Nowhere Brothers TILL THE END OF NOWHERE

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Nowhere Brothers
Till The End of Nowhere
Timezone Records

Windswept, Beautifully Gritty and Interestingly Crafted Americana From Italy via Yorkshire.

As far as I know, The Nowhere Brothers are still Nick Ventolini and Roberto Fiorelli, both originally from Italy and meeting in the city of Trieste, before moving on and around the world with one now based in the rainy Latin Quarter of Leeds, Yorkshire and the other no longer in the US of A, but Germany.

As we found with their 2018 release DOWN LIFE BOULEVARD they certainly have a shared passion for enigmatic Americana, creating dusty, cinematic songs and tunes as if they’d both been born in California or Texas. Although its beating heart will always be in the American heartlands, this album is a perfect example of how International the Americana scene has become; with the album being recorded, mixed and mastered in Laupheim, a small town in southern Germany, in the BA Audiolabs Studio and some work also done in Dewsbury, Yorkshire while the songs themselves were written in Yorkshire, Germany, Arizona, an airport in Spain and even in Namibia!

The duo set their marker down with opening song Mestizo which sounds like it’s inspired by Ry Cooder’s PARIS TEXAS, such is the moodiness created by the shared emotional vocals, Ventolini’s haunting harmonica and Fiorelli’s searing acoustic guitar playing.

Track #2 Colt is not just a highlight of this album; but possibly the Americana scene in 2025. Of course I can point out references and influences, but that’s not worth a jot as Nowhere Brothers combine to create a mesmerising tale that will definitely make you sit back and listen intently, time and time again.

It breaks my heart that songs like the delicate Blackeye, Saviour’s Howl and its intense playing and harmonies as well as the brooding melancholy of Nevada will go unnoticed and unheard by 99.99% of the Americana music loving public, as the pair do this for love and don’t have a budget to pay for advertising and/or reviews elsewhere… damn.

Although I already knew them courtesy of that 2018 album, but in the intervening years their music and writing has certainly matured and grown immeasurably; most noticeably on the title track Mesmerised and the rustic charm of Barstow, or Be Again too, which may or may not have a subtle Grand Drive/Wilco influence … but I could be wrong of course.

For me choice of Favourite Song I’m torn between the final track, the spaciously fragile and atmospheric Shufflin,’ which could be a Springsteen outtake from Western Stars II but given a gritty Italian twist.
The other and one I’m leaning towards is the punchy and fulsome Fever, a song that belies its backstreet beginnings, but creates a ragged glory that we can all get behind.

I’m not sure I’ve got anything else to say; unearthing music like this was the reason that I started the Rocking Magpie ten years ago; and has been the ethos that kept us going. Just because you won’t find this album in national magazines or newspapers and/or mentioned during the Awards Season… doesn’t mean it’s not better and more interesting than anything you’ll find there … it certainly is on both accounts.

Review by Alan Harrison
Released 27th June 2025

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Florence Sommerville ENDLESS HORIZON

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Florence Sommerville
Endless Horizon
Floville

Southern Gal, British Country With an Eloquent Style That Possesses Many Well-Honed Attributes.  

UK country act, Florence Sommerville’s album debut, Endless Horizon finds her displaying a maturity beyond her twenty young years.

She is never overshadowed here or found unable to rise above the varied and incredible good support from her band, and she couldn’t ask for finer support who are completely in synch with Sommerville’s lead, and intonations; courtesy of a string of fine players, lead guitar, dobro and rhythm section dancing the airwaves alongside her. Plus her assured vocals are matched by her accomplished songwriting.

Previously released as a single, California sways gently, like a willow tree in a soft summer breeze. Warmed by a busy combination of swirling lead electric guitar, harmony vocals and a strong rhythm Sommerville hits home with her image strewn lyrics, the power of her voice and lyrical content are first class.

Doused in swirling lead guitar, restless opening piece (I’ll Be Your) Best Broken Heart shows off a powerful, determined stance. With an acoustic opening, Fearless speaks of her youthful exploits, crashing daddy’s car being one; and this melody is filled with fiddle, lead guitar and so much honesty, Florence really engages with the listener. Overton though; has a warm, carefully assembled feel and her worth as a storyteller by this time, has already shown excellent value and maturity

Broken Pieces rocks along nicely, with lots of ‘space’ too; her lead vocals aided by strong harmony vocals, and anchored by strong rhythmic undercurrents and some tasty lead electric guitar riffs.  

Out Where Love Grows changes things. A simple song in essence, as her telling lyrics take the listener through the area she grew up (a small village in Essex), as acoustic guitar, dobro and a pressing rhythm augment her pure, flowing tones. Arguably my album pick.

Silly Little Things is another fine effort.
Excellent lead guitar aided by pedal steel plus harmony vocals fuelling the track like nitro in a Mini Cooper, making for a powerful break up song.
‘Woke up today,
I was feeling totally fine,
ready with a clean slate,
want to leave you behind,
all I wanted was a cup of coffee
and walk out the door’,
…
‘All I wanted was to close my eyes
and forget you’, she sings as she tries to break ties.

The dreamy, thought provoking, Forget The Water tells us,
‘My sober eyes can see,
it’s the only time you miss me,’
as she tells of an uneasy relationship. Reflective, it speaks of a young woman coming to her senses in a turbulent relationship.  

Love Me Then has lead guitar and dobro ushering the track and Sommerville’s vocals along, making the singer skip in relaxed fashion as her voice intertwines with the playful melody. Like with many tracks, the arrangements are carefully assembled; top class all-round.

