 playlisted, so you will be hearing a lot more of the song across the airwaves. 

Due to the current situation in Jess' home state of Texas and to provide support for her family, Jess has postponed her September launch tour moving it to next February. 

Jess and the Bandits are US/UK country rock band fronted by Texan vocalist Jessica Clemmons. The band line-up is completed by Louis Riccardi (guitar), Dave Troke (bass), Steven Reid Williams (keys) and Ricci Riccardi (drums). They are often joined by Matt Park (pedal steel). They released their debut album 'Here We Go Again' in 2015.

Jess and the Bandits formed after meeting on 'The Overtones' 27 dates UK and Ireland theater tour. At the time Jess was a solo artist, who had recently released her sophomore album Loving This Day, which was released independently in 2012 on Jessica's own record label, After Midnight Girl Entertainment having partnered with UK distribution and marketing company Absolute earlier that year.

While Jess was focused on a pop sound at the time of the tour, she took time away from touring to reflect on her recording career to date. As a Texas Girl born and bred, Jessica felt that she had drifted from her roots and early inspirations founded from her love of Country Music. She traveled to Nashville where she focused on writing songs that were honest and reflective. Jessica spent time in the studio with multi-award winning songwriter Jeff Cohen, who won a BMI Award for his song 'Postcard From Paris', recorded by The Band Perry. Cohen's credits also include Sugarland, Josh Groban, Macy Gray, and Nick Lachey. Jeff introduce Jessica to songwriter James T Slater, infamous for his Grammy nominated song 'In My Daughter's Eyes' by Martina McBride, and to Country Music star and writer Sherrie Austin. The resulting body of work became Jessica's EP 'What If' co-written with all three writers, produced by Jeff Cohen and recorded at the Beaird Studios in Nashville.

At the end of 2013, Jess was invited to join Boyzone on their BZ20 20th Anniversary tour. In need of a band to play with on the road, she reconnected with Dave, Louis, Ricci and Steve and asked them to join her as her backing band. The response to her new sound, which featured her BBC Radio 2 playlisted single Single Tonight, taken from the 'What If' EP, was huge and the group really bonded over the formative tour. By the end of the tour, the band had been born.

In September 2014, Jess and the Bandits accepted the invitation to join Pete Molinari on his UK tour. To coincide they released their debut single 'My Name Is Trouble', which has been described as 'infectious and uplifting experience' (Nashville Over Here).

Following the Pete Molinari tour, Jess and the Bandits spent the remainder of 2014 writing and recording their debut album. Having kept a low profile, they returned to the stage in February 2015 for sold out performances at The Little Rabbit Barn and as the headliner of the Country Collective alongside Red Sky July and Lucy May, which led to For The Country Record declaring, 'I’m sure these guys are on the brink of a huge career.'.UDiscover selected the group as one of the stand out performances of C2C: Country to Country 2015, noting their 'two winning shows' at the Brooklyn Bowl.

On 6 April 2015 Jess and the Bandits released their debut album 'Here We Go Again' to critical acclaim. The album featured lead single 'My Name Is Trouble' alongside Jess' solo single Single Tonight and a recording of Glen Campbell's Wichita Lineman, which had previously been showcased on Sir Terry Wogan's BBC Radio 2 show. After their performance, Wogan declared 'Well with the greatest respect to Glen Campbell, that was the most fabulous version I have ever heard. That was terrific.

Following a series of festival appearances over the summer of 2015, including Isle of Wight Festival, Ramblin' Man Fair and SummerTyne, the band announced their debut headline tour for October 2015. In the build-up to the tour, they announced that Belfast's The Rising would be joining them at all dates, while each date would see a special guest appearance - these included The Southern Companion, Dexeter, Acoustic Journey, Luke & Mel, Na Fianna and Fitzwallace. The band had a headline tour in April 2016 with Luke & Mel as support.

Jess and the Bandits are due to release their second album 'Smoke & Mirrors' on the 15th September.

What If I - Elles Bailey

It's a very exciting time for our next LCM featured artist Elles Bailey, who releases her excellent debut album 'Wildfire' today. Bristol based Elles seamlessly weaves rootsy blues, country and soulful rock with a contemporary edge and her trademark  ‘smoky vocals’ taking the lead.  Her husky toned, lived-in voice sounds like she has a 60-a-day habit, but was actually caused by a serious illness when she was three. Our LCM #TrackOfTheDay is the wonderful 'What If I'. LCM album review coming very shortly...

.Her two EP's, both produced by Brian Banks, (Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie) 'Who I Am To Me' (Feb 2015) and 'The Elberton Sessions' (Oct 2016) were released to critical acclaim. No stranger to the scene, over the last three years, this captivating, hard-working songstress and her talented band have built up a loyal all-age fan base through relentless touring, through both the UK and Europe. She’s opened for acts like Wille & The Bandits and shared festival line-ups with Lisa Simone, The Mystery Jets & Wilko Johnson.

In fact, 2017 looks set to be a very busy year for Elles with over 30 dates scheduled in the run up to her debut album release in September. Her festival diary is also filling up very quickly. Elles will feature at The Great British Rock and Blues Festival in Skegness and will be opening for soul singer Jo Harman on her February tour before heading back into Europe in Spring 2017.
 
Like many artists today, Elles is breaking down the barriers of traditional genres, taking inspiration from many and fusing them together to bring you her own unique sound, which is earning her a legion of devoted fans, young and old, from across the UK and further afield.

