Top Ten Albums of 2021

At the risk of missing any December latecomers, I thought it was the right time to put together my list of top ten albums of 2021.

Right off the bat, I'm going to make it clear that this is just a list of ten albums. If I tried to rank these from one to ten, I think I'd be here until this time next year.

In the process of putting together this list, I'd made a note of several albums that I could have sworn had come out in 2021. They were however 2020 albums which just goes to show my concept of what happened and when in the last couple of years has been knocked off kilter. 

It has felt at times like one day has merged into the next and in some ways it is music that has helped me get through it. Whether it has been music releases, online streams or the tentative return of live music, it has all given me hope that better things are to come in 2022.

Anyway, with all that said, on with the list....

Claudia Combs Carty - Phases (EP)

Margo Cilker - Pohorylle

Jenny Colquitt - Something Beautiful

ELY - Black Smoke (EP)

Sierra Ferrell - Long Time Coming

Jackson & Sellers - Breaking Point

Charlie Marie - Ramble On

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Raise The Roof

Emily Scott Robinson - American Siren

Morgan Wade - Reckless 

Honourable mentions:
Leah Blevins - First Time Feeling
Ashland Craft - Travelin' Kind
Katie Jo - Pawn Shop Queen
Lainey Wilson - Sayin' What I'm Thinkin'

As strange a year as 2021 has been, it's been a great one in my opinion for new music releases. Perhaps enforced lockdowns on and off managed to get the creative juices flowing but there have been some brilliant new albums and EPs released in the last twelve months.

I look forward to more great music coming out in 2022!

Danni Nicholls - Kitchen Garden Cafe, Birmingham - 26th October 2021

Sometimes, the right gig comes along at just the right time.

Following a busy few weeks and with the winter drawing in, what was badly needed was an evening to uplift. A time to just sit back and enjoy music in the organic way that a venue like the Kitchen Garden and an artist like Danni Nicholls can combine to so wonderfully provide.

Danni mentioned that having recently returned from a trip to the States, she may have still been feeling the effects of jet lag. This was however in no way reflected in the quality of the performance which was top drawer as usual. The musical fruits from the aforementioned American trip were teased with the playing of a brand new song which was excellent and will be part of a forthcoming release which will be something to look forward to.

A double headline set with no support was an unexpected treat and the two sets of roughly fifty minutes each featured a lovely mix of newer and older songs. This performance just whet the appetite for the re-arranged gig at the fabulous Milton Keynes Stables next year. This and the promise of new music will be a shining light of 2022 I'm sure.

Danni Nicholls is an artist who is fully immersed in every song she performs. This is evident in her quintessential pose of eyes closed, feeling every song and note. 

The Kitchen Garden continues to put on some wonderful evenings of music. These type of gigs are more what I'm leaning towards these days. What better than such a wonderfully intimate setting for some live music? It certainly beats paying hundreds of pounds to squint up at an artist on a big screen, whilst sat miles away from the performance. 

Find out more about Danni at her website : https://www.danninicholls.com/

Jenny Colquitt - Brindley Theatre, Runcorn - 15th October 2021

15th October 2021 feels like it will go down as a significant date in the history of my live music attendance.

 

One of the silver linings from the cloud of the last couple of years has been my discovery of the music of Jenny Colquitt. Jenny is a wonderfully gifted singer songwriter from Widnes in the top left corner of Cheshire. I was wowed by her voice the very first time I heard it and I became an instant fan. Jenny has released two EP albums to date and her debut full length album is out in November, something I am very much looking forward to.

I just knew that I would have to see Jenny live at the first chance I got and her “home” gig across the river in Runcorn seemed like the perfect choice. The Brindley Theatre is an excellent location for live music with lighting and sound quality absolutely top notch.

The evening started with a brilliant 30 minute support set from Liverpool's Esme Bridie. A name I have to admit I had not come across in the past but her meaningful vocals and clever guitar playing provided a brilliant prelude to what was to come.

After a short interval, it was time for Jenny Colquitt to enter the stage. What followed was an absolute masterclass of music. Effortlessly moving between guitar, harmonica and keyboard accompaniment, Jenny wowed everyone in attendance with her wonderful lyrics and extraordinary vocals. 

Jenny writes from the heart on a variety of subjects and her songs about mental health are particularly meaningful for me personally, having known people who have struggled with this in the past. I was also moved to have one of my favourite songs Poetry of You sung for me. Thanks Jenny, it was a special moment that I will remember for a long time. 