Some really chunky rhythm and roving guitars drive Boots In The Rain along. While I feel the drums are too prominent, the steel guitar is enough to keep everyone’s attention. 

Molasses comes and goes, nicely enough, while Cut and Run has a greater depth to it. Sommerville speaking of an old love, both are bigger productions than previous songs btw. Though not necessarily better for the fact although Cut And Run’s less cluttered opening burst for me has a greater appeal.   

My copy has the album’s twelve original tracks enjoying four acoustic, ‘bare to the bones’ bonus cuts too. All are tender ballads awash in subtle textures and craft, Whiskey In The Morning, Landslide, Love Me Then lead into the lively and fascinating take on Guns n Roses’ ode, Sweet Child O’ Mine underlining Florence Sommerville’s special talents.

The UK country music scene is enjoying a flush of quality emerging acts at the moment, and with Florence Sommerville now on the horizon, it’s never looked better.

  Review by Maurice Hope
Released 16th July 2025
https://florencesommerville.com/

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Crow Black Chicken GHOST DANCE

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Crow Black Chicken
Ghost Dance
Self-Release / Cargo Records in Europe

A Clever Contemporary Twist On Classic 1970’s Rock Music, Brought Up To Date.

Because I’m become reaching such a great age, I sometimes find myself contemplating the nature and future of ‘Rock Music’ in 2025, as much of what I hear is unimaginative and/or derivative, with little to differentiate one band from another …. and I have eclectic taste and an open mind!

I know, I should get out more, but where these idle thoughts lead me to, gives me a route into considering the importance of a previously unknown (at least to me) Irish rock band … and that’s how I come to be listening to “Ghost Dance” by Crow Black Chicken on this fine Summer day.
One of those idle thoughts has been along the path that decent new Rock music is as rare as rocking horse droppings in the year of 2025.
But then along comes Crow Black Chicken into my life; who sound like one of those bands much treasured by me (and other friends) from the time I first began listening to music way back then.

They sound like a Classic Southern Bluesy hard rockin’ band – the twist being though that they hail from Southern Ireland rather than the Southern states of the USA.
Although they last released a studio album in 2016, the Cork/Tipperary blues rockers are now marking something of a comeback with this new album, recorded at GAF Studios in Co. Tipperary and produced by the masterful Philip Magee (Aslan, Kodaline, The Script, The Academic).
They have, to me, a classic sound – like a barrel-aged whiskey – that has depth and bite without ever having lost its soul; recalling great Irish rock music like early Rory Gallagher and/or his original band Taste and those vintage Irish rockers Thin Lizzy, wearing their influences proudly too.

The album kicks off with the stomping “Bottom Feeders”, which is also the first single from the album and a signature hard-rocking track, setting the stage for an unequivocal Blues Rock album rooted in classic touchstones of the British/Irish rock scene, which is clearly their comfort zone.

Second single, “Make it Right”, showcases the broader range of influences within the album; hints of Americana groove along with foot-stomping drums, the smoothest of bass lines and luscious guitar tones and a classy soulful vocal.
Track 2, “Fire & Blood”, has a monster riff and thunderous drums with a screaming solo right in the middle and I’m led again to thoughts about the band who have a great classic sound; but aren’t all over 60 so they have raw energy and great pace too.

The album’s focus track, “Hot Molasses” encompasses everything Crow Black Chicken has become – a band renowned for their raw, powerhouse sound fronted by the gravelly, earthful croon of vocalist Christy O’Hanlon, locked in with the groove of bassist Stephen McGrath and drummer Gev Barrett.
It’s a subtle stroll through a cooler sound with more of an emphasis on the Soul of the Blues and underlines that the band have more to offer than just a retread of some tired old cliches.

The other thing that took me a little by surprise is that there’s only three of them but that doesn’t detract from their overall sound, which is fulsome and has width and depth complimenting O’Hanlon’s rich and powerful voice.

The trio of songs in the middle are something of a cornerstone for what precedes and follows, with the slow and heartfelt ‘The Longest Time’ being the type of song where the lights are turned low on stage highlighting the vocalist, who somehow manages to restrain himself on the chorus, but only just, then
“Dark Matters” rides out on a swampy echoey riff that, for me, recalls Ritchie Blackmore in his early Deep Purple days.
‘Make It Right’ opens with some sweet electric guitar before O’Hanlon breaks forth with a mesmerising vocal performance that will send a shiver down the spine.
This music isn’t Blues twinned with heavy metal, like so many of their contempories; but a cool twist on their solid 70’s rock influences – and not too shabby as far as I’m concerned – and it brings that ground breaking sound right up to date with a screaming solo right in the centre of this powerful bluesy rocker.

“Terlingua” begins with a riff that recalls Peter Green and reveals itself as a familiar Blues tale about death, lost love, living on your knees and the need to fight for what you want; but also draws you into the expressive and imaginative writing here, and makes you listen closer to the other songs on the album, too.
The titular “Terlingua” is lost and miserable border town and is a real place in Texas and the band paint an aural picture with the jazzy bass runs and some fine soloing and an almost spoken vocal making it if
not the best track on the album, the Favourite for me.

The album ends with “Heavy Rain” and it’s In the bio that the band tells us that ‘Ghost Dance’ is a really special album for them, as it marks almost ten years from their last release – a decade spent rethinking, evolving, and focusing on the live end of things.
It’s been a long road but getting back into the studio and having the chance to work with Philip Magee again – who we worked with the band for their debut album – has all made it feel like the right time, almost full circle.

