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.
Anita Abram - Stars Above
anitamusic.uk
Stars Above is the second single to be released by Suffolk singer songwriter Anita Abram. "I wrote Stars Above during the pandemic, and it is dedicated to everyone who struggles with love and loss. I dedicate this song to NHS staff and those battling illness. It is a celebration of recognising true love and our purpose as human beings." A piano and keyboard led anthem this is an impressive effort for an early career release. She has an EP due out later this year which will hopefully continue the same quality. TM
Logan Springer - Greenbacks And Gold
www.loganspringermusic.com
Logan Springer and his band The Wonderfully Wild offer a song that lives up to their name. The lead guitar of Tom Swanson is the perfect match for Springer's rough and ready vocal. Despite being from Illinois there is more than a hint of Southern Rock about them. If you like bands like Blackberry Smoke, then try this. An album called Crow," arrives on March 3 and starts the list of highly anticipated albums for 2023. TM.
Nathaniel Bellows - One Small Thing
www.nathanielbellows.com
New York based Nathaniel bellows is a novelist with 2 books to his name, as well as a visual artist with an interesting style. This single featuring singer Shara Nova has the abstract feel of his art as well as the narrative lyrical style that you might expect from a writer. Musically this has the feel of some of Brian Eno's more substantial ambient led pieces. Intriguing and worth investigating further. TM
The Gleeman - Summer Town
www.thegleeman.co.uk
If you have a touch of January Blues, then you can do far worse than listen to Summer Town which is "wishing the dark days away and yearning for sunshine and 'soul rejuvenation' up ahead." A straight ahead pop rock song with a mellotron like sound backing up some strong vocals and drums form the 80s. A great package produced by Will Hicks, who has Ed Sheeran and One Direction on his CV, but we'll forgive him as this is a little gem of a song. The Gleeman's debut album 'Something to Say' is due later in 2023. And that should fill you with… glee. TM
Christine Weir - Kelpie
christineweir.co.zaScottish born abut now living in South Africa, she says "I've tried my hand at all sorts of musical genres, but it's the sound of my ancestors - Scottish Traditional and Folk music - that I love, and it's a sound that I try incorporate into the songs that I write." It takes more than pipes and whistles to sound "Scottish" and fortunately this is a song steeped in highland mist. If you've seen Andy Scott's 100ft Kelpies sculpture in Falkirk, then this is those set to music. TM
Wookalily - Old New Mills/Love Makes Me Sick
wookalily.wordpress.com
Wookalily describe themselves as: "Ambitious folk music. Daring to dissolve musical and generic boundaries. Irreverently intertwining the disciplines of blues, rock, punk and more". The torch song style of Old New Mills is a bluesy acoustic delight. Their strapline of 5 women, 10 instruments comes across with the range of sounds on these 2 songs. Love Makes Me Sick is more old timey, with spot on harmonies and Banjo. The standout sound on both songs is bowed bass, which gives them a gentle rhythm that fits the harmonies ideally. TM
Martyn Joseph - Alberts Place
www.martynjoseph.net
Part of a BBC project using folk musicians to document modern life. Martyn Joseph, wrote Albert's Place, inspired by Andrea Bell, who runs the Sunderland Community Soup Kitchen. Jospeh says I've always felt that music can be a big conduit of empathy and hope and can come alongside us and remind us that we're not alone in the world. If you want to present a picture of a big issue in a song, then find one person within it and tell their story." Part of the revenue from this song will go to support Bells work which makes a good reason to buy it, quite apart from it being a stunningly good song from one of our greatest singer songwriters. TM
Glashus - Cry Wolf
www.facebook.com/glashusmusic
A debut English single from Swedish duo Glashus gives us layers of harmonies over tinkling synths and beats. Right out of the 80s, Cry Wolf' tells the story of a "he said she said they said" situation gone too far. The first of 9 singles in English and Swedish to be released this year, the vocals are part of the soundscape meaning that language is not really relevant to enjoying the music. Watch out for Glashus in 2023. TM
Forty Elephant Gang - Hard Times
fortyelephantgang.com
Fresh from a Americana Music Association UK showcase Forty Elephant Gang's song for the cost of living crisis starts calmly enough but ramps up to a distorted guitar solo that captures the worry, anxiety and panic that is overwhelming many of us at the moment. Not that this is a depressing listen, the mix of folk, americana and blues feels like a little glimmer of hope in Hard Times. TM
Sharon Lazibyrd - Angry Women
lazibyrd.wixsite.com/sharon-lazibyrd
The first thing that strikes you here is her voice which is strident without being abrasive. Clear without being twee. The string-based music offsets that wonderful singing perfectly. I'm not the first to see similarities to Kirsty MacColl, and I can certainly spot Jude Rogers in The Guardian's reference to "Sleaford like agitprop-protest songs raging against British business," or in this case injustice. It's no surprise that she has been praised so highly and it's all deserved. TM
The Magpie Arc - Darling Charms
themagpiearc.com
A group put together by Nancy Kerr, Martin Simpson, Findlay Napier, Tom A Wright, and Alex Hunter might be expected to turn in something extra special, and The Magpie Arc do just that. Starting from the electric folk rock of the 70s and bringing it into the 21st Century is what they set out to do and this stomping song is a great example of what they do. Part of a digital re-release of their first three EPs currently available for a very reasonable price at Bandcamp. Well worth a download. TM
Tu-Kay & Ryan - A Little Time
tukayandryan.co.uk
Ash Tu-kay & Rebecca Ryan "are a multi-award-winning acoustic duo blurring the lines between folk, Americana and roots music". This song is firmly in the folk end of their music. Picked guitar and strings along with Ryan's voice create a delicate piece that has touches of Judy Collins. RnR magazine placed them as a Tip for 2023, and with an album due out this year, its hard to argue with that. 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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