Susannah Clegg – Good Times are Coming Our Way

‘Good Times are Coming Our Way’ is the title of Susannah Clegg’s album. An understatement if it’s used to describe her debut collection. For these ten songs firmly announce her as one of the stars of traditional country music in the UK. While many others blend pop with the genre to various extents, Clegg stays true to fiddle, double bass and guitar. Showcasing a versatile vocal alongside these trusted instruments, she crafts simple and emotive stories told with a stereotypical twang.

There is no better example of her repertoire than the opening track ‘Prospect Street’. It supplants the listener within the era of Hank Williams and Bill Monroe. Much like the Jaywalkers, Clegg does not so much pay homage to these artists as put her own spin on their popular sound. The result is highly evocative. ‘Put Me in My Grave’ walking a fine line between consuming love and melodramatic heartbreak well.

The fiddle is expertly adaptable, shifting emotions throughout. Its playfulness giving way to a kind of sorrow on ‘Tess’. The track is so atmospheric, bringing to mind the Gothic Folk of Toria Wooff. But it’s the chorus that is captivating – self-aware and observant, like a John Prine track – with the addition of some beautiful lines of verse featuring butterflies and moths. What Clegg does so well is include instrumental moments within her songs. They create breathing space not only for the listener but the lyrics, enabling the stories to be told with ambience that sets a certain tone. The title track, for example, turning from mellow to funereal and back again as a tale of tragedy unfolds.

‘Sweet Roses’ is a lovely little interlude before the second half of the album features recognisable tracks for those who have seen her live. Both ‘Caroline’ and ‘Colorado’ continue her penchant for measured storytelling, in ways that are highly memorable. Every word of the former rolls off my tongue after only a couple of listens while the latter is so engrossing as to be transportive. One can feel the ache towards the place which is then nicely contrasted with the fast-picking bluegrass on ‘Last to Know Blues’. By far the liveliest song on the album, it shows another side to Clegg which keeps the record refreshing. The subversive gospel of ‘Let in the Night’ to finish underlining her strengths. She is an artist steeped in the history of country music. But with this album, she most definitely makes it her own.

You can purchase Susannah Clegg’s debut album here, or listen on your preferred streaming platform.

Featured Image (C) Susannah Clegg Music

Zoe Unsworth – Old Time Soul

The title track is buried in the middle of Zoe Unsworth’s EP. But the artists it quotes are worth starting with to understand where ‘Old Time Soul’ sits. Dolly and Elvis may be two of the most obvious choices when it comes to country music, but their ability to cross-pollinate is Zoe Unsworth’s forte. Here are five tracks that span the decades, combining traditional sounds with elements of pop, and throwing in a bit of Billy Joel piano for good measure. Comparisons with Ella Langley are inevitable in the current climate, but the lyrical playfulness alongside genre-blending compositions are, in this instance, warranted. ‘Tell Tale’ and ‘Bless Your Heart’ are, in particular, full of clever lines to upend the two-timing guy and hateful antagoniser. Both utilise the fiddle and pedal steel to beautiful effect – the former tinged with regret while the latter laced with ironic truth. Meanwhile, opening track ‘Solo’ reveals her vulnerable side, with a compelling honesty wrapped in a gorgeous americana arrangement. And ‘Daisy’ loses the listener in a sprinkling of magical notes that weave together loss and acceptance. It is one of five stories here that reflect Zoe Unsworth’s ability to translate her upbringing listening to country music into playing and performing it. She does so with understated confidence. ‘Old Time Soul’ is a fantastic debut for this Manchester singer-songwriter.

You can listen to ‘Old Time Soul’ now wherever you get your music.

Featured Image (C) Zoe Unsworth

Rebecca Richards – Stories from the Stable

Rebecca Richards is an artist who is consistently good at what she does. The Welsh singer-songwriter has been gaining recognition and plaudits of late, including an invitation to spend time in Nashville. Her latest EP though has been made closer to home. ‘Stories from the Stable’ refers to four tracks recorded in Stef Judd’s studio in Norfolk. They represent an amalgamation of British Folk and US Country. The former more pronounced musically while the latter reveals itself in narrative tropes. There’s the revenge song (‘Aces are High’) to start while ‘Amber’ is Richards’ version of Dolly’s ‘Jolene’. Its light, airy and neon-filled sound capturing a jealousy that verges on admiration. Then ‘Bring It All Back’ ticks off regret with its heartrending chorus before ‘The House’ rounds things off. This hometown ode ripples with Miranda Lambert’s similarly-named song. But whilst that is tinged with sadness and longing, Richards’ EP-closer is only celebratory. Topped with some beautifully emotive piano and pedal steel. Further evidence that Pontypool’s own can mix it with Nashville’s country music natives.