You can see this album as some kind of epic journey of Classic Blues fused with Modern Rock.
Crow Black Chicken are not just sticking with their roots and honouring past legends but I’d say that they are helping to drive the Blues genre forward in a contemporary way, that helps to keep the music alive and vital.

Its good to hear and if you are a fan of that old Blues Rock that was so dominant in the mid 70’s then Crow Black Chicken are definitely worth checking out and I, for one, will be looking at their back catalogue.

They are out on the road in the UK at the moment but there aren’t many dates; but lets hope that this superb album with give them a higher profile for a longer tour ASAP .

Review by Greg Johnson
Released 1st June 2025
https://crowblackchicken.com/

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James McMurtry THE BLACK DOG & THE WANDERING BOY

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James McMurtry
The Black Dog & The Wandering Boy
New West Recordings

Beautiful, Yet Melancholic Americana That Paints Vivid Pictures in Your Head

This is James McMurtry’s 14th album and yet again illustrates what a fine writer he is; as all the songs here have real depth and quality and you know just how important that writing is when the man himself tells us “If you don’t have the songs, you don’t have a record, if you don’t have a record you don’t have a tour” so he starts with the basics – the songs and they are are excellent, fleshed out by two choice covers that open and close the album.

McMurtry’s well worn and leathery voice is ably supported his trusted backing band – Cornbread on bass, Tim Holton guitar, Daren Hesson drums, Betty Soo on backing vocals and right here they work to create something that’s sounds spontaneous, as though he’s writing the song as you hear them…which is quite some feet to achieve. Everything has got a very live feel, but they are open to odd experiments, weird whims, and happy accidents, one of which is the cover of Jon Dee Graham’s “Laredo” that opens the album. It’s a twisted Blues tale: a part-time junkie’s testimony of losing a weekend to dope where the songs busted characters are living in a Motel called “Motel” out on ‘Refinery Road” and
“we shot dope till the money ran out!
The money ran out!”
It’s dusty Americana of the highest quality and McMurtry explains the songs genesis “We were playing a benefit for Jon Dee (the writer) at the Hole in the Wall in Austin, and we thought it’d be good to play one of his songs. We rehearsed it in the studio, and it sounded good. The drums were ready.” The song rides along on a cool riff with a honking harmonica dusty and a sprightly twanging guitar solo. Although it is a cover it sets the tone and the feel for what’s to come. A perfect opener for what follows.

“South Texas Lawman” comes next and kicks in with a slow, lazy bass riff and as the song unwinds we here of the “anti-hero” who “cheats on both his wives”.
McMurtry’s characters are always ‘very real’ sounding and here the eponymous hero tells us wearily
“I used to be young,
I used to understand”.
It’s a tried and trusted tale of a man who hates getting old and wonders where his life is going, invoking his memories of Vietnam and a life of regrets.
“I can’t stand getting old – it don’t fit me”. McMurtry’s laconic voice perfectly invoking the mood.

“The Colour of Night” is next up and highlights McMurtry’s ability to invoke characters and situations with his sympathetic and excellent band.
Right here there’s some beautifully melodic guitar and rolling organ alongside subtle bass and a distant but soulful backing vocal.
“I don’t know if I’ve got time to get good at the game” sings James as the music builds nicely. There are some neat pithy lines here like
“This fortress shall not fall
as I stand on the mount
and if the Lord is my shepherd
the devil is my friend”.
I’m not sure what it all means but it sounds terrific.

“Pinocchio in Vegas” brings that wooden hero to stark life in a strange tale set in a bizarre world after Geppetto has died and crooked lawyers lurk and legal action against Disney is happening … and ol’ Pinocchio has
“has to learn to be an asshole
like everybody else”
and where he has to
“pick a hill to die on don’t bother acting nice” It’s a surreal world alright but keeps you listening as it’s actually pure Americana in many ways.

“Annie” – Is a 9/11 focused song with a sad reflection on the incompetence around those attacks from the Bush administration.
The mournful song is fleshed out by a sad banjo and guitar.
A dismissal of “George W” and the bizarre response to those terrible days where the President is described incredulously as
“Enjoying a fine cigar in the White House while the Pentagon still burned”.
How our leaders let us down then and now…
“You’d have thought we woulda learned” he intones sadly.

The title track “The Black Dog & The Wandering Boy”, inspired by the death of McMurtry’s father, is next and it’s a tune with a dark bluesy undercurrent –
“Hey Somebody lied to me” is the refrain along with a wailing harmonica and a short stomping short guitar solo and moody percussion.
James struggled with his father’s death and comments on the title song in the accompanying notes saying “After my dad passed, my step mum asked if he ever spoke to me about his hallucinations. He had dementia before he died but never mentioned seeing things to me.”
Some things remain hidden to make life easier

It’s clear that McMurtry takes great pride in writing songs peopled by realistic characters and real life, but they are here to keep you interested in the mystery of their lives; and perhaps give the insight into our own lives and those that perhaps aren’t so well lived.
‘Back To Coeur D’Alene’ in many ways is a definitive Americana song, part road song – part love song with yet another anti-hero masquerading as an ‘everyman’ on a cinematic tale that evokes the young Tom Russell in some ways and Tom Waits in others, while never deviating from James McMurtry’s very own well worn path.

On “Sons of the Second Sons” we hear of
“Building bombs and border walls
as our conscience falls away – in search of a Ceaser”. Who on earth could he mean, as his words resonate across the world today.

