Showing posts with label American. Show all posts
Showing posts with label American. Show all posts

Wednesday 31 January 2018

Shawn Colvin Celtic Connections 2018


 Shawn Colvin, is a Grammy award-winning American singer-songwriter, best known for her 1996 platinum album, A Few Small Repairs and her song ‘Sunny Came Home’.
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The concert was opened by a welcoming and accomplished duo from Colvin’s band, Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams.
Colvin is celebrating 20 years since the success of her Few Small Repairs album with a full band concert at Celtic Connections festival and the re-release of a newly expanded album edition.

Tonight she performed the songs from the album along with other fan favourites such as ‘Diamond in the Rough’. There were several stand out songs, ‘You and Mona Lisa’, ‘Simple Truth’, ‘Wichita Skyline’, ‘Nothin On Me’, ‘Suicide Alley’ ‘New Thing Now’ and ‘I’ll Be Back.’
She also stripped it back to only her voice and piano on a couple of songs. At one point she spoke of her lyric book. She sang a four songs encore encouraged by fans applause.


An enjoyable, quality concert. She sang of heartbreak and enduring and her sound elegantly mixes country, pop and contemporary. Colvin is an engrossing, subtle songstress with immersive and sensitive songs and voice.
Shawn Colvin is the recipient of the Americana Music Association’s 2016 Lifetime Achievement Trailblazer Award,

A Few Small Repairs SONGS: Sunny Came Home, Get Out of This House, The Facts About Jimmy,  You and the Mona Lisa, I Want it Back, If I Were Brave, Wichita Skyline, 84,000 Different Delusions, Suicide Alley, What I Get Paid For, New Thing Now, Nothin On M.   -  http://www.shawncolvin.com

Tuesday 31 January 2017

LIV ON with Olivia Newton-John Celtic Connections 2017


A hopeful and life-embracing evening of song, togetherness and support to lift the spirits and also to heal. 
Australian, American and Canadian, singer songwriters Olivia Newton-John, Beth Nielsen Chapman and Amy Sky shared their grief journey songs on their collaborative LIV On: ‘A New Album to aid & Comfort Those Experiencing Grief & Loss while using the power of music to heal’.
The set moved seamlessly even though this was only their second gig together and was led by Nielsen Chapman as musical director. She sang her well loved songs – ‘Sand and Water’, ‘You Don’t Know what to Say’, ‘This Kiss’ and ‘Christmas Song’.

Canadian Amy Sky played piano on several songs including her moving song ‘Forever Blue. She also performed a dramatic ‘Phenomenal Women’, which had words by the poet Maya Angelou.
Meanwhile Olivia sang some of her best loved songs – ‘Love will See Us Through’, ‘Grace and Gratitude’, ‘I Will Always Love You’. She also performed the signature song ‘LIV ON.’  We all remembered Newton-John from the famous Grease movie. She looked well and had great rapport with the concert hall audience. She also performed her songs perfectly, expressing exactly the right mood and feel for the concert and songs.


Olivia Newton-John
They sang of their love and strength, of redemption songs. They sang with gentle, poignant harmonies and piano of how love will see us through. They also opened up to the audience for their own stories of grief.

This concert was about the journey of grief we must all travel to release the pain, but more than this, it was about the destination of acceptance. For their finale they clapped and smiled and sang the hit song ‘Happy’. Phil Cunningham joined them on stage and they also sang a restoring ‘Do not stand at my Grave.’

While of course Olivia was very much the star!

They were very well supported by the talented fiddler John McCusker and his band with wondrous reels and slower tunes, when they were joined on stage by the singers Heidi Talbot and Adam Holmes.

Review and Photos Pauline Keightley  - http://pkimage.co.uk
John McCusker band

Wednesday 10 February 2016

Transatlantic Sessions 2016

Diversity, excellence, harmony, quality voices, top musicianship.
This is my ninth year of Transatlantic Sessions. I enjoy a seat in the front stalls of the concert hall and it feels like being transported on an escapist, joyous musical journey. This year the stage had a textured blue backdrop adorned with yellow lights – and along with the cream of Scottish and American folk music talent that confirms this concert as being the jewel in the crown of  ccfest.
Karen Matheson
Joe Newberry
The TS concerts vary – some are full of that joie de vivre so hard to describe; some are more escapist; some are poignant, some are full of perfect singing and instrumental solos; some are a subtle mix of emotions and hitting the right tone – and some combine all of these elements.There is the quality of musicianship and instruments, along with the depth and assuredness of a supreme band that all blend together to produce the perfect balance.

For tonight’s concert we had a truly high calibre of singers with Rhiannon Giddens, Karen Matheson, Cara Dillon, The Milk Carton Kids, Joe Newberry with their contrasting vocal styles.

Appalachian music came to Glasgow in the form of musician and songwriter Joe Newberry from North Carolina. 
Beautiful Gaelic singer Karen Matheson sang the emotional favourite Burns song Ca the Yowes. Karen has released her fourth solo album Urram.

