Rick Bayles

Stills & Collins “Everybody Knows” (Cleopatra Records, 2018)

October 15, 2018 Rick Bayles 0

Sometimes you can be genuinely surprised by an album for any number of reasons. In this case, it’s the surprise of seeing these two artists recording together in 2018. There’s no obvious reason why they shouldn’t […]

Book review: Iain Matthews “Thro’ My Eyes” (Route Publishing, 2018)

October 5, 2018 Rick Bayles 0

If there was an award for the role of Godfather of Americana in the UK, serious consideration would have to go to Iain Matthews as a deserving nominee. An early member of Fairport Convention, recruited for […]

Neilson Hubbard “Cumberland Island” (Proper Records, 2018)

September 14, 2018 Rick Bayles 0

Chances are, if you look up the term “world weary,” the name Neilson Hubbard would feature somewhere in the definition. There are times, on his latest album ‘Cumberland Island,’ that he makes someone like Leonard Cohen sound […]

Ned Collette “Old Chestnut” (It Records, 2018)

September 10, 2018 Rick Bayles 0

On first listening to this album it sounded like a collection of songs where you wait a long time for something to happen and not a lot does. But this is an album that rewards repeated […]

Picnic Area “No Country For Young Men” (Limefield, 2018)

August 16, 2018 Rick Bayles 0

‘No Country For Young Men’ is the third album from Mancunian alt-country rockers Picnic Area – and it’s a good one. Writing in the shadow of Brexit and the rise of Trump has given this band […]