“Sailing Away” is a sad reflection on what happens when you begin to doubt yourself;
“Have I any business being in this business anymore”
and feeling the need to be
“Steering by the stars and I can’t get home”.
It’s bitter and sad and makes you think that the life of a “successful” musician may not be as easy as it once was.

The final track, “Broken Freedom Song”, is a cover of a Kris Kristofferson song about a lost soldier battling through life. It’s been covered by others including Rosanne Cash and is a poignant reminder of difficult days for those who serve – it’s not all glory, that’s for sure.

James McMurtry is a name that I only knew in passing, and hadn’t really paid much attention to, but that’s my loss because clearly he’s a fine singer and song writer who invests his songs with a good dose of reality and great characters.
His band are a supple and supportive band of musicians who provide a wonderful tapestry for James to paint his songs.
Try to repay the artist by actually buying this record.

Review by Greg Johnson
https://www.jamesmcmurtry.com/
Released June 20th 2025

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Elvis Presley SUNSET BOULEVARD ‘5CD Box-Set’

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Elvis Presley
Sunset Boulevard
RCA

A Fascinating Look Back at Some of The King’s More Obscure Works

It’s hard to believe that the year of 2025 marks what would have been Elvis Presley’s 90th birthday and to celebrate that very fact RCA are about to issue a lavish five CD boxed set of 1970’s material which, I’d say, is really aimed at hard core fans only and I’m sure that there will be lots of on-line discussion about the merits (or demerits) of the content.

The first CD is the 17 songs Presley recorded for 1973’s album Elvis (aka The Fool Album) and 1975’s Today, with the second CD’s 17 tracks are outtakes from those sessions.
Discs three to five consist of two rehearsals in Los Angeles for Presley’s Las Vegas residency and the 2LP edition comprises 24 songs taken from the first two CDs (studio masters on LP 1 and outtakes on LP 2)… are you still with me?

This period saw Presley engage with contemporary songwriters for the first time, tackling songs by Kris Kristofferson (‘For the Good Times’) and Paul Williams (‘Where Do I Go From Here’) for sessions on 1973’s Elvis (aka The Fool Album), while 1975’s album Today featured covers of Don McLean’s ‘And I Love You So’ and Billy Swan’s ‘I Can Help’ (which Swan famously traded for a worn pair of The King’s socks)

That’s the bare facts of the release but what’s here to actually make fans go out and buy it?
Well, the fact that the first CD is highlighted as “Masters” and the songs are all unadorned of the strings, horns and backing vocals of the originals, which are a huge part of the attraction here and it has to be said that they certainly do sound fresh and alive to these ears.
Moving on to Disc 2 we can hear alternative versions of the likes of “Burning Love”, “The Green Green Grass of Home”, “Always on My Mind” and Perry Como’s evergreen “For The Good Times”.
What comes across for the most part on these first two discs is the really indisputable fact of what a phenomenal singer Elvis was and that he cared deeply about his material.
Everyone knows that Elvis was a singer, performer and interpreter first and foremost but despite the fact that his shadowy and nefarious manager “Colonel” Tom Parker manged to get Elvis’ name onto the writing credits of a few songs he (Elvis) was never actually a writer.

Of course, the other part of Elvis’ career was as a mighty performer, and he wasn’t known as “The King of Rock n Roll” for nothing.
Right at the start of his career in the mid 50’s he was an incendiary presence and shocked the conservative, square America with his lewd dancing and sexually charged moves.
It’s hard to believe the impact that that had today, but this was a world in which the American TV networks would only show him from the ‘waist up’ and the frightened executives (supported by The Colonel) got Elvis to sing to a real “Hound Dog” on TV so that the public would get the wrong idea about Parker’s “clean-cut kid”.
As Elvis moved into the 60’s his importance declined somewhat; and at The Colonel’s behest Presley went on to make 31 films that were very formulaic and mostly garbage with exceptions like “Jailhouse Rock” “Kid Galahad” and arguably “Viva Las Vegas”.
He reinvented himself again in 1968 with the now famous “Comeback Special” where he dressed in black leather, found a set of great musicians and friends and re-established his credentials.
That show featured Elvis delivering a powerhouse performance of “If I Can Dream” and that alone was probably responsible for resurrecting his career.
Following that he went back out on the road and toured incessantly across the USA for the rest of his life. Discs 3 – 5 on this set are drawn from rehearsals from his 70’s Las Vegas shows.

It has to be said though that these three discs are really only of interest for hard core fans. sure, it’s interesting to hear Elvis playing with his regular TCB Band, that includes the great James Burton, Glen D Harding, Ronnie Tutt and Emory Gordy … some of whom went on to play with the other Elvis (Costello) and Emmylou Harris; and yes, it is amusing and a little heart-warming to hear Elvis laughing and joking whilst “goofing off” between takes, but they are what they are – rehearsals … so don’t expect any fireworks.
We do get versions here of the likes of “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling”, “Suspicious Minds”, “I Just Can’t Help Believing”, Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B Goode”, “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and the never performed live “The Twelfth of Never” so all’s not lost.

If you’re just a casual fan looking for something to tell you what it’s all about, this set isn’t for you; go for his debut album or a good quality “Greatest Hits” set; or if you really want to splash out pick up the 4 CD set “The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll – The Complete 50’s Masters” – peak Elvis Presley.

Sadly, Elvis has indeed left the building.

