Beyond The 45
Singles, EPs, Downloads
The Fatea office also serves as a home for our weekly Along The Tracks show on Folk Friday 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.
Ania Brzozowska - Secret Garden
www.aniabmusic.com
A Polish-born Ethereal Pop artist with world, neo-classical Celtic and folk influences. Her music is based around her own violin playing, singing, and writing. This is in similar territory to Enya and Clannad, with Celtic as much as Central European folk being the main influence. This is the title song from a new album due soon. Washes of keyboards and strings give this an epic feel that give sit more substance than much of this sort of classical/folk crossover. TM
Dressed Like Boys - Jaouad
jaouad.be/en/portfolio/dressed-like-boys
Belgian group Dressed Like Boys, have a sound somewhere between Sufjan Stevens and Coldplay. Frontman Jelle Denturck says "This song is about Jaouad Alloul. He lives in Belgium, just like me, although his roots lie in Morocco. Jaouad contains multitudes. He is an actor, a writer, a singer. A gay man, a Muslim, a drag queen. A freedom fighter. A gentle, wounded spirit. Above all, he is unafraid. Unafraid to be himself in a world where everyone seems to be a judge. I wanted to pay tribute to his beautiful, wonderful humanity by writing this song." The gentle piano led ballad explains him exceptionally well. TM
John Reed - The Strongest
www.johnreedmusic.com
"A song with multiple meaning. Originally intended as something of a self-portrait from someone who is lucky enough mainly to be strong, it also points to those who would elevate their own positions, noting that when you get to the top there is only one direction left to go. We should all be careful about that." Another of John Reeds songs covering themes like injustice, environment, politics. His voice is upfront with acoustic and electric guitar providing the sort of improvised accompaniment that John Martyn used to do so well. TM
Lisa Knapp & Gerry Driver - Hawk & Crow
www.lisaknapp.co.uk
This is surprisingly Lisa Knapp and partner, Gerry Diver's, first official duet, despite working on her solo material. Announcing an album, Hinterland, due in March which fuses English and Irish folk with more contemporary influences. Pounding percussion over Diver's fiddle and Knapp's voice make this stand out from almost anything else around at the moment. Looking forward to the album. TM
Will Varley - Everything Has A Heartbeat
www.willvarley.com
A new single from singer Songwriter which features Eleni Drake. The hypnotic, heartbeat like, chorus dominates the song with a sparse backing behind their voices. The first release from his pending 7th album, he says: "It's a song about letting go of darkness. Acknowledging the past, but also finding your way through it, and realising that everything is connected in the end. Drake's voice adds to the music, and he is clearly pleased with the result saying, "it's an honour having her on board." If you don't know Will Varley's music start here, he's one of our hidden treasures. TM
Dan Raza - Wasn't That Enough For Me
www.danraza.com
Having been compared to Jackson Browne, Bruce Springsteen, and Bill Withers Dan Raza has issued 2 excellent Americana influenced albums and this is notice for his third to be called Wayfarer. Gentle country influenced music with guitar and organ setting up an insistent groove. Along with people like Rober Vincent and Our Man In The Field Dan Raza is proof that UK Americana is in a great place entering 2025. TM
Anna May - The Show
annamaymusic.com
An unusual song with her vocal accompanied by just a guitar loop and drum behind her. She describes her songs as "invocations for peace & judgment reshaping with bleeding heart stream of consciousness poems." Her bluesy voice recalls everyone from Joni Mitchell to Sara Vaughan. With an extensive catalogue of singles on Bandcamp this is music that sits well outside the mainstream but is dynamic in an understated way. A new name but one who definitely deserves a wider hearing. TM
Dave Christen - Cristina
www.davechristen.com
A Texas based songwriter who has a good line in Americana, roots rock. He ahs been a staple of the local scene for many years and is now releasing a new single which is slow in tempo while not a typical country ballad. Big drums and chiming guitars add a bite to a song which could easily have become syrupy but ends up as an excellent modern country song. TM
The Magpies - Midnight Oil
www.themagpiesmusic.com
