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.
Heather Woods Broderick - Wherever I Go
www.heatherwoodsbroderick.com
Heather Woods Broderick classifies her music as ambient, experimental, indie and folk. The drum machine and piano led opening of the song gives way to a harsher electric guitar in the middle. The song itself has a great poppy hook to it that will keep you engaged and makes it's 4 minutes fly by. Her vocal rises easily above the inevitable Kate Bush comparison. The album from which this is lifted, Labyrinth, is worth a listen on the strength of this. TM
Bella Gaffney - Blue
www.bellagaffneymusic.com
Titling her new single "Blue" is a nod to her inspiration, Joni Mitchell. While you can hear Mitchell distantly in her singing, this an upbeat folk song, with some excellent guitar work from Gaffney. The press for this release says her, "new single captures the essence of her musical influences, blending folk-inspired storytelling with a contemporary edge". Which is pretty accurate. This single is a track from her new solo album, titled Reflections, out soon. TM
Sharon Lazibyrd - More Shoes
lazibyrd.wixsite.com/sharon-lazibyrd
"More Shoes is a song about migration. The original idea came from when my son said there are more shoes than people in the world and it just developed from there. The song also comments on consumerism and the priority in our society on growth." The East European folk sound to the song dominated by Lazibyrd's violin is clearly another part of this message. That message is a valuable one and presented as part of a jaunty folk tune sinks in well. I wonder if she's heard of Douglas Adams', similar satire about the shoe event horizon? TM
Sean Taylor - Snowdonia
www.seantaylorsongs.com
There are plenty of songs of praise for the Irish and Scottish landscape, but not enough about this beautiful part of the world. So Sean Taylor redresses the balance with this elegant ballad. Joe Harvey Whyte's Pedal Steel echoes off the mountains, like the mountain railway's whistle. "Let the water cleanse our minds. Let our souls be electrified. We are restored and revived. Snowdonia is alive." Great stuff. His album 'Short Stories' is added to the anticipated list. TM
Lisa Goldin- Like That
www.goldinlisa.com/wpA sumptuous ballad dripping with strings, that is livened up in the middle by a percussive section. Goldin's career focus is on playing live in the UK, South Africa and UAE. Her press is a list of the stages she's sung on and the people she has shared recording studios with. Focusing on the fact that she is a very good song writer would be a plan as well. She has written a very interesting book called 'Who Are You Again?' about what it takes to sustain a career in the music industry. Seek that and her music out. TM
Brendan Melia- Forgotten Freedom
www.brendanmeliamusic.com
Melia is a traditional Irish folk musician, but that doesn't stop him writing songs that are as angry as any young singer with an electric guitar. He says this is a "song about Ireland's political and social landscape and the imagined reactions of the founding fathers of the Irish state to today's Homelessness crisis and the treasonous political and moral abdication of responsibility". That it is set to the pipes makes it all the more powerful. "On this bright Easter Sunday I wonder what James Connolly would say" he muses. "I believe that he is spinning in his grave". TM
Ruth Blake - Not Your Angel
www.ruthblake.com
Quite a departure for Blake from her previous more folk oriented output. She had been edging this way with a pumping Big Boss remix of her last single Wooden Ships, but this is the a harsh electronic backing for her still sweet voice. "With this song I'm rejecting over-sanitised notions of femininity and reclaiming my rage as a healthy, vital force. I'm speaking up for the earth and the divine feminine principle which has been abused, undermined, and disrespected too long. I'm saying goodbye to my people pleasing 'good girl' and ushering in a woman who stands in her integrity, empowered, boundaried and strong." And you can feel the rage in this hard pounding piece of electropop. TM
Laura Cantrell - Push The Swing/Just Like A Rose
www.lauracantrell.com
A day with a new Laura Cantrell single is always going to be a good day. And when it as good as this swinging country song then it's a great day. This is her first release in 9 years and was worth the wait. The organ powers the song along with her "sweet, clear, purposeful voice" as good as it's ever been. Just Like a Rose is a mor rock-based tune. Keith Richards style guitar dominates this one, and the overall vibe is that of Linda Ronstadt covering Stones songs. The album is going to be a treat, can't wait. TM
Tragicomics - Stranger Things
tragicomics.org/
Tragicomics "are an alt-country collective from the northwest of the UK, and self-professed purveyors of sharply crafted pop songs, sweeping melancholy and doomed romanticism." This is a Rockabilly tune with a punchy bass line pushing the bluegrass violin solo from Laura Morley. The playful bounce of most of the song lets up for an almost ELO style with the violin again taking the lead. The theme of being unwilling to face change could be overly morose and serious but not when you can dance your worries away to this. TM
