Americana UK

  • News
  • Reviews
    • Album Reviews
    • Live Reviews
    • Book Reviews
  • Features
    • Archive
      • Americana Bedrock
      • Americana Roots
      • AmericanA to Z
      • A Night to Remember
      • Dirty Dozens
      • Home Life
      • I Write the Songs
      • Lost Albums
      • Political Pops
      • Shuffle
      • Small Venue Heroes
      • Studio Life
      • The Other Side of Me
      • The Twang Factor
      • Top 10 Americana Albums Ever
      • Top 10 Americana Albums of the 21st Century
      • Top 10 Greatest Ever Americana Artists
      • Unsung Heroes
      • Van Life
      • Whatever Happened To…
      • What Should I Do…
      • WITATA
    • Anniversary Cheers
    • AUK Mini-Gigs
    • Can’t Live with it, Can’t Live without it
    • Classic Americana Albums
    • Classic Clips
    • Essentials
    • Fiction
    • For The Sake Of The Song
    • More People Really Should Know About
    • Obituaries
    • Top 10 Americana Songs of All Time
    • VERSIONS
  • Interviews
  • Videos
  • Tracks
  • Columns
    • Sounds from the Shed
    • Vox Continental
  • Podcast
  • Info
    • Contact Us!
    • Review submission FAQ
    • Support Americana UK
    • Want to write for Americana UK?
    • Daily Digest Sign-Up
    • Advertise on Americana UK
    • Privacy Policy
Our latest posts
  • [ August 5, 2026 ] Can’t Live With It, Can’t Live Without It: Tom Waits Can't Live with it, Can't Live without it
  • [ August 5, 2026 ] Paul McClure “The Good And The Bad Of It” Album Reviews
  • [ August 5, 2026 ] Artists with Hearts of Gold contribute to two more albums of Neil Young covers News
  • [ August 5, 2026 ] Greg Freeman announces new album and UK dates News
  • [ August 5, 2026 ] All-star line-up for Bob Harris event announced for Royal Albert Hall in December News
HomeAuthorsSteven Rafferty

Articles by Steven Rafferty

About Steven Rafferty
Writer, Musician, Political Junkie, Oilfield Hand in Recovery . . .
Album Reviews

Afton Wolfe “Petronius’ Last Meal” (Twangri-La Records, 2020)

August 6, 2020 Steven Rafferty 0
You won’t find the feel-good hit of the summer on Afton Wolfe’s debut EP. But it’s a pretty safe bet that feel-good hits weren’t high on the list of priorities that he had for this project. […]
Album Reviews

Charley Crockett “Welcome to Hard Times” (Son of Davy/Thirty Tigers, 2020)

July 28, 2020 Steven Rafferty 1
If you’ve been looking for something new to listen to, but you aren’t quite sure where to turn then there’s good news. Charley Crockett’s self-professed goal for his new album was to “make an album that […]
Features

Classic Americana Compilations: Various Artists “Songs for Slim: Rockin’ Here Tonight – A Benefit Compilation for Slim Dunlap” (New West Records, 2013)

July 28, 2020 Steven Rafferty 3
If you remember the 1980s – and I can think of several reasons why you wouldn’t, not the least of which is the ever-expanding possibility that you weren’t even alive yet – then you probably remember […]
Album Reviews

Prinz Grizzley “To My Green Mountains Home” (DoWhWa Records, 2020)

June 30, 2020 Steven Rafferty 0
Egg, Austria isn’t someplace that you would expect to be the launchpad for an album that sounds like it was born somewhere exactly halfway between Memphis and Nashville. But geography isn’t the only reason that listeners […]
AmericanA to Z

AmericanA to Z: Brittany Howard

June 23, 2020 Steven Rafferty 0
There have been some pretty impressive entries in the AmericanA to Z feature under the letter “H” already. We’ve had Ed Hamell and Emmylou Harris. It’s a letter so loaded down with talent that no-less-than Ray […]

Posts pagination

« 1 2 3 … 8 »

our latest posts

Can’t Live With It, Can’t Live Without It: Tom Waits

Can't Live with it, Can't Live without it
August 5, 2026 2

Paul McClure “The Good And The Bad Of It”

