Beyond The 45
Singles, EPs, Downloads
The Fatea office also serves as a home for our weekly Along The Tracks show on Blues & Roots Radio and as a rule singles and Eps have generally gone in that direction whilst Fatea generally concentrates on albums and live reviews for our full length feature, but with more artists going back down the single route to keep themselves in the public eye, we thought it was time to reflect that in our offerings and as rules are made to be broken or at the very least adapted, welcome to the Singles Round Up.
StEm - Another Night
www.facebook.com/StEmDuo
A second single following on from 'Hello' reviewed here a while back. Another simple voice and acoustic guitar ballad. From watching their video this seems to eb a song they have been playing for a while and only just got around to recording. Our description of 'Hello' fits 'Another Night' just as well, "reflective and delicate". StEm, and having learnt from the video that the guitarist is Steve I'm guessing that the singer is Emma or Emily, sound like they will be worth catching at your local folk club. TM
House Above the Sun - Sacrament of Now
houseabovethesun.com/home
House Above the Sun (HATS) are a five-piece group from London, England, inspired by the sounds of Americana, Folk Rock, and Blues. 'Sacrament of Now' is a bright upbeat tune that is a clever mix of Americana, lap steel and drums and folk, Jim Moreton's vocals. The words are intriguing, telling us to live in the now and not get hung up on the past and future. "Yeah, they tell me about every moment in time is precious somehow. So, we'd might as well drink the sacrament of now. We'll see where it takes us" Recommended listening. They gig around London regularly and get out to the sticks every so often and sound like they are probably good value live. TM
Audrey Bridgeman - Nothing to Lose
www.facebook.com/audreybridge21
A new name to me, this single comes from her debut album, 'Fire in Your Soul', just out. She is a drummer and pianist say, "My song writing comes from a rhythmic perspective and is influenced by a range of genres." Elsewhere she claims an influence from 60s Stax, although I'm hearing 70s more than 60s in the flute line that weaves its way through the song. Vocally she has a lot of similarities to Kirsty McColl, having the same high slightly forced pitching on louder notes. This is a great summer soul sound and a quick listen through the album on Bandcamp finds a varied selection of songs that are certainly worth further investigation. TM
Hannah Scott - Song to The Siren
www.hannahscott.co.uk/Hannah Scott says that she draws much of the inspiration for her music from her affinity with Italy. Working with producer and composer Stefano Della Casa, their cover of the Tim Buckley song is best described as Ethereal but there is little in common with This Mortal Coils's version from the Eighties. She describes her music as contemporary folk, but that sells it short, I think. Her music comes across as combining the best elements of artist like Enya and Rosalie Cunningham. She may not like this, but she may have as much in common with some of the more contemporary prog as with folk. Whatever label you want to hang on it this an excellent interpretation of the song, and I'm looking forward to exploring her earlier work… TM
Sam Lyon - Every Second Counts
www.samlyonmusic.com/
Sam Lyon is proud of "reaching her biggest achievements entirely independently". 'Every Second Counts' is an acoustic country tune reminiscent of people like Patty Griffin. The choir that joins in for the chorus mid-way through is unusual but keeping the focus on Lyon's clear voice through the rest of the song is the best way to show off the quality of her song and singing. The keyboard buried behind the guitar lifts the song away from just another acoustic ballad. Lyon approaches her music as a business which is great to see and is clearly making a decent living gigging around Cheshire. It would be good to see her live as If this is typical of her songs there must be many gems in her catalogue. TM
Càrnan - Over the Hill
carnan.bandcamp.com/track/over-the-hill
Another single from Louden Mackay and Arthur Brook, this time a cover of a John Martyn song, rather than the Accordion based instrumental of their last single. Very much faithful to Martyn's style right down to some of his vocal inflections. It takes considerable skill to take on the master's songs in his own style and not sound like a pale imitation. Carnan are up to the task and are rapidly becoming on of my favourite Scottish acts. The video is another great advert for the Highlands and Islands. If Visit Scotland aren't sponsoring them then they should start now. TM
Calan - Jail Caerdydd (Radio Edit)
www.calan-band.com
Caerdydd is the Welsh name for Cardiff. Calan have been around since 2006, when they were in their teens. They "see themselves as a new generation of ambassadors, striving to take their new sound to new audiences, while raising the profile of Welsh traditional music on an international level." Six albums into their career you would expect them to produce quality songs and that's exactly what we have in their new single. A high energy piece of contemporary folk music. Sung mostly in English, there is a lot going on in this song, drums, fiddle, piano, and voices, but it all adds up to a big sound that is probably a blast live. TM
