Hengistbury Release Album Add Another Minute

Back in May, Hengistbury released catchy single, ‘What Folks Don’t Know’ to widespread acclaim with features, interviews and live performances on the likes of Russell Hill’s Country Music Show, Off the Record, The Music Scout, UK Country Music, Nexus Music Blog, Folking.com, Belles and Gals and right here on Craving Country. They were featured in Lyric Magazine’s Hottest Country and Spotify’s Country Mix 2018 playlists. They were also named Artist of the Week by Richer Unsigned and Q Magazine.

Now they’re back, with new single ‘Shooter on the Mound’ and a brand new, debut album, Add Another Minute.

Having formed in November 2017, Hengistbury – made up of Jessie Mary and Pete Briley – have been hard at work ever since, making their debut album Add Another Minute. Hengistbury have delved deep into the array of instruments available to them to create a sound that is “distinctly unique” (Nexus Music Blog) and “charmingly country” (Craving Country UK).  Their unique ability  shines through in each track, my personal favourites being the upbeat ‘Anybody’s Fool’ and ‘Don’t Leave’, each using harmonies and instruments to create their “charmingly country” sound. Each song from the album has something slightly different to offer, so give Add Another Minute a listen.

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Gig Review: Lukas Nelson & POTR

Following his stellar performance at C2C 2018, Lukas Nelson returned to the UK with his band Promise of the Real, and a few of us were lucky enough to bare witness to his incredible show at The Garage in London on July 10th.

In my experience, the mention of Lukas Nelson to people over here in the UK is normally followed up with, “he’s Willie Nelson’s son”, and while he makes no secret of the fact, it is certainly not what defines him musically. Lukas Nelson is a rare talent, one of the few people on this earth who are musical down to their soul. This is evident on their self-titled album, released last year which features 12 songs each different to one another but each so so good.

The band opened with ‘Entirely Different Stars’, a new song which imagines life in outer space and has the best guitar riff. They then went on to perform ‘Die Alone’, ‘Fool Me Once’ and ‘Runnin’ Shine’ before killing it with crowd favourite ‘Carolina’. There’s something

New Band Hengistbury Release Single

Always happy to hear new music from new UK country artists! Hengistbury are a new country act made up of Jessie Mary and Pete Briley. In November 2017, the duo hunkered down in a tiny studio on the Dorset coast – filled with guitars, fiddles, lap steels, banjos and

Single Review: ‘Friends Don’t’

Maddie and Tae are back and better than ever! Their new single ‘Friends Don’t’ shows their growth since ‘Start Here’ in their vocals and their songwriting. Their last album was released in 2015, so it’s amazing to hear them back again after so long away. At each live show I’ve been to since then, they have given a taste of their new music with a few different songs and so for them to finally be released is exciting.

Their new single ‘Friends Don’t’ is all about what friends don’t do, but a potential love interest might, for example “They don’t talk about the future and put each other in it, and get chills with every accidental touch”.  For me, Maddie and Tae’s

Album Review: Golden Hour

The wait is over! The Golden Hour has finally arrived in the form of a brand new Kacey Musgraves album. This album really embodies who Musgraves has become as an artist, lyrically and musically and it does so with an authenticity and enchantment.

Most of the songs on this album have a different sound to anything we’ve heard from Musgraves before, yet the lyrics hold the same real life feel that we know and love. Different from the majority of the country genre, Musgraves is still echoing the sentiments of ‘Follow Your Arrow’ in songs, just less

C2C Highlights

Bear with me while I recover from the weekend and cope with the fact C2C is over for another year. Before I post my reviews, here’s a list my Top 10 best things at C2C 2018, not necessarily in order.

1. Walker Hayes in the NY-LON Lounge Bar.

For those lucky enough to see anyone in the NY-LON Lounge Bar, you’ll know what an amazing, intimate venue it is. As a huge fan of Walker Hayes it was such a privilege to see him in such a setting and I only wish more gigs could be like that!

2. Lindsay Ell on the BBC Radio 2 stage.

The biggest disappointment for the initial C2C line up for me, was that Lindsay Ell only had a slot on the Spotlight Stage, when I feel that she is worthy of so much more. So,

Every Little Thing

The wait is over! Carly Pearce’s debut album is here and it is amazing. Such a bluesy feel to this album, I love it.

While women in country are having to contend against everyone for recognition, it’s exciting to see Pearce’s album being received so well on social media and by critics alike.  Some elements of Pearce’s album could be compared to Miranda Lambert or Maren Morris, like “Hide The Wine” and “Color”, but regardless of this, Pearce is smashing it all by herself, doing women in country proud.

While the album is true to her Kentucky roots, some songs ere more on the side of

Kris Kristofferson’s Glastonbury Debut

At 81 years old, Kris Kristofferson just played Glastonbury Festival for the first time. Appearing on the Pyramid Stage on Friday night, Kristofferson opened with my second personal favourite (the first being ‘Sunday Morning Coming Down’), ‘Me and Bobby McGee’.

Despite his age showing through each melancholy verse, each song was performed with such mournful delight and it was truly a pleasure to watch.

He changed the lyrics of ‘Help Me Make It Through the Night’ to sing ‘help me make it through tonight‘, as he had also done months ago at a show in Kansas. This bittersweet moment was one of many throughout his performance. Kristofferson repeatedly ended his songs with ‘I think it finishes there’ or words to that effect, showing that time takes its toll, sparing no one, not even the greats. Kristofferson delivered, though through a fading voice, a devastatingly wonderful set.

If you took nothing from his set today other than an old man in front of a under-appreciative crowd, take this: Kristofferson is the perfect example of why you should never stop striving, and should always do what you love.

Album Review: From A Room: Vol 1

Like the rest of the world, I fell in love with Chris Stapleton’s voice the first time I heard it. Willing to listen to anything new that’s classified as ‘country’, I listened to Traveler as soon as it was released, not knowing what to expect. We all know how that one turned out, so here I am to praise From A Room: Volume 1 to the highest degree.

The album pairs country and blues perfectly, as he tells a variety of stories through the harmonicas and instruments making up the country twang.  Search Stapleton’s name on Twitter and there is nothing but love for the album, the voice and the man himself. Despite his extraordinary talent, he remains humble, particularly when performing live – when we are most in awe. Also needing a shoutout is Stapleton’s wife, Morgane who in her own right is a brilliant singer/songwriter. She can be seen standing right there next to him on stage, singing those perfect harmonies.

Family Table Review

 

Zac Brown Band have released another single from their upcoming album Welcome Home, along with a lyric video. I love “My Old Man” and “Real Thing” but I think “Family Table” might be my favourite of the new album so far. The song is an ode to a piece of furniture, as well as a heartfelt metaphor for the comfort of family. The lyrics echo this sentiment as ZBB sing, “it’s the cornerstone that held us all up”.