Elles had The opportunity to record ‘Wildfire’ at Blackbird Studio in Nashville Tennessee  where she drew together an amazing pool of musical and production talent and expertise.

“It was always my plan to release my debut album in 2017,” says Elles, “It had been a long time coming, but I could never have imagined getting the opportunity to make it in Nashville, at a studio like Blackbird Studios, where so many iconic albums have been made! I'm very excited about sharing this record with the world!”
 
Produced by Brad Nowell ‘Wildfire’ assembled a host of Nashville’s finest, including Grammy Award winner and two-time CMA ‘Musician of the Year’ Brent Mason on guitar, three-time ‘Musician Hall Of Famer’ Bobby Wood on piano, joined by Chris Leuzinger (Garth Brooks) on guitar, Mike Brignardello (Lynyrd Skynyrd, Amy Grant) on bass, Wes Little (Stevie Wonder, Melissa Etheridge) on drums, and even legendary Ivor Novello Award-winning songwriter Roger Cook came on board to help add some extra sparkle. Blended together back in the UK with the likes of Jonny Henderson (Robyn Ford, Matt Schofield) on Hammond organ and Joe Wilkins on blistering guitar, the result is a unique trans-Atlantic coming together of styles.
 
As well as being supported by Radio 2, her single ‘Wildfire’ finally came off the Planet Rock playlist after a whopping 10 weeks and she’s back on their play list again, with her most recent single ‘Same Flame’. She has remained on the Country Rocks Spotify playlist for over a month now and cracked the magic 150k marker. Wildfire recently landed radio 1 playlist in Holland and has been voted the number 1 album in the IBBA blues radio charts. What’s more, Bailey’s most recent single ‘Same Flame’ and its accompanying video went on in June to make Song of the Day at Songwriting Magazine.

Reviewers have been wowed by Elles and her debut album, Wildfire due to be released on 1st September 2017. Maverick Magazine gave ‘Wildfire’ top marks (5/5) and went on to predict a glowing career for this talented artiste: “If Bailey can follow this album up with something equally as good as ‘Wildfire’, there’s no reason why she can’t hit the heights Swift did in country- and perhaps move even further up the country mountain than Swift did.”

"It’s a fact that very few make it to the big stage,” Blues In Britain reminds us, but “Elles Bailey has the necessary talent, the drive, and no) the product."

Not only will Elles be doing her own headline tour of the UK through out October and November she has also been asked to open for guitar legend Eric Gales on his UK & Ireland tour.

Watch this space as Elles and her band take UK Blues music by storm...................... 

Mother Tongue - The King's Parade

Our next LCM featured artists are an excellent London band with a great fresh sound. With a new EP 'Haze' recently released in May and a host of festival dates over the summer, The King's Parade are making amazing progress in the indie music scene. TKP are one of our favourite London live bands and we think they will have a very successful and bright future ahead. Since their formation in 2012, this four-piece’s assured touch of classic Detroit blues with melodic, crossover pop has evoked the crafted sounds of Jamie Woon, Leon Bridges and Alabama Shakes. We hope that you enjoy our LCM #TrackOfTheDay, their great new single 'Mother Tongue' taken from their  'Haze' EP. 

After releasing their debut EP ‘Vagabond' in 2015 as well as a string of singles including ‘Bunched Up Letters’, ‘Silhouette’ and ‘Gathering the Pieces of a Broken Heart', The King’s Parade have seen themselves picking up wide critical acclaim. They also independently sold out London’s OSLO on the last leg of their debut sold-out European tour – echoing a growing number of hype acts growing fan bases and selling out large venues completely under the radar. 

Their classic sound was honed by musicians that were previously playing together more than 40 hours a week on a Hawaiian cruise ship. Think the Beatles’ unknown early gigs in Hamburg’s strip clubs and you’re just about there. The King’s Parade continue to refine a new soul blueprint that’s seeing a loyal and expectant fan base grow by the day, cementing their status as one of the most naturally talented and hustling young acts this year.

Grey Mind - Lloyd Jerwood

Debut Single from Lloyd Jerwood

Our next LCM featured artist is Welsh singer-songwriter Lloyd Jerwood.You’ll find elements of delayed pop riffs, bluesy guitar parts, and ‘rootsy’ folk music here, tied together with heartbreakingly honest, modern songwriting. Lloyd combines a vocal ability and tone that have been compared to Ben Howard and Ed Sheeran, with his songwriting and guitar playing to a young John Mayer and The Tallest Man On Earth. Young hearts and old shoulders will all find something of themselves in Lloyd's music. Recent support from BBC Radio Wales saw Lloyd perform a live session on Jamie Owen’s breakfast show.

Through a combination of his musical influences and expertly crafted, heartfelt songs, a unique sound is woven. The diversity of Lloyd’s musical tastes shines through when he performs and his switching of styles keeps his audiences locked in the performance. 

Now in 2017, five years and a degree later, Lloyd will be releasing his debut EP and embarking on his first UK tour. Recent support from BBC Radio Wales saw Lloyd perform a live session on Jamie Owen’s Sunday breakfast show. Lloyd released his excellent smooth and bluesy first single and our LCM #TrackOfTheDay ‘Grey Mind’ in May.

Lloyd will be supporting Me For Queen at The Sound Lounge, Tooting on the 6th September. It's an evening you don't want to miss.

