Jonathan Smith

Charlie Kaplan “Country Life in America”

September 21, 2023 Jonathan Smith 0

Jangle with an angle from New York City. One definition of an argument that never ends would be, what constitutes ‘good’ music? Maybe a 10-year-old might be enthralled by whatever teen icon was currently making waves, […]

AUK’s Chain Gang: Erika Jonsson “Queen of the Highway”

September 11, 2023 Jonathan Smith 1

Following on from the Drive-By Truckers, here’s a song featuring a whole load of real-life truckers. Erika Jonsson is a full-fledged americana star in her native Sweden, and is currently augmenting her living in the tricky […]

Classic Americana Albums: Tom Waits “Closing Time”

July 19, 2023 Jonathan Smith 1

A drunk props himself up at one end of a seedy bar; a down-and-out stumbles across a dirty city street in search of somewhere safe in an unfriendly city; a working girl looks blankly at the […]

Cowboy Junkies “Such Ferocious Beauty”

June 13, 2023 Jonathan Smith 0

Subdued, mystical palette from Canadian titans of Americana. It is now 35 years since the release of ‘The Trinity Sessions’, a record which even now stands as a pillar in the formation of Americana music. The […]

Dom Flemons “Traveling Wildfire”

May 31, 2023 Jonathan Smith 0

Subtle variations on solo album from Carolina Chocolate Drops co-founder. Having recorded four albums with Grammy award-winning trio The Carolina Chocolate Drops, ‘Traveling Wildfire’ is the fifth solo effort by Dom Flemons. His much-lauded role as […]