With her warm, natural acoustic Irish voice Cara Dillon sang  Bright River Line and a memorable unaccompanied song The Winding River Roe. 
Milk Carton Kids from the American west coast sang perfect Everly Brothers style harmonies and played a light style bluegrass song. They also performed a unique Pink Floyd’s, Wish You Were Here.

Aly Bain
Jerry Douglas
We were treated to fine tunes written by Scottish musician Phil Cunningham - played by himself and his long term partner the accomplished Shetland fiddle of Aly Bain. Bain always makes his skill look so comfortable and so easy! Also the quality tunes from violinist John McCusker and the talented Michael McGoldrick on flute and Northumbrian pipes.

Cara Dillon

*A highlight of the night had to be gospel soul and opera singer Rhiannon Giddens who brought the first half to a dramatic conclusion. She sang of spiritual heartbreak with her powerhouse, absorbing voice with her unusual dynamic and energy. In her red dress she smiled and danced as she waved her arms wide.
Her personal history is an unusual mix of southern families – of African-American, Native-American and European-American.

She spoke of the importance history of the songs and she gave a powerful interpretation of an Odetta song, of the 1855 civil war and slavery She's Got You and also Black is the Colour. Her first solo album Tomorrow is My Turn has been receiving rave reviews. She sings with the band the Chocolate Drops. 

I remember visiting the Smoky Mountains - we stopped at an old ruined township and took time to visit the graveyard where we noticed so many were Scottish names and many were very young, Life was tough for many of the original pioneers here. The Scottish stories and music travelled with them over 200 years ago and our ties to America are strong ones. 
Highlights are also the singing with such a quality band!  The Transatlantic band 2016  - Aly Bain, Jerry Douglas, Phil Cunningham, Danny Thompson, Russ Barenberg, Mike McGoldrick, John Doyle, John McCusker, James Mackintosh and Donald Shaw. 
Transatlantic Sessions Photos - http://pkimage.co.uk/transatlanticsessions2016


SET LIST

ALL - tune Fortingall

Karen Metheson -  Ci an Fhidil & Ca the Yowes

Cara Dillon -  Bright Morning Star & The Winding River Roe

Joe Newberry -  Cherry River Line &   I Know Those Tears

Russ Barenburg - The Talking      

Rhiannon Giddens  -  She's Got You &  Black is the Colour

John Doyle -   Know My Love

Milk Carton Kids -  Wish You Were Here   

John McCusker - Opening Tune

ENCORE - It Ain't Easy  - All Singers
             Boys of 25/Glass of Beer


Monday 25 January 2016

Lucinda Williams rocked at Celtic Connections 2016!


Sassy straight talking rock on lady! This lady takes no prisoners and she seems grounded.

I came new to Lucinda, while I had read good reviews of her work. Looking at her Wikipedia page I noticed that at 62 she has unusually been having more success as she gets older.
As we waited in the packed Glasgow concert hall an enthusiastic man appeared at the side of the stage waving a set list. I got a photo - was this Mr Overby her manger and now husband? I wondered was the extra time before the gig to ground us to be ready to listen? 

She sang several tracks from her new 2016 album, Ghost of Highway 20, in which she sings of her memories of the deep south and of those lost to her. 'Places you can't let go of - they won't let go of you' and 'I found myself on Highway 20' 
On any given night there would likely be certain songs on her set list such as Drunken Angel, Lake Charles and Cold Day in Hell. 'Each time I look at the world there's a different story.' Another song was entitle Protection. 'Protection from the enemy of love, the enemy of rock n roll' And on Find My Joy she sang, 'You took my joy don't mess with me.' 

Her father was the poet, Miller Williams (who read at Bill Clinton's inauguration). He once took her to hear the preacher and street singer guitarist Blind Pearly Brown. She may have found setting his words to music a challenge but she managed on his poem Compassion and on Dust. 'You couldn't cry if you wanted to.' Her mother, Lucy Morgan was a musician.

The rocking high quality band Buick 6 performed with her. Guitarist Stuart Mathis took up mournful and joyous melodies along side dynamic drummer Butch Norton in his white cowboy hat and their bassist David Sutton racked up the energy. Often she turned her back to conduct the band so they are all in sync. Lucinda with her shock of blond hair and leather jacket is not your average softly dressed country gal! On a couple of songs there was just Lucinda on guitar.

For her encore songs Lucinda sang Robert Johnston's Stop Breaking Down Blues and JJ Cale's song Magnolia. She smiled as she searched for the last song among her pages of songs when her roadie came to assist. 

Her spiritual songs cover pathos, regret, searching. Lucinda's voice packs a punch with a rasp, unforgettable direct earthiness. At times with her head titled back slightly her voice soars and meanders those blues songs.  

She is a three times Grammy award winner and considered one of America's top songwriters. I can understand why, I was new to these songs and they registered and struck home right away.
Harmony, peaceful, rocking! 

She is a defiant lady who has travelled many roads. There were loads of stand outs and textured, layered songs with an artist of this calibre and there is nothing subtle about Lucinda. http://lucindawilliams.com/

Williams was well supported by Canadian singer songwriter Jenny Ritter.