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Not In Birmingham - Hannah Johnson

It's a very exciting time for Country artists at the moment, as the genre is finally getting the recognition in the UK that it richly deserves. Today's LCM featured artist Hannah Johnson is one person we would love to see with a much higher profile. She has just released her debut solo album 'Shaken', which was successfully crowd-funded through Indiegogo. You may recognise Hannah originally from 'The Toy Hearts' and then when her sister Sophia took a hiatus from the band to go to the US, 'Hannah & The Broken Hearts'. Our LCM #TrackOfTheDay is a great live cover of a Roger Miller song called 'Not In Nottingham'.  The song is originally from the Walt Disney's animated classic 'Robin Hood'.  Hannah changed the town name to Birmingham where she grew up and still lives. The video also features her very talented father Stewart 'Daddy Cool' Johnson on pedal steel.  The song is about being conflicted about how you feel about your home town.

The album was recorded at The Ameripolitan Studios in Austin, Texas. It features some of Hannah's favourite musicians including Stewart Johnson, Bryce Clarke, Chris Shirley, Beth Chrisman, Joshua Hoag, Emily Gimble, Tom Lewis, Sophia Johnson, Brian Kremer and Devin Jake. 

Hannah delves deep into her influences of old country, the blues and honky tonk music. The choice of material is imperative to Hannah, who has spent a long time studying the vocal styles of country greats such as Faron Young, George Jones & Ray Price.

At a time when it is fashionably cool to be “Americana” and dressing “vintage” is de rigueur, it is easy to feel tired of the cliches around the modern country scene. Much of the music coming out of Nashville today seems to be either watered down country pop, or stylistically affected Americana with chanted choruses and stomping bass drums.

However, there is also reaction against these extreme ends of the industry machine and artists like Hannah Johnson are approaching their music with a refreshing honesty and commitment to the core principles of ‘old’ country music, celebrating the heritage and history rather than diluting it. Undoubtedly spending so much time in Austin, Texas has influenced her immensely, as the music she is making falls much more under the bracket of what Dale Watson is doing with his “Ameripolitan” genre than the new country from Nashville. Hannah sings classic country songs about drinking and heart ache straight from a Honky Tonk, her sultry and smokey voice taking on the likes of Patsy Cline, Skeets McDonald and Willie Nelson. But what also cannot be ignored in her voice is the strong influence from the blues, as exemplified on her cover of an old Charlie Patton number and her powerful rendition of ‘Trouble In Mind’.

The stand out tracks however, are her own compositions, ‘Your Girlfriend Hates Me’ could perhaps be seen as a modern, less aggressive take on Loretta’s “fist city”, clearly placing relationships between women at the centre of her experience, and proving not always easy being the only girl in the band. ‘Morning Cocktail’ then takes her in a more soulful and reflective direction, lamenting a highly destructive lost love, the dangerous numbing qualities of alcohol, while demonstrating her vocal prowess. ‘Nowhere Train’ immediately hits an infectious country groove, delivering classic twangy telecaster and providing a strong catchy chorus as the album’s opener.

Hannah's fans include Imelda May, Robert Plant and Ronnie Wood, indeed Hannah and her band provided the entertainment for Ronnie’s recent 70th Birthday party. She is set to spend the summer 2017 gigging and promoting her record in Austin, TX.

Same Flame - Elles Bailey

Our next featured artist Bristol-based singer-songwriter Elles Bailey has a talent for crafting and seamlessly weaving rootsy blues, country, and soulful rock, with a contemporary edge. What’s more fate has blessed her with a ‘smoky vocal’ style that perfectly fits her music. Elles is releasing her brand new single and our LCM #TrackOfTheDay 'Same Flame' today. It's the second single release from her forthcoming album 'Wildfire'
 
Elles’s trademark husky, lived-in voice may sound like this young songstress keeps up a 60-a-day habit, but was actually caused by a serious childhood illness. At the tender age of three, Elles contracted both viral and bacterial pneumonia. Ever-resilient, Elles recovered,but her voice had changed completely.  An ENT visit revealed no permanent damage, but as the specialist prophetically observed, “If she ever wants to sing, she’ll be a natural blues vocalist!”
 
Now, the miracle girl with the made-for-the-blues voice is about to release her debut album, ‘Wildfire’, on 1st September, 2017.
 
The opportunity to record ‘Wildfire’ arrived sooner than expected when a planned family road trip across the Southern States of the USA saw fate step in once more. “We’d arranged to cut a demo in Nashville along the route,” explains Elles, “You know, ‘when in Rome’ and all that? But what was meant to be just one solitary track took on a life of its own. Before I knew it, boom, we had a whole album!”
 
In Nashville, Elles drew together an amazing pool of musical and production talent and expertise, who were so taken with her that they went the extra mile (and then some), giving her not just the chance to create a demo, but to lay down an entire album!
 
“It was always my plan to release my debut album in 2017,” says Elles, “It had been a long time coming, but I could never have imagined getting the opportunity to make it in Nashville, at a studio like Blackbird Studios, where so many iconic albums have been made! I'm very excited about sharing this record with the world!”
 