Review by Greg Johnson
Released August 1st 2025
https://www.elvisthemusic.com/

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Devon Allman THE BLUES SUMMIT

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Devon Allman
The Blues Summitt
Ruf Records

A Memorable and Sultry Bluesy Gumbo

The son of Blues Royalty, Gregg Allman, Devon has a natural bluesy, soulful groove with a little Hendrix thrown in too.
If you know anything about American “Southern Blues” then the name “Allman” will most likely be very familiar to you through the various incarnations of that great 70’s institution The Allman Brothers Band. You’ll probably know the names of Gregg, his brother Duanne Allman and Dickey Betts, who are all legends of the time but sadly now all deceased.
Their names live on through the likes of the Tedeschi-Trucks Band (if you don’t know them Google and then listen).
Devon Allman himself has been immersed in the world of blues and rock his entire life via Gregg Allman (and that kind of makes Cher his step-mother!), growing up surrounded by that rich musical legacy the Allman Brothers Band left, a group that played a pivotal role in shaping not just the Southern rock and blues sound in America but probably all over the world.
Over the years, Devon absorbed that legacy and has carved out his own singular path, contributing to the genre through his work as a solo artist and as a member of acclaimed supergroups like Royal Southern Brotherhood and the Allman Betts Band.
Recently, he also launched the Allman Betts Family Revival annual tours, celebrating the enduring spirit of Southern rock across the generations.
Additionally, Devon has released six solo albums through Ruf Records, further cementing his place as a torchbearer of blues-rock tradition.
But right now we have a new album – Devon Allman’s The Blues Summit and it’s a powerhouse gathering of blues legends that promises to electrify the stage.
Led by Devon Allman and backed by The Devon Allman Project Band, this summit brings together an all-star lineup including Jimmy Hall, Larry McCray, and Sierra Green.
Jimmy Hall, being the soulful voice behind the iconic Southern rock band Wet Willie; a band that quickly gained popularity in the USA for their vibrant live performances and the chart-topping hit “Keep on Smilin’. Jimmy is well known for his fiery harmonica playing and powerful, emotive vocals.
Then there’s Larry McCray,a legendary blues guitarist and singer renowned for his soulful sound and emotive guitar work who has carved out a prominent place in the blues music scene with his powerful voice and deft guitar playing and finally, there’s Sierra Green known for her dynamic range and commanding stage presence.
Green too, has made a name for herself as a versatile and passionate performer her voice echoing the spirit of greats like Aretha Franklin and Etta James, yet she seamlessly incorporates her own unique flair, creating a fresh and exhilarating musical experience.
Their cumulative talents are pooled here and combine to bring us a fine 10 track classic electric blues/soul album. It doesn’t deviate much from that tried and trusted electric blues formula, but it gives us a fine set of superbly recorded and beautifully played songs, some we know and others that are new and fresh.
The album opens with a classy “Runners in The Night” that has all the ingredients required for the makings of a really fine album that I’m sure will stay with me for a long, long time. There’s the stabbing brass, Jimmy Hall’s bluesy vocal, Devon’s distinctive guitar (sounding at times like the late, great Paul Kossoff from the much missed Free) and then the terrific backing vocals too from Sierra Green that combines to give us a great opener.
Sierra is featured up front later with her powerful voice and she easily hits the mark on “Real Love” which is warm, soulful and classy and has a somewhat unexpected string arrangement that really enhances her wonderful tones and brings something really special to the party and then if, that’s not enough, there’s a beautiful Devon guitar melody with some smoky organ swirling in the background.
There’s a couple of choice covers here too, firstly with a romping “Wang Dang Doodle” written by Howlin’ Wolf (maybe!) but covered by many many artists including Grateful Dead, The Rolling Stones, Koko Taylor (reviewed in a recent feature in the Rockin’ Magpie), Little Feat, P J Harvey, The Hindu Love Gods (members of REM with Warren Zevon) and little old Jools Holland (who once stood on my foot – but that’s another story).
It’s a stomper of a tune and apparently just means to “have a good time” and it’ll help the album and the eventual live shows hit that target.
A little later there’s a cracking version of Jimi Hendrix’s “Little Wing” too, although the version here is very much based on the better known arrangement of that song on Derek & The Dominoes “Layla” album (which of course is Eric Clapton’s magnum opus).
Allman’s guitar is simply sublime here as he gets that humongous riff down perfectly and anyone out there who treasures the “Layla” album will love this smokin’ cover and then to round it off we have Jimmy Hall letting his wonderful pipes loose all over it. making for a memorable and classic cover.
There’s a statement of intent for the band and a definition of “the Blues” on track two where Jimmy takes on another stomper, with “Blues is a Feeling” and with a title like that I’m sure we all know what’s coming and it is indeed a real ‘old school Blues’ with Jimmy’s harp playing centre stage; and I think that it’s clear that when the band are out on that stage this one will be somewhere in their encore arena.
“Peace to the World” has a lighter feel and I’m fairly sure it’s a plea for er…. Well, I think you what for.
It has a swampy groove that certainly has resemblance to old Three Dog Night 70’s chestnut “Joy to the World” a song that was an English hymn, dating back to the 16th century, as it’s source.
You see, every day IS a school day.
Next up is the cool groove of “After You”, another soulful vocal from Jimmy Hall and some subtle brass deep in the mix with an insistent guitar hook at its heart and Sierra lurking in there with some wonderfully understated backing vocals.
“Getting’ Greasy With It” is a funked-up brass work out made for, I’d say an extended stage work out but apart from the shouted title at the start its pretty much an instrumental, nice; but just filler for the album really.
“Hands & Knees” has more up-front brass lead and some of Devon’s trademark stinging guitar runs.
The album ends with a menacing doomy instrumental, “Midnight, Lake Erie” where Devon really lets his fluid guitar do the talking and I’m sure that in a live context this will be a showstopper.
There’s certainly shades of Jimi Hendrix here and there’s a terrific sax break in the middle and some jazzy piano runs that flesh out the melody too; and give it some light and shade and at just over five minutes you appreciate Allman’s virtuosity, but it doesn’t outstay its welcome.