The absolute cherry on the top of the cake was the encore - Jenny's stunning cover of Sting's "Fields of Gold". I don't make such comparisons lightly but I couldn't help but be reminded of Eva Cassidy's version of this song - one of the all time great voices in my opinion.

After having watched many of Jenny's internet streams, it was something of a surreal moment to actually see Jenny perform - in 3D as it were! It's an amazing feeling to have had such high expectations for an event truly and utterly exceeded. Months of anticipation in the build up to this and it was honestly one of the best gigs I've ever been to.

As well as the forthcoming release of her debut album, Jenny also has more music coming out soon as lead singer of the band ELY. There is plenty to look forward to in the next few months.

I can't wait to see what the next few years hold for this talented singer songwriter. The sky's the limit.

Back to the indoors.....

Almost eighteen months to the day since my last one, last Sunday night I went to an indoor gig. I went to a couple of "outdoor" gigs in the summer, both at the Kitchen Garden Cafe in Birmingham, and last Sunday night's gig was also at the same venue. It has become my favourite venue to see live music. I may be getting old before my time but there are several aspects of this place that I very much like. A chair to sit on, a table to put a drink on, and a  venue intimate enough that you get a great view wherever you are sat, to name just three. I have attended a variety of different gigs here and the sound quality is always absolutely spot on, whatever the style of music. Obviously I have to go to the locations where my favourite artists are performing but I would always favour this venue if I had the choice.

I took my seat roughly ten minutes before the gig was due to start and I can admit to feeling a little bit apprehensive. Despite the impression that many people seem to give, I know that the pandemic is not yet over. I'm still working on balancing returning to a normal life but also still being sensible and not taking unnecessary risks. I'm fully aware that my actions can have an impact on family, friends and work colleagues.
 
However by about half way through the first song by the Sara Petite Band, I felt completely at ease. Sara's joyful and traditional style, ably assisted by the talents of guitarist Joe Coombs and upright bass player Scott Warman, provided a wonderful evening of music on what was the final night of the tour. The band performed several from Sara's latest album "Rare Bird" and also a few from her back catalogue including a new favourite of mine, "Lead the Parade", from the album of the same name.

Despite a 1am deadline for travel to a Heathrow hotel ahead of a flight back across the Atlantic, Sara was happy to sign CDs and chat to people after the gig. Another of the great things about the Kitchen Garden gig experience is the connection formed between performer and audience. In comparison, large arena concerts can seem very impersonal at times.

I'd also at this point like to give a shout out to the Tour manager Peter. Every gig that I have attended where Peter has been involved have always been top notch. I can only imagine the logistical challenges involved in staging a UK tour for an American artist during the circumstances in which we currently find ourselves. It's not something I will take for granted ever again.

Morgan Wade - The X Factor?

Every now and then, an artist comes to my attention that just has a special something about them. Something different that sets them apart from the rest.

I’d seen several mentions of Morgan Wade’s debut album as something I should definitely check out. I’m always seeing lots of different recommendations in various places but when several were all saying the same thing, I couldn’t help but think, “Hmm, maybe there is something to this”. 

In anticipation of her album coming out on 19th March, I listened to the songs that I could find to see what all the fuss was about. The first song I listened to was called “The Night” which was released in 2019. To say I was blown away is an understatement of truly gigantic proportions. The tone of Morgan’s voice, the grittiness, the rasp, the painful honesty. All things that are in plentiful supply in country music, this being one of the main reasons I love the genre.

There was one line in that song in particular that totally bowled me over:

My mind likes to talk about everything I am not

and even worse everything I am

Just incredible - so much emotion and feeling in those words. Morgan has clearly had several demons to conquer in her life thus far, but perhaps her song writing and music gives her the perfect outlet to express those emotions. 

In the runup to the album release, my expectations were high to say the least and the record met those expectations and so much more. Reckless has shot to the top of my list of favourite albums of 2021 and it will take something extraordinary over the next few months to knock it into second place.

If I’m being at my most pedantic, I would have one very small criticism. The grittiness and the rasp mentioned earlier seem to have been toned down slightly for the album. It is those things that particularly drew me towards Morgan's music. Having said that, I can look forward to the day I can enjoy the voice and the songs in person at a live concert. 

My Favourite Discovery of 2020

For me it is quite a rare occurrence, but now and again I hear a new artist and I am completely stopped in my tracks. I have discovered many new artists to listen to courtesy of Linda's show Voice of a Woman, however one stands out head and shoulders above the rest in 2020.