Produced by Brad Nowell ‘Wildfire’ assembled a host of Nashville’s finest, including Grammy Award winner and two-time CMA ‘Musician of the Year’ Brent Mason on guitar, three-time ‘Musician Hall Of Famer’ Bobby Wood on piano, joined by Chris Leuzinger (Garth Brooks) on guitar, Mike Brignardello (Lynyrd Skynyrd, Amy Grant) on bass, Wes Little (Stevie Wonder, Melissa Etheridge) on drums, and even legendary Ivor Novello Award-winning songwriter Roger Cook came on board to help add some extra sparkle. Blended together back in the UK with the likes of Jonny Henderson (Robyn Ford, Matt Schofield) on Hammond organ and Joe Wilkins on blistering guitar, the result is a unique trans-Atlantic coming together of styles.
 
The single ‘Wildfire’ has already secured spot plays/sessions with Radio 2 and BBC London, Bob Harris and BBC Introducing and play listed on Planet Rock.
 
Having played extensively throughout Europe, and supported UK soulstress Jo Harman on her UK tour, Elles' insatiable desire for live performance continues apace across the Summer of 2017, encompassing a series of headline shows and festival dates alike.

Get Up - Caitlin Canty

Our next LCM featured artist was a huge hit at her first London gig on Monday. With pure vocals and a super songwriter, Nashville based Caitlin Canty has music that is well worth exploring. Originally from Vermont Caitlin Canty delivers her songs with a dusky alto and a 1930’s Recording King guitar. Her breakout record 'Reckless Skyline' features an all-star band on twelve songs that veer nimbly between country ballads and straight-up rockers, dark blues and sparsely arranged folk. Produced by Jeffrey Foucault, 'Reckless Skyline' garnered glowing praise from NPR, among others. The San Francisco Chronicle lauded Caitlin’s, “casually devastating voice and unshakable poise,” and her “easy way with folk, blues and country motifs.” Our LCM #TrackOfTheDay is the very catchy 'Get Up' one of the lead singles from the new album

Both on the road and on her records, Caitlin creates a sound that harnesses the grit and spark at the very heart of American music, tempered with a voice both haunting and distinct.

Flood & Burn - Sean Taylor

Our LCM featured artist today is London based singer-songwriter Sean Taylor. Sean has rapidly grown to be one of the hottest new names in the UK blues/acoustic scene. His incredible passion for performance, sheer talent and songwriting of the highest calibre is a testament to his frequent comparisons with John Martyn, Chris Isaak and Tom Waits. Sean released a new album called 'Flood & Burn' earlier this year and our LCM #TrackOfTheDay is a live version of the very good bluesy title track. 

Sean has toured all over the UK, Europe and Australia. He has supported John Fogerty, Neville Brothers, Robert Cray, Richard Thompson, Tony Joe White, Eric Bibb, Tom Paxton, Band of Horses, John Mayall & Arlo Guthrie. 

Festival appearances include; Glastonbury festival, Cambridge Folk festival, Beautiful Days, Port Fairy Folk festival (Australia), Celtic Connections, Cognac Blues Festival (France) Hebridean Celtic Festival, Secret Garden Party, Maverick Festival & Blue Balls Festival (Switzerland). 

Sean has released seven albums including one album recorded in Dublin with Trevor Hutchinson (Waterboys) and his last four albums with Mark Hallman (Carole King, Ani di Franco) at Congress House Studios in Austin (TX).

http://www.seantaylorsongs.com/

You Blew It - Amanda St John

For our next LCM showcase artist we head to Belfast, the home of singer-songwriter Amanda St John. Amanda released her very good blues, folk-informed and soul-infused debut album 'Grow' last May. The album includes collaborations with David Lyttle (MOBO nominated Jazz musician/Producer) and USA Grammy nominated producer/writer Jon Tiven (Rolling Stones, BB King, Wilson Pickett). Amanda will be shortly on a UK Tour with her London date on 30th May at The Green Note, Camden. Our LCM #TrackOfTheDay is the very catchy, uptempo and bluesy 'You Blew It', the lead single from the new album.   

Ever since she first set foot on stage at the tender age of 14 it was obvious to anyone that Amanda had a voice that could charm the stars from the sky. After learning her trade performing in cover bands for a number of years, the chanteuse, who has collaborated with some of Northern Ireland's best and brightest talents (such as Duke Special, Gareth Dunlop, Ben Glover, ex-INXS frontman Ciaran Gribbin and Simon McBride), reinvented herself in 2012 as a singer-songwriter and, a year later, released her debut EP of original material 'Where Is The Man' to much critical acclaim. 

Born out of a near death experience which prompted her to re-evaluate her life, the collection of torch songs saw Amanda put her apprenticeship to good use and it captured the hearts of many music lovers. Buoyed by extensive radio play and a sold-out show at the Black Box in Belfast, the singer, who was born and raised in the rural village of Glenariffe, then released the rockabilly and jazz-tinged 'Big Strong Man' on March 2014 and the infectious number firmly established her as a versatile artist with a keen ear for a hook. 

Now a much-loved and sought after regular on the festival circuit, Amanda has performed at Sunflower Festival, the Maiden City Festival, Hilden Beer Festival, the East Belfast Arts Festival, the Lammas Fair, the Atlantic Sessions Festival, Tanglewood Music Festival and Belfast Music Week. Other gig highlights for Amanda have included sharing a stage with US Grammy Nominee Tift Merritt, being invited to sing backing vocals for Duke Special, performing a two night support slot for Brian Kennedy and playing support for Eddi Reader (of Fairground Attraction) and Mary Coughlan. 
 