It’s a short and snappy album that I’m sure is a template for the stage and I’d hope that Allman and his band get back to the UK at some point soon and I can get to see them this time having missed out a few years ago when he played a gig that was only a 10 minute walk from my flat and I didn’t go.
Even worse, I can’t remember why.
Hear this album if you can, better still buy it and maybe he’ll have a reason to come back although I doubt he’ll be playing a small venue close to me.

Review by Greg Johnson
https://devonallmanproject.com/
Released 25th July 2027

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Andy White ‘THE NIGHT IS APPROACHING THOUGH SOME WOULD SAY IT WAS MORNING’

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Andy White
THE NIGHT IS APPROACHING THOUGH SOME WOULD SAY IT WAS MORNING
Floating World

One of Ireland’s Finest Songwriters Still Raving On … Acoustically

I first came across Andy White way back in 1985 (yes, I am THAT old!) following a (err..) rave review of his debut album “Rave on, Andy White” in the old NME.
He was that year’s “New Bob Dylan;” but that label perhaps sits a bit easier on his shoulders than it had on the likes of Springsteen, Willie Nile and Steve Forbett earlier (you’ll know the first name, but I’d recommend that you check out the other two).

I’m sure Andy was OK with that epithet, because his Dylan influence was already plain to see.
The original sleeve of that very first album was a pastiche of Bob’s 1964 “Another Side of Bob Dylan” (it’s been slightly amended since) and his songs and delivery were very Dylanesque and he even had a song titled “Reality Row” that referenced “Desolation Row” from Bob’s classic “Highway 61 Revisited”.
That first album was chock full of great tunes, and he was certainly in thrall to Bob with his arrangements and expansive lyricism plus it was all acoustic too. Since then, he’s carved himself a solid low-level career releasing pretty much an album every two years and now has twenty odd albums under his belt and he’s always out playing somewhere.
He was on at Glastonbury this last week though you wouldn’t have found him storming the Pyramid stage as he was tucked away pouring his heart out on the Left-Field stage on Saturday afternoon.
That’s not meant to denigrate him because he was and remains a fine songwriter and this double live CD showcases those songs in a legendary location.

Forty years after the release of debut EP ‘Religious Persuasion’, Irish songwriter Andy White is back home living in Belfast and is about to release a new live album The Night Is Approaching Though Some Would Say It Was Morning.
The double-CD set has both the evening and afternoon sessions, one on each disc recorded in the hallowed studio 2 at Abbey Road where The Beatles recorded pretty much everything they ever made.

I’d like to say that the magic rubbed off and that this album will set the world on fire – but it won’t.
What it does really well though is set to out Andy’s words and songs in a very intimate acoustic setting in front of around a dozen people; all of whom get thanked and you can actually see them on the cover.
The vinyl LP has the evening session, whilst the CD has the afternoon and morning sessions.
This terrific low key album features songs from across his career including stark versions of ‘Religious Persuasion’, ‘Vision of You’, ‘Reality Row’, ‘Rembrandt Hat’ and ‘Things Start to Unwind’ from that striking debut record and other bewitching songs, like the excellent ‘James Joyce’s Grave’ and ‘Italian Girls on Mopeds’ which both have great titles and are superb songs to boot.

Then we get the cheery ‘Good Luck I Hope You Make It’ and the neatly titled ‘Everything is Turning White” both oh which had me turning the clock back to when I first heard them … and not for the last time here.
Elsewhere ‘Take Me Back Home’ is almost poetry the way he delivers the spoken word, and you can hear his inherent homesickness quite plainly.
Perhaps anyone who hails from the Emerald Isles can feel it too.
The aforementioned ‘Reality Row’ has flashes of Dylan right through it, but Andy was only in his early twenties when he wrote it so I think we can forgive him wearing his influences so prominently on his sleeve.

“I was walking through a wild borderline town two flags on the jailhouse roof and frost on the ground
the hotel band were singing
there were jewels in your hair and then the smoke blew in
and made the little room an everywhere
the television man got loaded and cried into his drink
the wallflower women they all blushed pink
and nobody there even had to think about how far they’d got to go to reality row”

Very ‘wordy’ – yes; but inherently beautiful non the less.

Andy’s songs always crackle with wit and humour and in the time honoured fashion, he writes about what he knows so it always makes for interesting yarns and insights into real life, like in ‘Things Start to Unwind” images of poverty and corrupt politicians and the consequences of inaction in our world, which is just as pertinent today as it was back in 1985, when sadly we also had an ear when “the bland are leading the blind”

The story of this live album begins with the friendship between Andy and producer John Leckie (Stone Roses, Muse, Roy Harper, Baba Maal).
The two met during one of Peter Gabriel’s recording weeks at Real World Studios and immediately hit it off, with John mixing and producing many of Andy’s recordings (including the recent AT album with Tim Finn). |
After one of Andy’s concerts, John told him he wanted to buy an album of what he had just heard.
A solo album recorded ‘live’… No band… No overdubs.
“Where are we going to record it?”
“The best-sounding room in the world – Studio Two at Abbey Road.”
Apparently after the recording, everyone went to the café afterwards and sat drinking and talking under the photos of Peter Sellers and Sophia Loren, Cilla and The Beatles.
Andy said goodbye and walked across the crossing on the way to the hire car.
It was done.