Abigail Pryde - Would I have Mattered
www.slaintesounds.com/abigailpryde
Pryde describes herself as a Country singer, and 'Would I have Mattered' comes straight out of the school of one of her main influences Kacey Musgraves. Her band features "some of Scotland's top folk musicians" which explains the distinctly Celtic feel to the music. A full and production, with Banjo, Electric Guitar, and Fiddle this is a thoroughly modern sound. She doesn't have the most distinctive voice, but it sits well with the music, and given a bit of exposure this could be a sizable radio hit. TM
Tuulikki Bartosik - Reval Pettäsaamislugu
tuulikkibartosik.com/
'Reval Pettäsaamislugu' is the new single from Swedish-Estonian musical experimenter and composer Tuulikki Bartosik. The lyrics are in the language of the Võrumaa region of South Estonia rather than actual Estonian itself. This intriguing sound built over a couple of repeating figures needs several listens to reveal itself. As the words will remain beyond most of us, they are simply another part of the soundscape. While I assume that at least some of this is played on keyboards Bartosik is mainly an Accordion player. The son also features an Estonian Kannel, an instrument much like a Zither. She has an album 'Playscapes' due in the Autumn, and if improvised abstract music is of interest this is worth a play. TM
Morgan Johnston - The End
www.morganjohnstonofficial.com
Google finds two Morgan Johnston's. This is the Nashville based one and 'The End' has that's town's stamp all over it. Her press says": This feels like a real game-changer for Morgan Johnston who is receiving some incredible industry support and backing for this forthcoming track even before it has officially been released to the world making it a contender to become a bonafide smash-hit for the fast-rising American singer." If by that they mean that she is being groomed for stardom, and as such the music plays it safe to court airplay from mainstream country radio then spot on. TM
Daisy Chute - Lions Eyes
https://www.daisychute.com/
Full disclosure time, I've been a fan of the American-Scottish folk singer songwriter for some time. Her arrangements and songs are never less than interesting, but this a slightly different direction with a bigger sound than some of her music. Likely the result of collaborating with producer Tim Baxter. It still features her signature Banjo, but the music moves her towards the territory occupied by Kate Bush and Tori Amos. The words quote Oscar Wilde and take some listens to understand. Chute has move beyond folk into a genre all her own, and if this is a taste of the next album when it arrives it could be her best work yet.TM
Corinne West - Plumas Strong
corinnewest.com
A new single after several years away. Plumas Strong appears in response to the million-acre Dixie Fire in Autumn 2021 that hit her rural California home, Plumas County. As an extended disaster relief plea, it works well. Her aim is to connect with people and highlight the plight of the area, so the ficus is on the words and the music does drift along a little. The point here is the message and as such reviewing it just as a single release isn't fair. Encouraging you to visit her website and support her cause is what it's about. TM
The Strange Blue Dreams - For My Sins
thestrangebluedreams.co.uk/
When they appeared on BBC Introducing Glasgow's Strange Blue Dreams were described as: "Joining the dots between surf rock, Jacques Brel, doo-wop and beyond". And this is quite the melting pot of styles, there's bits of Arabic in here as well. Very strange, but oddly compelling and certainly smile inducing once you've got over the initial "what is going on here"? In what is turning into a theme in this set of reviews I want to see them live, as they look like they will be heaps of fun. I honestly can't describe this, you need to listen to it, and then try some of the other songs on their website. It may come across as novelty music when you first listen, but this is as they say "otherwordly pop music which runs from the music hall into the jet age", and I love it. TM
The Pleasures - The Beginning of The End
thepleasures1.bandcamp.com/releases
The Pleasures are Catherine Britt and Lachlan Bryan. Britt is is an Australian country singer who has been recording since the mid-nineties, and Bryan has been playing with The Wildes an Australian alt-country band since 2008. The Pleasures mixes their two styles together into something new for both artists. Britt's Nashville style voice blends well with Bryan's Rock & Roll guitar. A stomping song with a backbeat that will get you on your feet. This is great Rock & Roll with a real country twang. TM
Fatea Showcase Sessions
The Fatea Showcase Sessions are a series of downloads featuring acts that we've really enjoyed and think that more people should get the chance to hear.
Corsair is the current session and features 16 fantastic artists check out the website to find out more about them and download your copy
www.fatea-showcase-sessions.co.uk for all the artist information.
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