Every year offers its melodic beauties for the pleasure of the music fan in all our diversity. This was 2016 in music.
- Anoushka Shankar – Land of Gold ft. Alev Lenz http://www.anoushkashankar.com/
The title track of the album Land of Gold is as brilliant as the video. Check it out at
https://youtu.be/JuLDpheL8p0 - Boo Hewerdine – The Year That I Was Born (Born EP 2016)
Loved it. Period.
More? Ok. The haunting, the build up, the harmonisations and the way the silences are full of sous-entendus.
- Heidi Talbot, Here we go 1 2 3 or MotherLand or any other song (Here we go 1, 2, 3 LP)
Her 7th album is a charm. You can see it from above, I could not even chose one leading track! - Levi Parham, Your Blue Eyes Give You Away (These American Blues 2016)
The CD is a nice dose of Americana country -infused blues, more blues in track like Chemical Train but mostly lovely take on the traditional. The CD was released on Music Road but a vinyl version of this no.1 album of the 2016 Euro Americana Chart is due for release in 2017.
- Ange Hardy & Lukas Drinkwater, By the Tides from the album Findings
Again, the musicianship of Ange Hardy transpires and her collaboration with Lukas Drinkwater works harmoniously to bring us.
- Blick Bassy – Wap do Wap from the album Ako on No Format!
The track on its own made me smile. It was not the video, it was just the tone and the mix of a smooth voice and a reasonably energetic rhythm lifting it all up. The whole thing is a beautiful one, that has a charm in its mix of reflection and calculated rhythmic. - Songs of separation Website | Facebook | Twitter
The concept and the logistics are as brilliant as the resulting album. Ten female Folk musicians (including our beloved Karine Polwart) from Scotland and England come together to create a recording that reflects on the issue of ‘separation’ in its many forms, through traditional song. Check out the making on youtu.be/2du9Va36x0I - The Bills, Pebble beach (Trail of tales)
Really had a good time listening to this and enjoying different songs for different reasons in particular the instrumentals such as Pebble Beach. Plus the full band contributed in the songwriting so what is there not to like when a few people get together in such harmony? - MonkeyJunk, Time To Roll (Time To Roll)
3 songs are just enough of a taster, an invite into the world of Blues hereby offered on a bed of groove. Canada’s most acclaimed blues/roots music bandband MonkeyJunk introduce Time To Roll in 2016, a 3 track sampler, by way of its title track. This came out end of 2016 on Continental records as their fifth release, showcasing soulful original material and also including a cover of Albert King’s classic “The Hunter.”
- Rory Block, Keepin’ Outta Trouble (Keepin’ Outta Trouble, Bukka White series)
For a second bill of the continental records releases of 2016, Keepin’ Outta Trouble is Rory Block’s sixth release in her “Mentor Series” that salutes the blues masters who’ve had a profound impact on her music. This time she pays tribute to Bukka White, one of the most influential country blues artists in history. She brings the soul and meaning of Bukka White’s songs to life, as if heard for the first time since they were written and performed by the man, himself. Rory Block is one of the most acclaimed acoustic blues artists. She has won five Blues Awards in the “Traditional Blues Female Artist” and “Acoustic Blues Album of the Year” categories. Here with Bukka White’s own Keepin’ Outta Trouble also the title track of the EP, she revisits Delta Blues.
- Luke Jackson http://lukepauljackson.com/shop/
- Joan Armatrading – Baby Blue Eyes
True musicians never stop working and Joe Armatrading was bound to get us another gem in 2016. She did. - Steve Pledger, The Right To Be Wrong 4:01 Somewhere Between 2016 Steve Pledger
I was looking forward to it at https://1inmusic.com/steve-pledger-somewhere/ and we got to hear it and review it! https://1inmusic.com/steve-pledger-somewhere-between/ - Lewis & Leigh, Heart Don’t Want from the album Ghost
favourite song: track 4 – Heart don’t want. simple acoustic harmonies grabbing your strings one at a time www.lewisandleigh.com - Phil Gammage, Used Man For Sale 03:22 Used Man For Sale (November 2016)
In the same year, continental record release the Eight solo album of two-time veteran of the CBGB Music Festival in New York and numerous songs featured in television shows and commercials have earned Phil a growing following and a steady hum of praise.
This appears to be in a great place with his music right now
His new album is Used Man For Sale which features ten original Gammage penned songs. As on all of his recordings, it features Phil singing, playing guitar, and playing harmonica.
Used Man For Sale is a follow-up to 2014’s Adventures in Bluesland (World Wide Vibe Records), an album of outstanding Gammage penned songs and his renditions of several traditional classics. It received rave reviews and made numerous ‘Best of the year’ lists internationally.
Used Man for Sale was produced by Kevin Tooley and recorded in New York at 30 Below Studio and World Wide Vibe Studios. Engineered by Brent McLaghlan and Kevin Tooley. Musicians: Kevin Tooley – drums; Frank DeNunzio – bass and backing vocals; Johnny Young – keyboards, piano; Michele Bulter – backing vocals; and Phil Gammage – lead vocals, guitars, harmonica, and vibes. This is the
- Le Vent du Nord – L’échafaud from the album Tetu on Borealis Records
Folk made in French Canada with some cheeky lyrics here and there and some serious musicanship. “L’échafaud” was our favourite song for its well balanced solemn tone and subject and we played it on I Write The songs #63.
- Simon Cousins When I’m In My Baby’s Arms 2:52 Simon Cousins – Forgiven Songs
I am grateful for wonderful shows such as Roots & Fusion, magazines and their compilations such as R2 and Songlines, music lovers and promoters such as Fatea, labels such as Continental records, artists and managers for allowing the discovery of a lot of these artists and their music. Some of these songs have been played on I Write The songs #101 special 2016. Some have been played during 2016. Some will be played in 2017, that is just how it is.
Looking forward to 2017 in music
I am extremely looking forward to the Jazz fusions and infusions of Cameroonian bassist Stephane Manga, the blues-infused vibes from Meena Cryle & The Chris Fillmore Band, led by guitar virtuoso Chris Fillmore with the January 2017 release of “In Concert”, their debut album for “Continental Blue Heaven/CRS” that span their various shows from the past 18 months of non-stop touring. I’m also looking forward to Maz O’Connor ‘s album. Just check out the single Skin, a lovely single beautifully complemented by a simple but deep video.