I only ever saw Andy once, at the WOMAD festival around 10 years ago when he was supposed to be doing a Q&A session, but he seemed a trifle confused by the notion and just did his usual set – some of these songs, as you’d expect, were part of that show too.

This charming double album certainly isn’t a high-tech production, I doubt it’ll have a massive promotion budget, but what it does have is heartfelt songs delivered with passion and commitment and for those reasons alone its worth anyone’s time and effort – still raving on, Andy White – good luck to you.

Review by Greg Johnson
Released 4th July 2024
https://www.andywhite.com/

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LP https://floatingworldrecords.co.uk/products/the-night-is-approaching-though-some-would-say-it-was-morning-lp
CD https://floatingworldrecords.co.uk/products/the-night-is-approaching-though-some-would-say-it-was-morning


NEWSFLASH RMHQ Update

rockingmagpie 1 Comment

I’m sorry about this but … it’s all over, I’m finally giving up RMHQ as from the end of July 2025; because, as the bookies say ‘When the fun stops, stop.’ and it has.

Pretty much it’s down to my mental state at the moment getting me down and even making the editing seem like a chore, when it shouldn’t be … as I love what my writers all do and can’t thank them enough for carrying me and the website this far…they’ve all brought a fresh spark to not just RMHQ but to some degree, this end of the industry IMHO

Weirdly the stats for the site are outstanding this year, so I’m going out on something of a high.

I have a couple of outstanding album reviews scheduled and two gigs that I’m attending in the next couple of weeks so will be publishing reviews until the end of July I think, and after that, the site will remain open forever … just not with new reviews being added, although my RM Social Media accounts will all close at the end of July.

Thanks again for reading our reviews over the last 10 years solo and 20 years for various publications, God knows I appreciate it, and I hope you’ve gone on to buy cd’s/LP’s/downloads on the back of our words … but everything has a sell by date.

Lots of love

#BuyDontSpotify

Alan xx

The Rocking Magpie

The Bluebells SISTERS (2025 Re-Mastered and More)

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The Bluebells
Sisters (2025 Re-Mastered and More)
London Records

The Sound of Young Scotland Still Relevant, Danceable and Sing-a-Longable 40 Years On

Swoon…. I’ve just been transported back to the heady days of the 1980’s … the time of baggy stonewashed jeans, checked shirts from Flip, sandshoes or sandals, ‘big hair’ and me desperately trying to look achingly cool.

The Bluebells were an integral part of my musicality at that time; even when times were hard and money to tight to mention, I saw them play twice in a year and their Tour de Force single Young At Heart alongside The Beastie Boys Fight For Your Right To Party were our ‘theme tunes’ on juke boxes across the country while following Newcastle United on their quest not to get relegated… oh happy days.

I nearly wore out my LP copy of SISTERS that year, but subsequently it came and went like a firework, replaced by something else that would no doubt go on to change my life, musically.

So; here we are 40 years later and The Bluebells have re-entered my life; and for a band that only ever released one LP and had but two Top 10 singles; they sure recorded a lot more and did a helluva lot of radio sessions judging by these three discs!

Obviously I have to start with the original album tracks on CD1; and ask myself … have they stood the test of time?

The answer is most definitely a resounding YES!
The haunting harmonica that kick-start’s Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool sent a shiver down my back, then the jangly guitars set my toes tapping … and even though I haven’t heard this song for 40 years, I quickly found myself singing along (in an empty car, thankfully).

Oh my giddy heart …. Young At Heart comes in next and is every inch and second as wonderful as it was when a pub full of drunk Geordies were belting out the chorus alongside some local Rasta’s one Saturday afternoon in a Huddersfield council estate.
Then to complete the triumvirate of brilliant pop songs that open SISTERS, I’m Falling with its quirky guitar and arrangement that probably owes a lot to Aztec Camera, had me shuffling around the kitchen like a reject from a TV dance show; as I made lunch.

I’d genuinely forgot what genius the arrangements and combined lyrics were that filled songs like H.O.L.L.A.N.D, Syracuse University and Red Guitars all those years ago … and to some degree, alongside Roddy Frame and Edwyn Collins certainly influenced the next generation of Brit Poppers that came along.
Then, of course there is Cath, (swoon, again) … if pressed in a quiz I’d have claimed it was a #1 hit single, yet the original only made #62 and a remix #38 … what do the paying public know?

There are another 9 tracks tacked on Disc #1, and while I’m not normally a fan of ‘extras’ …. WOW …. where have Forevermore and the classic Folk/Protest Song The Ballad of Joe Hill been?
Two other songs stand out on this disc, the single Sugar Bridge which really should be re-released and will find favour with fans of The 1975 and Sam Fender, if I’m not mistaken.
The other is Dominic Behan’s The Patriot Game, an Irish Republican standard, that really does sound beautiful, but in 1984 I thought it distasteful and while the story in the song is open to interpretation; what I didn’t know (until an afternoon of to and fro with an actual Bluebell); Behan rewrote the song to include;
‘And now as I lie here,
my body all holes
I think of those traitors who bargained in soul
And I wish that my rifle had given the same
To those rebels who sold out the patriot game….
Where is the young man this earth ever trod,
whose life is less sacred than all the old frauds
Whose boyhoods less loving ,
whose visions less vain than the old men
who hate for the patriot game.’
Of course it’s only one song from 70, but an important one in the band’s career, so this changes the original focus, and now becomes an Anti-War song.