With many festival slots and an upcoming tour of UK and Ireland, 2017 is set to be the best year yet for Amanda

https://www.amandastjohnmusic.co.uk

Shop now at Amazon for Amanda's debut album 'Grow'

Forgiveness - The Kondoors

As it's Friday we have something special for you. We are big fans of Bob's Harris UTAT session here at LCM HQ and we love a recent one with our next LCM featured artists today The Kondoors. Based in London and Bedfordshire this very talented singer-songwriter duo are Jess Greenfield & Gavin Conder. Their music is a wonderful of fusion of classic pop, rich soul and R'n'B Gospel. We think they are ones to watch this year. Our LCM #TrackOfTheDay is a fantastic super smooth live version of their song 'Forgiveness'. https://youtu.be/WkM1YF0Cnic

Take two great voices – hers, warm, rich and soulful, his, heartfelt and bitter-sweet – mix together and stand well back. Welcome to the Kondoors … one knock-out sound. Jess Greenfield and Gavin Conder became a couple well before they became a duo. They first met twelve years ago, but only stumbled on their unique musical chemistry much later on. Both had already established themselves as must-see live performers by the time they met, supporting a roll call of big names, including Brian Adams, Imelda May, Rod Stewart, Rudimental, Professor Green, Take That and Sam Smith.
Both had also long been writing and recording their own material, drawing on a host of influences from Sam Cooke, Connor Reeves and Marvin Gaye (Gav) to Dusty Springfield and Tina Turner (Jess).

It was only when they decided to record Jess’s song, Forgiveness', singing together for the first time, that they discovered the spine-tingling effect of their voices combined. Producer Steve Brown (Rumer and Laura M’vula) stepped in to take their raw, organic sound to the next level and the breathtaking vocal personality of the Condors was born.
Where next? The duo are making real waves as both performers and songwriters. As well as Steve Brown, they have also worked with several other top talents, including Martin Brammer (James Morrison, the Lighthouse Family), Ben Langmaid (LaRoux), Pete Vetesse (Annie Lennox, Boyzone) and Pete Vale (Lemar, The Eagles).

The Kondoors certainly aced it with Andy Murray. They sang at his wedding in 2015…

http://www.thekondoors.com/

See more at: https://www.laurelcanyonuk.com/lcmsotd2017/

Broken Halos - Chris Stapleton

One our favourite Country stars of 2016 is our next LCM Featured artist, Chris Stapleton. Our LCM #TrackOfTheDay is the first single and an early taster 'Broken Halos' from his next album 'From A Room - Volume 1' released on May 5th. https://youtu.be/sI0TeFf6uD8

http://www.chrisstapleton.com/

Down In The Hole - Shakin' Stevens

Our next LCM featured artist will be well known to most of you. The best selling singles artist of the 1980's and a very highly regarded platinum-selling British rock and roll singer. In the UK alone. Shakin' Stevens had 33 Top 40 hit singles including four chart-topping hits "This Ole House", "Green Door", "Oh Julie", and "Merry Christmas Everyone". His brand new album 'Echoes of Our Times' released in September of last year is a departure from his previous albums. It's a great piece of classic rock and blues & roots Americana. Our LCM #TrackOfTheDay is one of our favourites on the album 'Down In Hole'. With it's driving rhythms and a folk feel it remind us of 'Show Of Hands'. The song was written about perils and harsh conditions of Cornish mining. 

This album has grown from Shaky’s realisation that, like most of us, he knew so very little about the background of his family - the stories of his ancestors’ loves and lives lost, and their struggles to survive. Research revealed tales of poverty and strife in the Cornish copper mines, of bravery and loss in war, of philanthropic preachers and stoic Salvationists, of children suffering and of family secrets and feuds.

In the 1890's, photographer J.C Burrow captured on film for the very first time what it was truly like within the depths of a Cornish mine. Even the miners themselves had never seen the mines with such clarity, and for some, it was too frightening. Tales are still told to this day by ex-miners of the many men who refused to set foot in the mines ever again after seeing this realistic portrayal of the place they had worked in, in total darkness.

Today, these images serve as a haunting reminder of the harsh and dangerous conditions that took the lives of so many young cornish men, but also as a testament to their strength, determination and ingenuity.

Shaky will shortly be embarking on a full UK Tour with the wonderful Danni Nicholls as his support. His London date is at the O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire on the 2nd May. Highly recommended by us :)

http://www.shakinstevens.com/

Sunshine - Emily Barker

With a new highly anticipated album called 'Sweet Kind Of Blue' to be released shortly on the 19th May our LCM featured artist today is the very talented singer-songwriter Emily Barker. The album launch gig is at The Brunel Goods Shed, Stroud on the 18th May. One of the new singles from the album and our LCM #TrackOfTheDay is the bluesy 'Sunshine' featuring Emily working in a roadside cafe. Watch out for a couple of cameo appearances as well. Extra points if you spot them :)https://youtu.be/WqHSGmpDyTw

Emily Barker’s new album Sweet Kind of Blue is love story, between Barker and Memphis. To understand how this love affair began, you have to go right back to the start… Barker grew up in remote, rural Western Australia; a childhood that was blessed with an almost idyllic, roaming freedom instilled not only an itinerant spirit, but also a mighty work ethic that has seen her playing over two hundred shows a year and on the cusp of releasing what will be her tenth studio album (including her albums with The Red Clay Halo, Vena Portae and last year’s acclaimed debut as part of country trio Applewood Road).

