Beyond The 45
Singles, EPs, Downloads
The Fatea office also serves as a home for our weekly Along The Tracks show on Blues & Roots Radio and as a rule singles and Eps have generally gone in that direction whilst Fatea generally concentrates on albums and live reviews for our full length feature, but with more artists going back down the single route to keep themselves in the public eye, we thought it was time to reflect that in our offerings and as rules are made to be broken or at the very least adapted, welcome to the Singles Round Up.
Jono Manson - Before We Get Stupid
www.jonomanson.com
Jono Manson is, it seems, a "cult favourite" in Italy. This a good time bluesy song with a ragtime piano and a duet with the intriguingly named Crystal Bowersox. Manson Says: "My forthcoming album is full of deeply personal and introspective songs, but "Before We Get Stupid" is not one of them!" It is "raucous, good-time Rock and Roll...a "summertime" song to hopefully help you shake off the winter blues." What he said. TM
Maren Davidsen - My Love, My War
marendavidsen.co.uk
A London based singer songwriter originally from Norway. Davidson's sound is atmospheric pop with stream of consciousness, narrative lyrics over a slide guitar and trip hop beats. If as she says this was the result of her producer pushing her out of her comfort zone to "experiment with different sounds and moods", then it's a success. The song itself is a bit insubstantial, but she seems to be mostly interested in the words. "At the end of the day what I write and release is based on feelings from the heart that I experience in a weekend, a day, or even years" An artist to watch. TM
Emma Flowers - You Didn't Mean To Leave
www.emmaflowersmusic.com
For a singer who describes herself as loosely country/blues, this is a surprisingly folk based song. With a string part that is reminiscent of Pachelbel's Canon as the main instrumentation, she acknowledges that this is a different song for her. "The song is for anyone who has felt loss and grief. In my case, for my sister Jayne. I hope it's also about memories, love and hope too because we have to treasure all that while we deal with the minutiae of our daily lives." Having worked with Martin Stephenson in the past the influence has rubbed off. A heartfelt moving ballad. TM
Euan Blackman - Everybody Lets You Down
www.facebook.com/euanblackmanmusic
This is the first single from a forthcoming EP You Are the Rain. He cites Springsteen's Nebraska as one of the projects main inspirations. It has a more electric sound than that record but you can see what he means. The almost orchestral production gives the epic feel of the best Springsteen, but without being in any way similar. His bio says that "he is regularly enchanted by the magic that defines the work of Phoebe Bridgers and Claude Debussy." With a second single due out soon the EP will be a must listen when it arrives. TM
Andy White - I Miss You
www.andywhite.comAndy White's career dates back into the 80s and this new single taken from the album This Garden Is Only Temporary, is typical of the high quality songwriting he has offered over the years. Starting in Northern Ireland he is now resident in Melbourne although the closest comparison if you don't know his work is probably Neil Finn. His political and literary style has been compared with Billy Bragg, The Waterboys, and Lloyd Cole. Whatever the measure this is a fine song and is a great taste of the album. TM
Dave Hause - Hazard Lights
www.davehause.com
Hazard Lights kicks in with a Bryan Adams style guitar riff that would be right at home on an arena stage. A great piece of commercial pop rock from an album called Drive It Like It's Stolen. He says his inspiration draws from heartland rock, folk rock, and punk rock. If heartland rock is Petty, Springsteen and their like then that is post on. He has been releasing albums since 2011, although he's new to me. If any of the artists named above are for you then you should seek out Dave Hause. TM
The Bluesbones - Chain Gang
www.thebluesbones.com
Modestly describing themselves as one of the best Blues/rock bands from Europe, The Bluesbones (no gap between the words) are part of a movement of similar bands in Holland and Belgium who are great value live and produce the occasional great record. "Their original songs vary from blues rock over mellow and sensitive blues ballads, swampy slide to more heavy rock." This is in the blues rock category and while there is nothing original or startling here it doesn't need to be. It's just fun. The album Unchained is out in March. They are touring throughout Europe but no UK dates that I can find. If they do come here, I'm sure they will be a great night out. TM
Philip Jonathan - In the Garden
www.facebook.com/philipjonathanmusic
Northumbrian singer Philip Jonathan says that: "This song is about learning to trust someone's love for us, about going deeper and daring to believe that we can be unconditionally known and accepted. These connections are rare and force us to reckon with our inability to respond in kind. 'In the Garden' is an invitation to surrender our own limitations and learn to grow". An acoustic folk tune with violin and drums adding to the duet with Alicia Rose. It's been out for a while and there other delights to find on his Bandcamp that you will want to hear after trying this song.TM
The Browns - Forgive & Forget
thebrownsnorfolk.com
Having become a favourite of the Fatea singles column with her first One Girl, One Guitar EP last year, DiElle is back with volume 2. Strong is in the same mould as her earlier work. One Girl, One volume 2 will be a work in progress through the year, with singles added to it as they are released. This is good news as we can look forward to more high quality acoustic singer songwriter material from her throughout 2023. TM
DiElle - Strong
dielle.bandcamp.com
The first thing that strikes you here is her voice which is strident without being abrasive. Clear without being twee. The string-based music offsets that wonderful singing perfectly. I'm not the first to see similarities to Kirsty MacColl, and I can certainly spot Jude Rogers in The Guardian's reference to "Sleaford like agitprop-protest songs raging against British business," or in this case injustice. It's no surprise that she has been praised so highly and it's all deserved. TM
Cormac Russell - Like Juliet
www.facebook.com/cormacrussellmusic
Canadian born, but raised in Ireland, Cormac Russell's new album will be released in April. He says that the words were influenced partly by Shakespeare and partly by film adaptations of Romeo & Juliet. This would have fit well into Baz Luhrmann's take on the tale. It would have gone over just as well in a David Lynch film, echoing guitar and words that are buried in the music make for a slightly chilling song. It's not his first look at literary themes either as a look at his Bandcamp will show. TM
Simon Morley - I Don't Want This
https://simorley4.wixsite.com/home
Morley styles himself as an acoustic performer, although this is an electric guitar piece with washes of synths in the background. It's an interesting song and I'd like to hear how it goes over live on just the acoustic guitar as the sound does become a little cluttered at times and that maybe reduces the impact of his emotive singing and words somewhat. TM
Maren Davidsen - My Love, My War
susywallmusic.co.uk
Wall says "This track was completely inspired by the Peaky Blinders character, Tommy Shelby. Its much darker than my previous releases and was helped along by the fact that I live in the Black Country near Birmingham where the TV show is set." It is an eerie song that starts with an acoustic section leading into a sinister feeling electric guitar fill and harmony. This has been picking up some airplay and praise and it is a good song we played. With Kate Bush and Tori Amos as points of comparison for her singing but not the more folk based style of the songs this is her fourth single and her best yet for me, TM
Fatea Showcase Sessions
The Fatea Showcase Sessions are a series of downloads featuring acts that we've really enjoyed and think that more people should get the chance to hear.
Pirate is the current session and features 16 fantastic artists check out the website to find out more about them and download your copy
www.fatea-showcase-sessions.co.uk for all the artist information.
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