You can listen to Rebecca’s EP on your preferred music platform now.

Featured Image (C) Rebecca Richards Music

Bryony Sier – Who Am I

Bryony Sier has managed to sum up her album in nine words. One for each song on the record. It is some feat considering that her sound has always been hard to pin down. ‘Who Am I’ feels like a natural follow-on to 2020’s ‘Personal Monster’. Themes of identity and mental health persist but there is much more positivity than previous. Perhaps because you sense Sier is rewriting her story.

The title track asks a question that has always been at the heart of her music. One which seems to be verging on an answer as she stands “across the divide”. The break between a trauma-filled past and a freedom-full future in sight. But in true Bryony Sier fashion, she muddies the waters, capturing the complexity of human emotion. The line “words can live on / years after they are said” summing up, rather poignantly, this point.

It is one of a couple of songs on the album that most resembles country-pop. But as ‘Telephone’ demonstrates, she appears to be veering more to the latter end of the spectrum now. This is by far the bounciest number of the nine, its story of connection (or lack thereof) reminiscent of Izzie Walsh’s latest single. Both artists tackle the realities of life as a 20/30-something, Sier’s ‘Brand New’ and ‘Let’s Talk’ further detailing the transition into adulthood. The vulnerability with which she relates her experiences echoes through the lyrics in haunting fashion. For those who have gone through similar, it is comforting, even empowering.

‘Why Do I Matter’ and ‘Platform 8’ represent her attempt to win back the narrative. The former proclaiming agency through beautiful irony whilst the latter is defiant in its unashamedly autobiographical rendering. This is the closest she comes to answering the album’s title, and it is Swiftian in its response. Along with heartbreak and ambition, Bryony Sier touches on a bit of everything to make a record that feels well-rounded but above all forward-looking. Its central message to “keep on holding on”, for nothing lasts forever. “I’m finally seeing in colour”.

You can purchase the album from Bryony’s website here. 

Featured Image (C) Bryony Sier

H.B. Whitman – No.1 Best Selling Page Turner

You can be forgiven for thinking H.B. Whitman is an American export. But the traditional country sounds on his debut single ‘No. 1 Best Selling Page Turner’ have been honed in England. Having studied the history and craft as a session musician, the influence of Kris Kristofferson and John Prine can be heard not only in his vocals but his songwriting too. It ensures that this first foray into original material sits on sure foundations. Balancing sincerity with humour, he tells the story of a man who discovers a bible in “that bedside drawer” and its impact on him. The second verse in particular really comes into its own, complete with bobbing harmonica and playful pedal steel. One can’t help hearing the double meaning of that leading line “Jesus Christ / what a man” – both a reflection by the protagonist on this central figure of the Gospels, and an appreciation by Whitman and his listeners for this man’s unique approach to faith. The result is a song that brings a wry smile, and a warm welcome to the UK Country scene for this Brighton-based artist.

Released on September 2nd 2026, you can listen to the single on your preferred streaming platform.

Featured Image (C) Milo Costelloe

Izzie Walsh – I Need You More

‘I Need You More’, the new single from Izzie Walsh, is a reminder that presence is the most important thing in life. But as many of us experience in “the rat race” of contemporary culture, to be there in practice is not always easy. We “work till we feel the bones” to try and make something for ourselves and that can come at the expense of emotional and physical investment, particularly in the relationships we hold most dear. There is a real hunger borne out in this track for more than just passing sentiments like flowers and roses. In the all-too-familiar banjo of Walsh’s music is a gentle cry for the attendant other and nothing more. It conveys a beautiful simplicity, as defines her general style. Quietly political, it is a welcome return for one of Manchester’s foremost artists in UK Americana.

Featured Image (C) Izzie Walsh

Olivia Lynn – Little Miss Nightmare

Olivia Lynn’s single might have been late to its own release party but its eventual appearance has been worth the wait. Through no fault of its own, ‘Little Miss Nightmare’ was taken down from Spotify (along with the rest of Lynn’s material) and only reinstalled after the tenacious work of Lynn and her parents. The kind of resolve seen in the protagonist of this song. Borrowing from ‘Jolene’ by Dolly Parton, the track is suitably sassy, confident, and full of bravado. The woman at its centre warding off, in no uncertain terms, the advances of another towards her man. Lynn channels the spirit of Lauren Alaina in her powerful vocals which shine through an electrified country-pop composition. It is a very different tone to her most well-known tune, ‘Open’. But it’s no less memorable and deserving of as much recognition.