Voice of a Woman broadcasts on a Sunday at 6pm and listening to the show is normally something I combine with getting tea ready, eating tea and clearing up afterwards. I remember vividly that I was in my kitchen washing up the first time that I heard the music of Jenny Colquitt. Linda played her song “Tell Me Where The Light Is” and I was instantly captured by the sound. I was truly mesmorised and it was only the song finishing and the realisation that I was dripping soapy water all over the kitchen floor that snapped me back to some level of awareness of what was going on around me. This was not a feeling I had experienced since the first time I heard the music of Eva Cassidy.

Jenny is a talented and versatile singer-songwriter and her music spans many different genres. She has two EP albums of her own music out but she is also equally adept at producing excellent cover versions of many different classic songs, again covering many different styles. Jenny has what I would call a “magic ear”, when it comes to interpreting a song, putting her own twist on it while still retaining the original essence of the song.

Zombie - The Cranberries (cover by Jenny Colquitt)

The 2016 EP “The Quiet Kind” and the 2020 follow up “Dear Daughter” are both superb and I have posted the Bandcamp link at the bottom of this post. Please check out Jenny's music there, stream it on Spotify and look up Jenny's social media accounts. She also streams regularly on Youtube and Facebook and has just started streaming on Twitch as well so there are plenty of chances to hear Jenny live (or at least as close to live as we can manage at the moment).

Jenny's songwriting is very honest and genuine. She truly writes from the heart and her songs are full of passion and feeling. What I like is that she doesn't shy away from writing songs about difficult subjects. Songs such as “I am Yours” which is about addiction, it is difficult to not be moved by Jenny's performance as emotion seeps out of every pore.

I am Yours - original song by Jenny Colquitt

I can't wait to see where the journey takes her in 2021. Seeing Jenny live in concert is one of the first things I want to do when it is safe to do so, restrictions are eased and live music can begin to take place again. It will be a special moment.

Please visit Jenny's website by clicking on the link below:
Jenny Colquitt Music

Please see Jenny's Bandcamp page:
Jenny Colquitt Bandcamp

Happy birthday to Voice of a Woman!

Almost exactly twelve months ago, a message was posted to my Facebook group advertising the first episode of a brand new radio show. My Facebook group exists to promote women in country music and a radio show that does exactly the same seemed like a good match.

Voice of a Woman is produced and presented by Linda and broadcasts on Claremorris Community Radio every Sunday at 6pm. It is also repeated on a Tuesday afternoon at 4pm. The show promotes and shines a light on female artists in the country, Americana and folk genres. As these are my favourite genres and added to the fact that I mostly listen to female singers, I have become a regular listener of the show.

Linda is one of the most enthusiastic and genuine supporters of women in music that I know. I enjoy finding new artists to listen to and, in the last twelve months, a large proportion of my new favourites are thanks to listening to Voice of a Woman. This time last year, I'd never heard of names such as Robbie Harte, Kree Harrison, Nell Bryden, Cerian, Lorraine Nash, Emily Ann Roberts and Jenny Colquitt – just to name a few. All of these and many more have become artists that I regularly listen to. Variety is the spice of life as they say and I've always liked listening to many different artists – I could never just listen to the same handful of singers and bands over and over again. I love that there is just so much variety out there, a sound for every mood!

The music industry must be so difficult to crack and with the added problems caused by a worldwide pandemic, I can only imagine how important Linda's unwavering support is for these artists. Not being able to hold a tune to save my life, I will never be an artist myself but promoting your own music must seem like a relentless slog at times. It must mean the world to have Linda in your corner shining a light on your work, her positivity and ebullience when it comes to music is pretty unmatched in my experience.

The turbulent year that was 2020 contained very few constants but for me listening to Voice of a Woman has been something that I have come to rely on. I have worked full time throughout the pandemic, and just at that point on a Sunday evening where the worries about going back to work are starting to manifest themselves, listening to the show feels a bit like nectar for the soul. For that one hour every week I can forget about whatever else is going on in the world and truly immerse myself in some great music.

Please keep doing what you're doing Linda, speaking for myself I really appreciate it and I'm positive that there are many artists out there who also greatly appreciate what you do. Under normal circumstances I'm sure that we would have met in person at a gig by now. Rest assured, when that time comes I'm sure there will be a lengthy conversation all about music! I look forward to that day.

Listen to Voice of a Woman at the following link:
Claremorris Community Radio

Listen to previous episodes at the Mixcloud link below:
Voice of a Woman - Mixcloud