Disc #2 B-Sides And Single Mixes; starts with a speeded up and bassy 12 inch remix of Forevermore; different … but not better; which is another niggle of mine … re-mixing? Why?
But this disc is generally just that, Remixes and ‘versions’ and just to prove I know nothing, when played loud in the car this disc is amazing, especially the 12 inch versions of Cath, Sugar Bridge and Young At Heart (of course!) … all three being punchier than the originals.

There actually a couple of rarities here that are pleasantly surprising, Happy Birthday (not the Altered Images HIT, but a gentle sub-Byrdsian twangfest) the delicate Tender Mercy which I’ve never heard before and perhaps helped the transition of the McCluskey Brother later on; and the dark version of All I Am, Is Loving You could easily have been the Blue Nile, but isn’t.; as it’s a ‘grown up’ Bluebells song for late at night.

Disc #3 is a heady mix of tracks recorded for Radio 1’s Kid Jensen show, early tracks that are a tad better than demos and a couple of live songs.
Now, released on its’ own this ‘album’ is the type of thing you used to find for a fiver; but in this context these 22 songs feel like historical documents in some ways.

The opener, Goodbye and Good Luck sounds like a love on in a new ‘Indie’ direction from the Sisters era, as does Learn To Love with its’ New Romantic undertones and East Green sounds a tad REM/Big Starish to my ears, but I’ve only played it once.

There are plenty of hidden gems hiding in the shadows of course; not least Lifeboat and Honest John recorded at Camden Palace in 1985; and the exquisite versions of Wishful Thinking and Learn To Love from the always educational Kid Jensen Show, which still goes to show how important and influential BBC Radio has been and still is.
The two biggest surprises on the whole Box Set, and also my two Favourite Songs are the intense Smalltown Martyr, which sounds like a pre-cursor to Blur/Pulp’s earliest singles and; of course …. cur drum roll … what else could close this set but a wild and raucous live version (Camden Palace) of …. you guessed it; Young At Heart!

As the Press Release states;
‘Set against the backdrop of the Miners’ Strike, high unemployment, and Thatcher-era austerity, The Bluebells often embedded political commentary in their songs.
In an era defined by ‘Thriller’, Duran Duran, and Frankie Goes to Hollywood, The Bluebells offered a true alternative grounded in community and optimism’.
I couldn’t have worded it better myself

Released July 4th 2025
https://thebluebellsofficial.com/
https://www.facebook.com/bluebellsofficial/?locale=en_GB

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https://thebluebells.tmstor.es/

#Still one of the greatest Pop videos ever.




Tracy Bonham SKY TOO WIDE

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Tracy Bonham
Sky Too Wide
A Woody Hollow

Strange Swirling Mysteries and Dark Sad Laments…… That You Won’t Hear Every Day

This is a new name to me, although Tracy from Eugene Oregon, has been putting out albums since the late 90’s and has a couple of Grammy nominations along the way too, as well as participating in a Paul McCartney tribute album – “Pure McCartney” in 2013 and performed live on his 70th birthday with The Damn Crystals.

This is Bonham’s first album since 2017 and she has an idiosyncratic voice that’s pitched somewhere between Kate Bush and Clare Grogan (that probably dates me too), the songs here are spacey and full of strangeness.
Starting with the mystical ‘Give Us Something To Feel‘ Ms Bonham takes us on something of a magical carpet ride, twisting and weaving elements of Jazz, Folk, Blues and Classical orchestrations into a delicate sound unlike anything else I’ve heard in eons.
“Jumping Bean” as a for instance, is a statement of intent and tells us that Tracey is coming out punching and isn’t going to be bent into any kind of shape that she doesn’t want to be.

Of course as you’d expect, this independent stomping approach shapes the music here and right across the 9 tracks of this 50-minute album as we get songs that are both quirky and strange.
“Dear God, Should I Hit Send” is nothing less than a desperate plea to God for advice about posting those 150 potentially hateful characters on that social media site – I think it’s best not to – based on a listen to this.
Tracy’s voice swoops and soars and alongside the piano peters out at the conclusion with regret and glee as she sends that message out to hyperspace. An interesting idea.

“Damn The Sky (For Being too Wide)” with its’ lush string arrangement and Tracy’s soaring vocal has an almost classical feel, as she rages against forces that seem almost insurmountable at almost five and a half minutes in length, its something of an epic track and then flows into the niftily named “Don’t Dick Around With My Heart” which is another five minute track, but with some tempo changes and an unusual structure.
“Naked” is another sad lament that shows real vulnerability and pain and “Whether You Fall” is a melancholic track urging us all to take all the knocks that come along in our lives but make sure you get up again.

The final track “Safe With Me” has a creepy underlying message that seems to want to draw in an innocent into a nefarious web of mystery with a spooky string quartet an a scary double tracked vocal.

The whole album, with the exception of “Jumping Bean” is a series of sad laments and mysteries and isn’t something to be played on party nights; but with a nice bottle of rioja (or similar) and a night on your own, then it’ll fit the bill.
If you want to here something slightly off the beaten track give this one some attention.

Review by Greg Johnson
Released 6th June 2025
https://www.tracybonham.com/

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https://orcd.co/skytoowide