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Our latest posts
  • [ February 6, 2026 ] Something for the weekend: Billy Bragg “City of Heroes” News
  • [ February 6, 2026 ] Live Review: The Unthanks, Barbican Hall, London – 31st January 2026 Live Reviews
  • [ February 6, 2026 ] Classic Clips: Blaze Foley “Clay Pigeons” Classic Clips
  • [ February 6, 2026 ] Lucinda Williams “World’s Gone Wrong” Album Reviews
  • [ February 6, 2026 ] Our new supporters playlist comes out today with our best giveaway yet – win a pair of weekend tickets to the Cambridge Folk Festival 2026! News
HomeAuthorsPaula Cooke

Articles by Paula Cooke

About Paula Cooke
Worker, writer, mother, saint, sinner, traveller, gannet. Music has been part of me forever. Eclectic tastes.
Album Reviews

Vinny Peculiar “The Fairer Sex” (Shadrack and Duxbury 2017)

April 12, 2017 Paula Cooke 0

Who is Vinny Peculiar? Is he a poet? Musician? Philosopher? Explorer of societal mores? Well, he is all of these things and more. He investigates areas of societal belief and invites you to do the same.“Silver Meadows” […]

Album Reviews

Roddy Hart and The Lonesome Fire “Swithering” (Middle of Nowhere Recordings, 2016)

November 25, 2016 Paula Cooke 0

“Swithering” is an unusual title for and comes from a Scottish word meaning to be uncertain about things, which, according to Glasgow based Hart, summed up the album process for him. It was a different way of […]

Album Reviews

Cris Jacobs “Dust to Gold” (American Showplace Music 2016)

November 24, 2016 Paula Cooke 0

This guy really likes the blues. And soulfully so.  And with a touch of gospel and rock and roll. He blends genres skilfully and the result is earthy and melodic. Some great guitar playing, whether alone with […]

Album Reviews

Gitta de Ridder “Feathers” (Little Memories Records, 2016)

November 24, 2016 Paula Cooke 0

Soft and soothing  vocals, simple yet effective melody sums up”Wanderer”, the first track of Anglo Dutch singer songwriter Gitta de Ridder’s  debut album. “Feathers” seems a very apt title – feathers float, they are soft and gentle […]

Album Reviews

Dietrich Strause “How Cruel That Hunger Binds” (Independent, 2016)

November 22, 2016 Paula Cooke 0

With no prior knowledge of Strause, this album on its initial listening, harks back to a simpler era of music with nods to Gospel and R ‘n’ B and touches of Americana. The vocals are sweet and […]

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our latest posts

Something for the weekend: Billy Bragg “City of Heroes”

News
February 6, 2026 0

Live Review: The Unthanks, Barbican Hall, London – 31st January 2026

Live Reviews
February 6, 2026 0
Blaze Foley (taken from video)

Classic Clips: Blaze Foley “Clay Pigeons”

Classic Clips
February 6, 2026 4

Lucinda Williams “World’s Gone Wrong”

Album Reviews
February 6, 2026 0

Our new supporters playlist comes out today with our best giveaway yet – win a pair of weekend tickets to the Cambridge Folk Festival 2026!

News
February 6, 2026 0

  • Something for the weekend: Billy Bragg “City of Heroes”
  • Live Review: The Unthanks, Barbican Hall, London – 31st January 2026
  • Classic Clips: Blaze Foley “Clay Pigeons”
  • Lucinda Williams “World’s Gone Wrong”
  • Our new supporters playlist comes out today with our best giveaway yet – win a pair of weekend tickets to the Cambridge Folk Festival 2026!
  • The latest AUK podcast is now live featuring chat with Greazy Alice mainman Alex Pianovich
  • Kyle McKearney “Rearview” – objects may loom larger
  • Video Premiere: Robert Deeble “The First Lady of Peru” – a deeper longing for connection
  • The Top 10 Americana Songs of All Time: Rick Bayles
  • Book Review: Cary Baker “Down On The Corner”
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
  • Jonathan Smith: Cheers Clint 😊
  • Andy Short: Absolutely wonderful
  • Alan Peatfield: There is a lovely rendition of this by Jamie Lin Wilson & Chris Fullerton. Check it out.

Latest interviews

Interviews

Interview: Elles Bailey on collaboration, her voice, and not taking her story away

February 3, 2026 0

When one says award-winning artist about a singer, Elles Bailey would certainly fall into this category, having been named to an impressive list, including: UK Americana Live Act of the Year, UK Blues Artist of the […]

Interviews

Interview: Bernie Leadon Too Late to Be Cool? No way!

January 21, 2026 0

When pigs can fly and cows jump over the moon …. when hell freezes over …. when an NBA player gets called for “palming the ball” …. when George Costanza picks up a check … when […]

Interviews

Interview: Trevor Sensor on connection, bataille and love in the time of confusion

January 13, 2026 0

“Are you really real, do you feel the same thing that I do, girl, when I touch you, girl?” ~ Ricky Nelson According to iconic filmmaker Federico Fellini, “The visionary is the only true realist.” Before […]

You may have missed…

Features

The Top 10 Greatest Ever Americana Artists: Keith Hargreaves

July 13, 2023 48

As always in these prescriptive articles there must be a drawing of boundaries and Clint’s first article in the series seemed to have dealt with the idea that you should define americana in a narrow sense […]

Essentials

Essentials: The top 10 Steve Earle albums

July 8, 2021 37

Steve Earle announced his arrival in our lives with his debut album in 1986. Since then, he has racked up almost thirty studio and live albums under his own name or in collaboration with others. I […]

Obituaries

The Song Remains: Eric Taylor 1949-2020

March 12, 2020 4

I heard from a colleague,  who has contact with associates of Eric Taylor, that he had died on March 9th 2020 following a period of illness. I immediately checked the web for confirmation but there was […]

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