Featured Image (C) Olivia Lynn

Amy-Jo – Dumb

There is something undeniably tasty about Amy-Jo’s latest release. Not just the riff of its chorus, playing so delectably on its title, ‘Dumb’, but the assured put-downs and playful interludes too. This is her response to the mansplainers and misogynists who would have her “sat on my phone in the dark”. The kind that like “a girl who agrees”. But in the vein of Katy Hurt and Annie Dressner, Amy-Jo rejects this coercive male desire through a series of wonderfully subversive lines wrapped in a most beguiling composition. Even the ever-present encouragement displayed in her songs has a spicy irony:

“I’m sure you’ll meet your someone… / who’ll march to your own drum”.

The result is a track that garners real anticipation for her forthcoming debut album. The excitement for which is really building now.

Featured Image (C) Amy-Jo Clough

Bronnie – Sedona Sunrise

Bronnie delivers what you might expect on her sophomore album ‘Sedona Sunrise’. An enticing mix of country-pop-punk feature across twelve tracks to mark a now-signature style. These are blended with well-written choruses and trademark themes that can only stand her in good stead as she settles over in Nashville.

The title track illudes to this move across the Pond. It’s all about chasing dreams and “starting to feel complete” in doing so. ‘Own Girl Own World’ is of similar ilk. Both songs featuring pop and rock elements respectively for which the latter conveys a sense of freedom and self-assurance that is plastered over this record. Not that heartbreak and hardship don’t feature. ‘Out of the Blue’ and ‘Mockingbird’ are devastating in their narrative, with the latter turning into a ballad to express the pain of knowing “you’ve got me in one hand / while the other’s safe with her”.

The influence of her relocation Stateside is most evident on ‘Memory Lane’. This duet with Mason Levi is straight-up contemporary country of the highest order. It could easily rival its namesake by Old Dominion. With an infectious beat and striking lyrics, it is one of a number of songs that play to an anthemic chorus. ‘Unfamiliar Places’ and ‘That’s Why I Hate You’ stand out in large part due to their central refrain. Made all the better by that familiar pop-punk combination.

‘If We Never Met’ reveals that Bronnie hasn’t abandoned a British sensibility. The simplest musical arrangement on the album affords a Celtic lilt and Folk-like beat which is reminiscent of acoustic-driven artists like Sarah Louise. It offers a softness that is in sweet contrast to the rest of the tracks on this record; which feels emergent from the green fields of her Wirral home rather than the dirt roads of Southern states.

This helps give ‘Sedona Sunrise’ an identity that is distinctly Bronnie. One which is unafraid to borrow from different places to create something that melds them effortlessly. Her move to Music City can only strengthen what is already a growing reputation. Joining Twinnie as one of our foremost female exports.

You can purchase the album and lots more here.

Featured Images (C) Bronnie Music

Gig Diaries – Good Company (Jun 2026 edition)

The celebration of Good Company’s first anniversary was rather understated. At least in terms of sound. For rather than some of the punchy country and acoustic rock that have been a staple so far, this songwriters’ round leant heavily into whimsical folk. Not that the genre that host Katy Hurt is known for took a backseat entirely. Owen Morton championed a classic honky-tonk sound. But he was sandwiched between Jessica Dives and Martha Cowan who, between them, lent a thoughtful and ethereal air to proceedings. The tempo was sedate. The mood meandering. As a result, the night’s emphasis on storytelling took on extra significance. It reminded me of an Al Olender gig that I attended earlier in the year. And indeed, Cowan in particular was reminiscent of her. With each line of her lyrics holding a weight of meaning. Stringing them together to create an atmosphere that was highly conducive to listening. And with songs like ‘The Wind Project’, Dives was equally enchanting. Combining the jazz-like vocals of Hailey Tuck with the wistfulness of Ellie Gowers to tell tales that were both interesting and emotional. It seemed that Katy herself was attuned to their vibes as ‘All We Ever Have’ and ‘Seasons’ melded beautifully with their choices. And even Morton, with ‘Scrap Metal’, added a poignancy that was in keeping with the general ambience. Along with some random diversions into conversations about watches and the Wirral in between their songs, this sixth outing for Hurt’s baby at Thornton Hough Village Club proved to be a quiet success. Here’s to many more at this hidden gem of a venue.

Featured Image (C) Katy Hurt