It is largely thanks to John Peel that Emily Barker first settled in the UK. After leaving home to see the world, she ended up on the Cambridge folk scene, and formed the band, the-low-country. Just as she was considering resuming her studies back home, Peel started playing them on Radio 1, so she stayed. Her music has since been described as “heartfelt songwriting… bridging the gap between folk, country and Fleetwood Mac” (The Times), “ambitious and beautifully wrought” (Q), while the Guardian applauds her “gift for great melodies.”

This gift has not gone unnoticed by film makers, resulting in Barker penning and performing theme songs for award-winning television dramas Wallander and The Shadow Line as well as an entire musical score for Jake Gavin’s poignant and well-received 2015 road movie, Hector, starring Peter Mullan.

Since taking a hiatus from multi-instrumental all-female group The Red Clay Halo, with whom she made four albums, Barker has been edging closer to the sources of her musical inspiration. At a tender age, her mother taught her to sing harmonies while her father introduced her to his record collection (they didn’t own a television). And then as she entered her teens, she discovered the blues and soul of Aretha Franklin, Koko Taylor and Bettye LaVette, and that’s where this story really begins.

In recent years Barker has made herself at home in Nashville and Memphis, performing, collaborating and basking in musical history. In Nashville in 2014 she formed the trio Applewood Road with Tennessee-based songwriters Amber Rubarth and Amy Speace. Their eponymous LP was recorded at Welcome to 1979 studio in Nashville. Applewood Road was a regular on best-of-2016 album lists, they toured extensively, played Glastonbury and Cambridge Folk Festivals and made numerous television appearances.

On a visit to Muscle Shoals, Barker was shown around Fame Studios, where she fell in love with the old equipment used to record Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding and Etta James. Soon after arriving back in the UK, she cropped her hair, got a slick black suit and a beautiful 1937 Gibson, and recorded a stripped-down solo album at analogue Toe Rag studios in East London (where The White Stripes recorded Elephant). The seeds of Sweet Kind of Blue were well and truly sown.

Meanwhile, plans for her new record started taking shape soon after. She was introduced to Grammy-winning producer Matt Ross-Spang, and the two hit it off straight away. Ross-Spang was the catalyst that brought Barker and Memphis together – born and bred in “Bluff City”, he honed in on where Barker’s roots lay as soon as she played him the songs she had been writing for the album.

Sweet Kind of Blue was recorded in June 2016, at the legendary Sam Phillips Recording Service in Memphis, where the tapes have been rolling since 1960. Phillips opened his dream studio (he called it “the Cape Canaveral of studios”) after he and his artists Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and B B King outgrew Sun Studio, a few blocks away.

The stars were perfectly aligned for the Memphis sessions. Barker brought her songs, her guitar, that cathedral of a voice and her irrepressible freewheeling spirit. Ross-Spang was riding high following his Grammy for Jason Isbell’s Something More than Free, and the runaway success of Margo Price’s Midwest Farmer’s Daughter. Sam Phillips’ son Jerry, and granddaughter Halley, welcomed Barker into the fold and couldn’t tear themselves away from the studio throughout recording. And as each track was laid down, Barker, her band (you will have heard these musicians on Cat Power’s The Greatest as well as records by Neil Young, Booker T and the MGs, Al Green and many more) and everyone in the control room fell a little bit more in love with each other. Spines tingled and eyes did not remain dry.

The result is an intoxicating blend of Barker penned songs about loves lost, heartrending humanity, the rush of the road trip and the sheer glory of a new love. The first single, ‘Sister Goodbye’, is a soulful tribute to one of Barker’s guitar-slinging heroes, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, while the title track, ‘Sweet Kind of Blue’ captures the beautiful urgency of missing a new lover. Its name, says Barker, “also nods to the record’s blues elements, with blue-eyed soul being the ’60s term for white artists performing rhythm and blues”. But the making of Sweet Kind of Blue is a love story in itself, between Barker and Memphis.

http://www.emilybarker.com

Little Black Dress - Jarrod Dickenson

After a super set at C2C our next LCM featured singer-songwriter will be headlining at the Borderline on March 23rd as part of a UK and Ireland Tour. Jarrod Dickenson comes from Waco in Texas but is now based in Brooklyn, New York. His music is a fusion of Folk, Americana, Blues, Soul, Country and Rock and Roll, Jarrod is another musician to have to your radar and well worth seeing live. Our LCM #TrackOfTheDay is a live version of 'Little Black Dress' taken from his 2012 'The Lonesome Traveller' album. https://youtu.be/OdKDL5VIre4…

Storytelling is something of a Texas tradition. Tall hats and even taller tales are woven into the fabric of The Lone Star State, and singer-songwriter, Jarrod Dickenson can spin a yarn with the best of them. Hailing from Waco, now based in Brooklyn, Jarrod spends most of his time on the road bringing his own particular brand of soulful Americana to a wide variety of music loving audiences around the globe.

Jarrod's critically acclaimed album 'The Lonesome Traveler' and his subsequent EP 'Songs From Willow St' paved the way for him to tour the UK, Ireland and Europe extensively over the last several years. Breakout performances at Glastonbury and Larmer Tree Festival, along with recent tours supporting legendary artists such as Bonnie Raitt, Don McLean and The Waterboys have earned Jarrod a formidable and loyal fan base across the globe, including BBC radio hosts Dermot O'Leary, Cerys Matthews, Huey Morgan, Janice Long, Robert Elms and Alex Lester.

