We have had to wait five years for Amy MacDonald's fourth album Under Stars. Not quite living up to This is the Life, A Curious Thing and Life in a Beautiful Light, but welcome nonetheless. The stand out tracks are Dream On, Automatic and From the Ashes. It was great to hear her in concert in April.
From Joseph come their second album I'm Alone, No You're Not. It's extraordinary how they sound much like First Aid Kit, but that's not a bad thing. A good collection of songs written by a combination of the three Closner sisters and the odd collaborator. Firmly in my favourite bracket of indie folk. Canyon, I Don't Mind. More Alive Than Dead (showing off their harmonies to best effect) and Sweet Dreams are the highlights.
More polished harmonies from Catherine and Lizzy Ward Thomas. I was not at all keen on their earlier albums I tried on Spotify, far too country for me. But this new offering has been toned down from that heavy country to a more mainstream sound. But only just. So I was happy to buy this CD and hear stand out tracks like Almost Home and Guilty Flowers. And I like to support a Hampshire duo.
After their great first album If You Wait, comes the second and almost as good Truth is a Beautiful Thing. I'm not sure why I like this band, their songs filled with some atmospheric electronica. But the "posh folk" of Hannah Reid's voice over the carefully constructed background of guitars and piano. And everything done at a stylish slow pace. Such as Oh Woman Oh Man, Hell to the Liars and the title track.
I passed on K T's acoustic album from 2013 Invisible Empire/Crescent Moon. Her new album Kin is back to her old up tempo style with tracks like Maybe Its a Good Thing and Run On Home mixed with ballads like Two Way and Kin. All pretty much middle of the road, just the kind of thing as background in the car. Maybe I should give the acoustic session a go.
After her exceptional 2013 album Fire Within comes Beautiful Lies, the latest album from Birdy. Full of trademark ballads such as Deep End, and the brilliant Lost it All. Worth it for that track alone, but every song has something.
My third album from The Pierces, and maybe the last for a while with Allison Pierce having released her first solo album. (Sounds very ordinary on Spotify). Creation is, perhaps better that their previous CD's, I think I preferred The Pierces to You and I. Full of the soft rock harmonies I love, especially on tracks like Kings, I Can Feel, Monsters, Confidence in Love and Flesh and Bone. I am trying hard not to play this last wonderful track too often on repeat for falling out of love with this superb ballad written by Catherine Pierce. Can't wait for her solo album.
I dont know how I missed this 2008 album from Tift Merritt. It may have been that her only other album in my collection, Tambourine is too country for my taste, as is her latest album. But Another Country veers towards the kinder folk sounds of Emmy Lou Harris and Nanci Griffith. With tracks like Broken, the superb title track, even the soul inspired Tell Me Something True and Tender Branch.
What a disappointment to end with. After extolling the virtues of A Fine Frenzy in an earlier post, for Alison Sudol's recording career to probably end with this acoustic album recorded live, well it is such a shame. It's just that on Pines the songs are so poor. I will have to put this 2013 album away and forget about it.
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