Pete Briley - Rhonda
www.petebriley.com
A great old-fashioned rock and roll guitar solo, in the Stehen Stills mould breaks up the 2 halves of this Country Rock song. Briley is also part of a band called The Outlaw Orchestra who are rather more country than his solo song here. If you prefer your Country Rock to drift towards the country, then try his main band. Whatever your choice this is a proper piece of hard biting rock and roll with a country tinge to it that you should certainly listen to. TM
Robin Timmis - Pretty Saro
www.instagram.com/robintimmismusic/?hl=en-gb
An Indian influence with drones, violin and classical vocals transforms a fairly standard folk song into something other worldly. The song has been recorded by Dylan, Bert Jansch and many others, but nothing like Timmis version. The uncredited female singer brings a hesitant feel that adds to the dark slightly sinister feel of the tune. Folk performance of the month. TM
Rebecca Lappa- Lolita
www.rebeccalappa.com
A Canadian singer-songwriter, Rebecca Lappa has a sound that sits between full on chart pop and something with a more indie sensibility. The Mike Campbell guitar line that runs behind her voice gives the song a sense of urgency that lifts it above bland to something that should jump out of radio speakers and playlists. "Lolita" looks at the perception of women in contemporary society but does it without being overly in debt to the book. With 6 single and EP releases behind her this is the lead up to a debut album that should be on the radar of anyone who likes well crafted pop with a bit of bite. TM
The Lost Sound - Singing In The May
www.thelostsound.co.uk
The Lost Sound are a folk choir from Dartmoor, Devon. They love contemporary arrangements of traditional songs singing with clear, strong voices and a natural style. The song starts with an explanation of The Padstow Night Song. The vivid description may sound like it's going to detract from the song itself but setting it in context makes it far easier to understand for someone unfamiliar with the tradition. There is a choir only version on their Bandcamp, but I would have the talk first if you have any interest in folk tradition and history. TM
Tim Easton - Sliver Of Light
www.timeaston.com
Tim Easton has a way with words that captures big subjects in simple phrases that never fail to affect the listener. This is about our powerlessness over the behaviour of others, especially those with addictions. "I wrote the lyrics on a Dutch train during a European tour. I had just heard tough news from home. A friend who had fallen down was suddenly on life support." The opening lines; "The devil's not real. He only lives rent free in your mind. You know God might be a construct. To help some of us unwind" are as powerful as you will hear. The country rock tune sounds at times like the Eagles could have sounded if they had roughened up their sound a bit more, but it's the words that count here. Great song, great singer, and writer. TM
Sun-Q - Animals
www.facebook.com/sunqband
Sun-Q call themselves a Garage and psychedelic rock band from Russia. The sound is straight off Nuggets, with fuzz guitar, and phased organ. The structure is a folk song on steroids, very much rooted in the 60s. The Swedish Nyckelharpa, seemingly the instrument of choice this year, appears in the middle of the song to add an eastern feel to the tune. Sun-Q's calendar is set to 1322, 1969, and 1973 at various times in the song, but that clash of styles is what makes for most of its appeal. Trying some of their other songs they are more 70's hard rock than this with flashes of the surreal and psychedelic. This song is on the right track. TM
Josie Fields - Miami
www.osiefieldmusic.com
Describing Josie Field as "a combination of Florence and the Machine meets Janis Ian meets Aretha Franklin" as her press does for this song, piles on the pressure. Her pop/folk sound is less strident than Florence Welch, and all the better for it. The lyrics certainly give a flavour of the Mami seafront: "I fell into a pastel paint-by-numbers in the sunshine. A big old turquoise ocean was a backdrop to geometric lines". Forget the comparisons, this is a sunny song that builds a foundation for taking her success in South Africa out to the world. TM
Fanny Lumsden - Millionaire
www.fannylumsden.net
The latest from the Australian singer songwriter always turns in high quality Country tunes that dodge the Nashville production line feel. This song about struggling through life, but counting your blessings is another one that will doubtless earn her more awards at home. MTV Australia describe her as "breaking new ground for an old genre locally". If you don't like the overly formulaic sound of contemporary country, give Lumsden a listen, she will restore your faith. 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.
Pirate 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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