With a brand new album slated for March 2017 release, expect big things from Jarrod in the months to come.

https://www.jarroddickenson.com

It Feels Good - Drake White

We continue our showcase of the C2C visiting musicians with our next LCM featured artist Drake White and his band, who will be performing on the main O2 stage on Sunday. Originally from Alabama but now Nashville based, Drake is another US Country breakthrough artist to have on your radar. Our LCM #TrackOfTheDay is the rip roaring and toe tapping 'It Feels Good' taken from his 2016 debut album 'Spark'. 

Every reaction begins with a catalyst, some initial event that sets things on their inexorable course. For Drake White, it goes back to something raw and elemental in his debut album 'Spark'.

“I learned how to play guitar and keep people’s attention around a fire,” explains the Hokes Bluff, Alabama native. “A spark can start a fire that can keep you alive and sustain you. So this is the beginning for me. This is the first strike of the flint.”

The spirit of Spark comes from those simple, early days spent enjoying the outdoors among friends in the warm glow of a fire. And though he’s now a city dweller with all the complications and distractions that entails, White still seeks the freedom and deeper connections he felt when the chorus of nature and the strums of his guitar blended into one harmonious song — the kind of contentment he sings about in the swirling majesty of his single “Livin’ the Dream.”

“We grew up free. We grew up on 4-wheelers, riding through the backwoods,” he says. “We grew up hunting and fishing and being out in the Appalachian Mountains. People don’t understand how beautiful north Alabama is until you see it in person.”

Save for “Livin’ the Dream,” White wrote or co-wrote the remaining 11 tracks on Spark, working with red-hot producers Ross Copperman and Jeremy Stover through the process. He also brought in his own band for a handful of tracks to capture the energy of his live shows.

The first sound on Spark — before the pulse-quickening “Heartbeat” kicks into gear — is the voice of White’s late grandfather speaking from the pulpit. Several of these ghostly transmissions from the past appear on Spark, all extolling the virtues of love, brotherhood and nature. It’s a touch of the surreal that nods at White’s fondness for Pink Floyd’s psychedelic masterpiece The Wall, but also a deeply personal gesture that matches his vision perfectly.

“I went through about five or six sermons of my grandfather and picked out certain little snippets,” he says. “I just think they kind of fit. They’re weird and people are asking what they are. And that was my point: to get people talking about it.”

White has his own message of finding some harmony amid the demands of modern life, one that goes down easy in the uplifting, Zac Brown Band-assisted Southern rock anthem “Back to Free” and the cautionary-but soulful “I Need Real.” It’s a simple message of not letting oneself be swallowed up by technology and seeking out honest, genuine connections with others.

“When I’m at home, my wife and I keep our phones in the bedroom,” says White. “We listen to records. We hardly turn the TV on, unless it’s time for Game of Thrones. Before social networking was a smartphone app, we did it around a fire. That goes way back.”

With his gospel-derived, passionate delivery, White seems to have inherited his grandfather’s ability to touch crowds with a sermon — his divine vocal improvisations at the end of the honky-tonk flavored “Story” will undoubtedly get butts out of seats. White stresses that he isn’t a preacher, but doesn’t see a problem with putting his own methods for surviving the world out there.

“Some of the best songs, like Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth” or anything by Bob Marley, have a little bit of preachin’,” he says. “I never want to come across too preachy, but instead I’m saying, ‘Hey man, this is my life, and this is what I do to be happy and I’m figuring it out just like you.’”

Spark covers an entire spectrum of emotions beyond these statements of character and self-definition. In “Making Me Look Good Again,” White cruises on an R&B-style groove to express his gratitude for his better half, while “Waiting on the Whiskey to Work” finds him embodying a man spun out on love and heartbreak. Then in the tropically-themed “Equator,” he flies south to give his nomadic side a little time to play.

“This record is about balance. It’s me asking, where’s that boy I used to be? Oh yeah, we gotta go get him back,” he says. “We gotta go on a hike or camping or grab my wife and go to some foreign country. I gotta feel alive. I gotta go out there and do that.”

Long a respected live entertainer with his (appropriately named) band the Big Fire, White’s climb to the limelight hasn’t been a straight or uncomplicated one. Rather than blowing up right away with a big debut single, he’s toiled on the road for years, giving jaw-dropping performances night after night and making believers one show at a time. “There are many different paths.

“There are many different paths. And mine was just in a van with a trailer,” he says. “I wanted to have a group of guys that went out and did it the hard way and learned from people like Zac Brown and Eric Church, and these guys that did years of hard touring. There were definitely times where I was like, screw this. But now that I look back it’s a perfectly fitted puzzle piece. It gave me everything I desired.”

In the album’s “Elvis,” White touches on the way hard work plays into the business of making dreams come true. “Rome wasn’t built in a day and Elvis wasn’t born the king,” he sings, acknowledging the long incubation period he’s had in the buildup to this moment.

“I’m gonna be an artist ’til the day I die,” he says. “Don’t matter if I make money at it or I don’t. that’s the blessing and the curse. I do this because this is what I am supposed to do. And I feel happy when I’m writing, when I’m helping people and when I’m out there singing and performing.”