Album Reviews
August 5, 2026 0

Artists with Hearts of Gold contribute to two more albums of Neil Young covers

News
August 5, 2026 0

Greg Freeman announces new album and UK dates

News
August 5, 2026 0

All-star line-up for Bob Harris event announced for Royal Albert Hall in December

News
August 5, 2026 0
Can't Live with it, Can't Live without it

Can’t Live With It, Can’t Live Without It: Tom Waits

August 5, 2026 2
The musical influence of Tom Waits over the last seven decades has spanned far beyond what one might define as americana. His deep, gravely voice, has been described as having been soaked in a vat of […]
Album Reviews

Paul McClure “The Good And The Bad Of It”

August 5, 2026 0
The Rutland Troubadour returns for album number four. Paul McClure, on his fourth album, decided to go to pastures new and left the rural north and travelled south to East Sussex and the fine Bex-Pop Studios […]
News

Artists with Hearts of Gold contribute to two more albums of Neil Young covers

August 5, 2026 0
Includes tracks from My Morning Jacket, Lucinda Williams and MJ Lenderman among others. Cinema Music Group, Killphonic Records, and City Slang have announced Heart of Gold: The Songs of Neil Young, Vol. 2 – Out of […]

  • Can’t Live With It, Can’t Live Without It: Tom Waits
  • Paul McClure “The Good And The Bad Of It”
  • Artists with Hearts of Gold contribute to two more albums of Neil Young covers
  • Greg Freeman announces new album and UK dates
  • All-star line-up for Bob Harris event announced for Royal Albert Hall in December
  • Live Review: Lachlan Bryan and The Wildes + Riley Catherall, The Town Hall, Kirton in Lindsey – 25th July 2026
  • Clayton Denwood “Looking for a Road”
  • Ferris & Sylvester “The Game” – going back to the beginning
  • Video: Inland Isle “White Collar Breakdown” – a dark fantasy about AI
  • Video Interview: Aaron Lee Tasjan on “Get Over It, Underdog” and Todd Snider
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
  • Graeme Tait: Lol. Sorry, Alan, I knew as soon as I'd chosen to cover Tom Waits for this feature you'd be a…
  • Alan Peatfield: OK, Graeme - just one observation ... the obvious one. "As a songwriter he is right up there; on the…
  • Graeme Tait: Hi Alan. Glad you approve. It was an excellent gig.

Latest interviews

Interviews

Video Interview: Aaron Lee Tasjan on “Get Over It, Underdog” and Todd Snider

August 4, 2026 0
Nashville East resident Aaron Lee Tasjan has long been a favourite of Americana UK, and with 12 albums to his name, including his latest Get Over It, Underdog, and approaching 40, he is no longer the […]
Interviews

Video Interview: American Aquarium’s BJ Barham finds “New Ways To Lose”

July 29, 2026 0
American Aquarium appear to be on a creative roll with their latest album, New Ways To Lose, getting great reviews even though it is their twentieth album in as many years. Added to this is the […]
Interviews

Interview: David Keenan on inspiration, optimism and telling stories

July 28, 2026 0
“Radiate a smile if we’re only here for a short while / no we don’t want to miss a day / cus there’s so much we must do,” sings David Keenan on Radiate a Smile, four […]

You may have missed…

Videos

Video: The Delines “The Golden Gate”

October 7, 2022 0
There’s a lot of love for The Delines here at AUK and the first recorded duets featuring the voices of both Amy Boone and songwriter Willy Vlautin will only intensify that feeling.  As ever, Boone’s vocal […]
Videos

Video: Daniel Spiller “Wild”

May 26, 2020 1
‘Wild’ is the debut single from singer-songwriter Daniel Spiller.  It’s a confident, accomplished first release.  With a likeable melody and a foot-tapping rhythm, ‘Wild’ is an engaging start and bodes well for the future. The accompanying […]
Videos

Video: Michael Beach “Next To You”

September 19, 2025 0
Be absorbed by the new single from Melbourne-based and Californian-born musician Michael Beach. ‘Next to You’ features an insistent, rhythmic melody, over which Beach’s understated vocal performance is perfect for delivering his quirky, thoughtful lyrics. He […]

© Americana UK 2026, a website based in the People's Republic of Liverpool