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Our latest posts
  • [ June 11, 2026 ] Essentials: The Top 10 Americana Tribute Albums Essentials
  • [ June 11, 2026 ] Book Review: Paul Slade “Blood On The Leaves” Book Reviews
  • [ June 11, 2026 ] Ben Chapman “Feet On Fire” Album Reviews
  • [ June 11, 2026 ] Interview: Dirk Powell on “Wake” and bridging modern and age-old roots music Interviews
  • [ June 11, 2026 ] Alex Amen “Sun Of Amen” Album Reviews
HomeAuthorsMartin Johnson

Articles by Martin Johnson

About Martin Johnson
I've been a music obsessive for more years than I care to admit to. Part of my enjoyment from music comes from discovering new sounds and artists while continuing to explore the roots of American 20th century music that has impacted the whole of world culture.
Classic Clips

Classic Clips: Carlene Carter & Dave Edmunds “Baby Ride Easy” – BBC “Queens of Country at the BBC”

July 15, 2022 Martin Johnson 0
Rockpile holds a fairly unique position in music history in that while they are recognised as one of rock music’s great bands, and despite comprising UK musicians, they were also a significant influence on subsequent American […]
Album Reviews

Cua “Oh Sun Shine Down”

July 13, 2022 Martin Johnson 0
Irish folk music for the 21st Century with world music flavourings. Irish music has had a profound influence on world music due to the size of the Irish diaspora. Coming closer to Ireland itself, the popularity […]
Features

Interview: Bill Kirchen’s real country for hippies by “The Titan of The Telecaster”

July 12, 2022 Martin Johnson 2
How Pete Townshend helped Bill Kirchen get his first Telecaster and working with the UK’s Nick Lowe. Bill Kirchen is one of the legends of americana due to his time with genre-defining band Commander Cody and […]
Interviews

Interview: Shearwater main man Jonathan Meiburg on a 6-year awakening

July 5, 2022 Martin Johnson 0
Songs are like places that you can visit and inhabit for a few minutes. Regular visitors to Americana UK know that the music featured ranges across the widest spectrum of what can be considered americana, and […]
Features

AUK’s Top 10 Americana Albums of the 21st Century: Martin Johnson

June 30, 2022 Martin Johnson 0
Deciding the Top 10 Americana Albums of the 21st Century has proven to be surprisingly difficult, and the list has been through many drafts before crystalising into its published form. I’ve been trying to understand why […]

Posts pagination

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Recent Forum Posts

  • RE: What are you listening to at the moment?

    Mudcrutch - Mudcrutch (vinyl)

    By Peter Thompson , 2 days ago

  • RE: There's no future in nostalgia

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    Clarence White would have been 82 today. A little remin...

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our latest posts

Shelby Lynne and Allison Moorer at Cadogan Hall - 30th January2018

Essentials: The Top 10 Americana Tribute Albums

Essentials
June 11, 2026 6
Cover art Paul Slade Book "Blood On The Leaves"

Book Review: Paul Slade “Blood On The Leaves”

Book Reviews
June 11, 2026 0

Ben Chapman “Feet On Fire”

Album Reviews
June 11, 2026 0

Interview: Dirk Powell on “Wake” and bridging modern and age-old roots music

Interviews
June 11, 2026 0
artwork for Alex Amen album "Sun of Amen" -

Alex Amen “Sun Of Amen”

Album Reviews
June 11, 2026 0
Shelby Lynne and Allison Moorer at Cadogan Hall - 30th January2018
Essentials

Essentials: The Top 10 Americana Tribute Albums

June 11, 2026 6
The tribute album seems to have leapt in popularity in recent times. The tribute element can take numerous forms: celebrating, honouring an influential artist, raising the profile of an artist, raising money for good causes (including […]
Cover art Paul Slade Book "Blood On The Leaves"
Book Reviews

Book Review: Paul Slade “Blood On The Leaves”

