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.
Hazlett - Tell Me Something
www.thisishazlett.com
With a quarter of a billion streams to his credit, the chances are you may already have heard of Hazlett, but if you haven't, "Tell Me Something" is a great introduction to the man. There is something laid back, almost west coast to his delivery, but listen to the words and feel the underlying vibe and you'll find something crystal sharp. NK
Odette Michell - The Woodlark & The Fieldfare
www.odettemichell.com
Odette, as a songwriter, is insanely talented, and her voice is incredibly beautiful which makes for a stunning combination as a singer songwriter. She writes songs that sound so true to the folk genre that it is impossible to believe that they aren't traditional, sending you scouring through the Roud List looking for their Index number. She also has a phenomenal talent for attracting other musicians to partner with her to create masterpieces that transcend the sum of their parts. For The Woodlark and The Fieldfare she has enlisted the magic of Jon and Jay. The song starts with approximately thirty seconds of gorgeous instrumental with one of the instruments sounding distinctly like a mandolin. As far as I know, neither Jon, Jay nor Odette play a mandolin, so I'd have to assume that she's playing her gouzouki (half guitar, half bouzouki), and if that's the case, she is next level. For the first vocal section we are treated to just Odette. At around the minute mark when Jon and Jay's backing vocals come in I was instantly covered in goose bumps. At around the two minute mark, when the three of them start singing in round, my soul got goose bumps. The song decrescendos just after the three minute mark as if, like many singles it was drawing to a close, when suddenly it picks up again, at which point I found that my eyes had filled with tears. I adore Ninebarrow, and I adore Odette, but I have to admit that this is the best thing I have heard any of them play. PB
Helena Mace - Flowers Of The Sun
www.helenamace.com
Taken from her recent release, "The Lake", "Flowers Of The Sun" has more a 1950s western feel about it than many of her contemporaries. This feels like a track partly inspired by the trail and big skies and it's refreshing to find an artist taking that more retro route with both sound and direction, rather than towards the more pop route that's becoming a rather crowded market. NK
John Jenkins - Cruel Wind
johnjenkinsmusic.com
No stranger to these pages, "Cruel Winds" is the latest offering from Liverpool based Americana performing, John Jenkins. I say Americana, but this has a lot of English folk sensitivities thrown into a very heady mix. For starters there is a relentless, driving beat that keeps the track driving forward, giving it a sense of urgency, a sense that there is something dodgy being whipped up behind, a sense only added to by the richness of Junkin's voice. NK
Steady Habits - Deviate
www.steadyhabitsmusic.com
"Deviate" is the title track of the album this introductory single from New England lead four piece, Steady Habits, will be releasing in the Autumn. Having paid their dues on the festival and support circuit, this band is ready to take that step up and deservedly so. In a genre that has been known to take more than a nod towards redneck, it's great to see the LGBTQ+ community so well represented. AI
Three Idle Women - Boating Woman
www.threeidlewomen.com/boatingwoman
A click on the link above will take you to a free download of "Boating Woman", which also featured in the Channel 4 series "Narrow Escapes", so you can judge if this is a good as I say it is. The song is a brief biography of Rose Skinner and it's wonderfully performed accapella, by trio, Three Idle Woman, and if history had been taught like this in my school days, I think it would have become a lifelong passion. Find your passion, sing about it. NK
Dressed Like Boys - Pride
www.dressedlikeboys.com/
Dressed Like Boys is the project name of Belgium singer-songwriter Jelle Denturck with "Pride" being his latest release under that name. "Pride" is a beauifully sparse piano ballad that reflects of both sides and associations of the word, both the standing up and being proud and the arrogance that can take you into the well known fall mottif. It had me reaching out to the website. AI
Ezmay Grace - Meandering River
www.ezmaygracemusic.co.uk
If you want to be able to say, I was into Ezmay Grace, before she was huge, "Meandering River" may well be your only opportunity. The first track taken from Ezmay Grace's forthcoming debut album "Lien Gwerin" this is a song that fills up any space made available to it. I challenge you not to stop what you are doing and siomply listen to an incredible voice that delivers folk narrativer with such emotion. Ezmay Grace is a lot more than one to watch, put on your shades. NK
Ruth Hazleton - Letter From A Friend
ruthhazleton.com.au
An environmental warning cunningly wrapped up in a story of personal narrative. Australian singer-songwriter, Ruth Hazleton, re-tells the experience of the bush fires of 2020 through the experience of a friend that, together with those around them, lost all except their lives to the rampaging flames that swept across the country fanned by dry and almost vengeful winds. That there is a cost to our ignoring the evidence in front of our eyes has rarely been brought home so sustinctly. NK
Lady Maisery and Jimmy Aldridge & Sid Goldsmith - Good As Gone
www.facebook.com/ManranOfficial
Lady Maisery and Jimmy Aldridge & Sid Goldsmith started off life as a festive sean band and have subsequently morphed into something much more substatial. "Good As Gone" is a single announcing a summer project, Wakefire, which the quintet are takinhg out and about amongst the artscentres during post solstice period. Definitely check out the single and the tour dates. NK
Lawrence County - Dirty Old Town
www.lawrencecountymusic.com
I've long been a believer that cover versions should be a reinterpretation rather than a photocopy and so it would seem does Bagthorpe Delta Americana combo, Lawrence County. Taking Ewan MacColl's classic, "Dirty Old Town" and transplanting it to the Southern Rust Belt. It works increbily well, emphasising the strength of a song that's been done many times, but rarely like this.
Emilia Quinn - Without You
www.emiliaquinnmusic.com
"Wanderlust & Breaking Rules" her debut album saw her nominated for a British CMA and slots at Country to Country and with her sophamor album slated for an appearance later this year, Emilia Quinn has issued a timely reminder that not only is she about, she's worthy of your time. "Without You" with a heartbreak theme that should hit home hard with her core demographic and bring her to the attention of a wider, slightly more pop orientated audience
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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