And all the while, he’ll be stoking that original fire until it’s a roaring blaze.

http://drakewhite.com

Darling What's Wrong? - The Milk

For our next LCM featured band we have an excellent London based R&B and soul four piece The Milk. They have recently performed a live UTAT session with Bob Harris and his family and our LCM #TrackOfTheDay is the funky and bluesy 'Darling What's Wrong?' taken from their 2015 'Favourite Worry' album (BBC 6 Music album of the year) . They have also released a live album recorded last year at the Union Chapel, which is well worth checking out. https://youtu.be/UtoCw00vDYk

If you are enjoying their music and would like to see them live, their next London date is with the Fun Loving Criminals at Electric Brixton on the 2nd March..

This super tight band has Rick Nunn on lead vocals/guitar/keys, Mitch Ayling on drums/vox/keys, Dan Le Gresley on lead guitar/vox and last but not least Luke Ayling on bass guitar. These four life-long friends who went from forming their first band in an Essex school to playing countless working men's clubs and finally becoming The Milk. It's honest, classic song-writing heavily influenced by 70’s Isley Brothers, Bill Withers and many more.

http://www.thisisthemilk.com/

Don't Give Up - Southern Avenue

We head to Memphis, Tennessee for our next new LCM featured band Southern Avenue. Their music is a wonderful fusion of soulful, funky rock n' roll and gospel built on a solid foundation of the blues. This excellent band are currently signed to Stax (Concord Music Group). They are also releasing their self titled debut album next month and our LCM #TrackOfTheDay 'Don't Give Up' is one of their lead songs. 

Southern Avenue is a Memphis street that runs from the easternmost part of the city limits all the way to Soulsville, the original home of Stax Records. Southern Avenue is also the name of a fiery young Memphis quintet that embodies its home city's soul, blues and gospel traditions, while adding a youthful spirit and dynamic energy all their own. "If Memphis music is a genre, this is it!" proclaims American Blues Scene, and Rock 103FM calls Southern Avenue, "The most-talked-about band in Memphis."

Their self-titled debut album is a breath of fresh air with its own unique blend of gospel- tinged R&B vocals, roots/blues-based guitar work and soul-inspired songwriting. And Southern Avenue’s upcoming release on the fabled Stax label is a testament to the young combo's talent and vision.

Southern Avenue features five young but seasoned musicians who came from diverse musical and personal backgrounds to create music that spans their wide-ranging musical interests, while showcasing the powerful chemistry that the group has honed through stage and studio experience.

Southern Avenue encompasses Memphis-born, church-bred sisters Tierinii and Tikyra Jackson, respectively a soulful, charismatic singer and a subtle, powerful drummer; guitarist Ori Naftaly, an Israeli-born blues disciple who first came to America as an acclaimed solo artist; versatile jazz-inspired bassist Daniel McKee; and the band's newest addition, keyboardist Jeremy Powell, an early alumnus of Stax's legendary music academy.

The band members' diverse skills come together organically on Southern Avenue, scheduled for release on February 24, 2017 via Stax Records, a division of Concord Music Group. Produced by Kevin Houston (North Mississippi Allstars, Lucero, Patty Griffin), the 10-song album features guest appearances from Luther Dickinson of the North Mississippi Allstars and trumpeter Marc Franklin of the Bo-Keys. But it's Southern Avenue's own potent musical chemistry that drives such sublimely soulful originals as "Don't Give Up," "What Did I Do," "It's Gonna Be Alright," "Love Me Right" and "Wildflower." The band also pays tribute to its roots with an incandescent reading of Ann Peebles' Memphis soul classic "Slipped, Tripped and Fell in Love."

The seeds for Southern Avenue's birth were planted when Ori Naftaly, who'd grown up in Israel with a deeply rooted passion for American blues and funk, came to Memphis in 2013 to compete in the prestigious International Blues Challenge. That experience led to Naftaly moving permanently to Memphis and successfully touring the United States with his own band.

http://www.southernavenueband.com/

Wildfires - Elles Bailey

The Bristol area is a hotbed of musical talent including our next LCM featured artist Elles Bailey. 2017 looks set to be very busy for Elles with over 30 dates scheduled in the run up to her debut album release 'Wildfires' in April. Her festival diary is also filling up very quickly. Elles will feature at The Great British Rock and Blues Festival in Skegness and will be opening for soul singer Jo Harman on her February tour before heading back into Europe in Spring 2017. Our LCM #TrackOfTheDay is a great live acoustic version of the album's title song. Some wonderful slide guitar on this one & great bluesy and rootsy vocals from Elles, which remind us of Susan Tedeschi. 

If you would like to see Elles and the band live they are supporting Jo Harman at the Jazz Cafe on 19th February and returning to play a headline set at The Sound Lounge on 4th March.

Bristol based Elles Bailey seamlessly weaves rootsy blues, country and soulful rock with a contemporary edge and her trademark ‘smoky vocals’ taking the lead. Her husky toned, lived-in voice sounds like she has a 60-a-day habit, but was actually caused by a serious illness when she was three. Her two EP's, both produced by Brian Banks, (Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie) 'Who I Am To Me' (Feb 2015) and 'The Elberton Sessions' (Oct 2016) were released to critical acclaim.

No stranger to the scene, over the last three years, this captivating, hard-working songstress and her talented band have built up a loyal all-age fan base through relentless touring, through both the UK and Europe. She’s opened for acts like Wille & The Bandits and shared festival line-ups with Lisa Simone, The Mystery Jets & Wilko Johnson.

Like many artists today, Elles is breaking down the barriers of traditional genres, taking inspiration from many and fusing them together to bring you her own unique sound, which is earning her a legion of devoted fans, young and old, from across the UK and further afield.

http://www.ellesbailey.com/