June 11, 2026 0
A few years ago, at a local gig to see the Pennsylvania band The Stray Birds, the crowd was overall polite and receptive to the music; however, let us just say they needed to warm up. […]
Album Reviews

Ben Chapman “Feet On Fire”

June 11, 2026 0
Country rock and soul combine to fine effect on Ben Chapman’s latest release. In 2019, David Hepworth published the latest in his excellent sequence of books about rock music, and the stars and rascals who purveyed, […]

  • Essentials: The Top 10 Americana Tribute Albums
  • Book Review: Paul Slade “Blood On The Leaves”
  • Ben Chapman “Feet On Fire”
  • Interview: Dirk Powell on “Wake” and bridging modern and age-old roots music
  • Alex Amen “Sun Of Amen”
  • Daniel Isaiah “Old Ram’s Horn” – mix of ginseng, deer horn, and other secret herbs
  • Video: Marc Ridge “I’m So Tired” – comparison is the thief of joy
  • Can’t Live With It, Can’t Live Without It: Jackson Browne
  • Various Artists “Where The Willow And The Dogwood Grow – Words And Music Tom Waits And Kathleen Brennan”
  • Other Brother Darryl “Hey Yeah Hey”
Billy Bragg Bob Dylan Bruce Springsteen Chuck Prophet Courtney Marie Andrews Dean Owens Drive By Truckers Emmylou Harris Jason Isbell Johnny Cash John Prine Lucinda Williams Margo Price Neil Young Peter Bruntnell Robert Vincent Ryan Adams Steve Earle Sturgill Simpson The Band The Byrds The Delines Tom Petty Wilco Willie Nelson
  • Ramcey: I go all the way back with Jackson and own all his albums. For me, while Hold Out is not…
  • Mike Ritchie: Very good idea for a list. Enjoyed reading the thinking behind the choices. Numbers 10, 6, 5 and 4 certainly…
  • Steve Goldsmith: Highway Prayer Adam Carroll. Particularly Hayes Carll and James McMurtry"s contributions.

Latest interviews

Interviews

Interview: Dirk Powell on “Wake” and bridging modern and age-old roots music

June 11, 2026 0
Dirk Powell is a special kind of musician, someone who, through family connections, knows and understands both Appalachia and Cajun music, and is at the same time comfortable with modern music technology. He has won four […]
Interviews

Interview: Ma Polaine’s Great Decline is thriving

June 10, 2026 0
With influences in blues, jazz and country, Ma Polaine’s Great Decline is actually thriving on their fifth album, Monster Swan (2025). Based in Somerset, England, Beth Packer’s distinctive, emotive vocals, coupled with her evocative lyrics, create […]
Interviews

Interview: Greg Loftus – As both musician and carpenter, he would like to knock on wood

June 5, 2026 1
Greg Loftus comes from the town of Bourne, not far from the bridge that connects Massachusetts to Cape Cod. It is there that he practices woodworking, operates a club in nearby Falmouth and makes rock music […]

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Tracks

Suzanne Vega “Rats” – the vermin are everywhere

February 25, 2025 0
Suzanne Vega has a new tour upcoming – well hooray!  It’s in the States, and a couple of dates in Germany.  Well, that’s not particularly useful for the beating heart of Vega fandom in the UK.  […]
Sloan "Based on the Best Seller" album cover
Album Reviews

Sloan “Based on the Best Seller”

October 16, 2025 1
Enduring Anglophiles. The fourteenth studio album from this Toronto-based rock quartet. First single ‘Live Forever’ reveals a nostalgia discernible on many of the other tracks on this album. One can’t help listening to “Based on the […]
Tracks

Lauren Morrow “People Talk” – the chattering classes

May 5, 2023 0
On the title track from her new album Lauren Morrow pretty much skewers the endless drift of meaningless and thoughtless chatter that the world is full of: “people talk a big game when they need someone […]

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