Christmas folk which started life at Halsway Manor which provides residential courses in folk music, song, dance, and craft, based in Somerset. It came to life after an icy walk in the Quantock Hills and was finished whilst watching the snow come down over Montreal. With fiddle, banjo, and their always lovely harmonies The Magpies do a great job of creating the perfect festive folk tune. TM
Jaywalkers - The Radio
www.jaywalkers.co.uk
They say that this song "reflects on the highs and lows of trying to break through in the music world-the moments when you think, 'this could be it.'" If anything will get them played on the radio it will be this swinging bluegrass influenced tune. Fiddle and mandolin lead a great pop song, with a catchy chorus and harmonies which take the best of Bluegrass without the flashy soloing. Great song. TM
Manran - Annie
manran.co.uk
Mànran, in their 2021 album release Ùrar, showed signs of moving into the festival anthem band market occupied by the likes of Skippinish and Tide Lines. This single could be seen as a further step in that direction, but I'd say it perhaps represents a step beyond that. Kim Carnie's song is a good one - an unrequited lover longing for reconciliation is the theme, and I can't fault the performance. However, on the evidence of this track, if I were a listener unfamiliar with the band's oeuvre, the idea that they were coming from a trad background would never enter my head. bl
Minnie Birch - All On The Black
www.minniebirch.co.uk/
On first play it "All On The Black" seemed like the single I had been waiting all year for, only I hadn't realised it because there have been a lot of great singles this year. There is a darkness about the track, it's about hard times, the crap life throws at you that aren't anyone's fault, it is how life is, descending despair and anxiety. It's also about getting back up and having another role of the wheel. Things can be tough, but within you and the friends you build, the decisions you make, resiliance is there and it is for the living. Three minutes forty two seconds of top draw songwriting. NK
Chris Simmons - A Cold December
iamchrissimmons.com
Christmas can be rough for a lot of people, it can be especially tough for those that are entering the 'season of joy' without the comfort and support of a loved one that has passed recent or not so recently. Chris Simmons, puts that front and centre of his new single "A Cold December". Chris is an ambassador for bereavement charity Ataloss and through this single also a fund raiser. I recommend it not just as a well written single, but also to support te cause. NK
Jake Aaron - Watery Moon
jakeaaron.com
With a world weary louche vocal that nods to both Leonard Cohen and Kevin Ayers, guitar player and singer songwriter Jake Aaron brings every word of the cautionary "Watery Moon" to life. Like an Americana sailor's tale, told in a dark dock front pub the is a boys own story of risk and loss at sea. His hypnotic guitar and vocal, backed by long time jazz collaborators Steve Lodder, David Mantovani and Marc Parnell brews up an atmospheric melancholy. "Watery Moon" is the very promising first single of a forth coming album follow up to 2023's excellent ALWAYS SEEKING and 2019's FAG ASH AND BEER. The players are assembled and sounding fine together and Jake is telling late night bar tales soaked in atmosphere, i cannot wait for the next album if its all going to be this good. MH
Noble Jacks Feat. Elles Bailey - Next Time Around
www.noblejacks.com
Noble Jacks, led by Will Page, have been making waves on the UK Folk / Americana scene for a few
years now, and Elles Bailey is one the most en vogue female vocalists in that genre, her live shows
being electrifying, so combining them here for a Christmas single is a match made in heaven.
The song opens with Will’s customary fiddle, before launching into a bluesey, anthemic song with
that festive feel. Dig deeper however, and there’s very little cheese here as the lyrics weave through a
narrative about a reunion and how living in the moment is bigger than the occasion itself. Will leads
on the vocal, beautifully accompanied by Elles who adds that country feel with her delicious
harmonies. Like all successful Christmas songs though, it does have that catchy chorus to keep you in
the mood long after the embers have died away. Elles takes a lead as the song grows to a climax, and it doesn’t take much imagination to conjure up the festive scene portrayed by this Christmas Cracker of a single. SG
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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