Essentials – Americana UK

Our latest posts

[ May 15, 2026 ] Something for the weekend: Keyside “Lemon and Lime” Tracks
[ May 15, 2026 ] Cowboy Junkies “Open to Beauty” Album Reviews
[ May 15, 2026 ] Book Review: Patrick Joseph O’Connor “Wichita Blues: Music in the African American Community” Book Reviews
[ May 15, 2026 ] Classic Clips: Albert Lee “Country Boy” Live on BBC Radio 2’s ‘Weekend Wogan’ – 28th March 2010 Classic Clips
[ May 15, 2026 ] Don’t forget our Americana 25 festival with Chuck Prophet, Steve Wynn and more – join us in Liverpool in November! News

The Delines at Rough Trade East 7th May 2022

Essentials: The Top 10 songs by The Delines

May 14, 2026 Jonathan Hincks 0

Those sufficiently long in the tooth may remember Margaret Thatcher’s purported praise of senior Conservative Party politician William Whitelaw: “Every prime minister needs a Willie”. For americana enthusiasts, their Willy could well be a Vlautin, songwriter […]

Essentials: The Top 10 David Lowery Songs

May 7, 2026 Paul Russell 2

David Lowery is an icon of americana who has been making music for over forty years and has never lost his passion for all things rootsy, rocky and melodic. His first band was Sitting Ducks which […]

Essentials: The Top 10 Thea Gilmore Songs

April 30, 2026 John Lee 2

Thea Gilmore is one of the most remarkable voices in contemporary British songwriting. Her work is often experimental, thrillingly so at times, and she moves effortlessly between genres without ever being defined by them. Elements of […]

Hurray for the Riff Raff - Alynda Segarra 3rd May 2014

Essentials: The Top 10 Hurray For The Riff Raff Songs

April 23, 2026 Ian C Rothery 0

In a nod to Woody Guthrie, a 2014 American Songwriter magazine cover featured Hurray For The Riff Raff with the strapline, “Bound for Glory”. I’m not sure how the author of that article defined glory, yet […]

Essentials: The Top 10 Americana Railroad Songs

April 16, 2026 Martin Johnson 10

At the remove of two hundred years, it is very hard, if not impossible, to fully comprehend the impact that the expansion of railroads throughout the world had in the 19th and early 20th Centuries. The […]

RE: What are you listening to at the moment?
Ashley McBryde - Wild (vinyl)
By Peter Thompson , 4 days ago
RE: What are you listening to at the moment?
Liz stringer ‘ first time really feeling’Melbourne song...
By fredhead , 5 days ago
RE: Versions!
@paul-villers Those versions keep coming
By Martin Johnson , 7 days ago
RE: What are you watching at the moment?
Just binged "Legends" - a British drama on Netflix abou...
By Paul Villers , 7 days ago
RE: What are you listening to at the moment?
Radio Paradise's Mellow Mix whilst on a bit of a drive
By Peter Thompson , 1 week ago
RE: What are you listening to at the moment?
Amy Grant The 6th of January (Yasgur’s Farm): time for ...
By Jonathan Hincks , 1 week ago
RE: What are you listening to at the moment?
The Lone Bellow - The Lone Bellow (vinyl)
By Peter Thompson , 1 week ago
RE: What are you listening to at the moment?
XTC - A Coat of Many Cupboards (excerpts...it's a 4 CD ...
By Peter Thompson , 2 weeks ago
RE: What are you listening to at the moment?
@andyshort Yes, it makes a refreshing change from artis...
By Peter Thompson , 2 weeks ago

Something for the weekend: Keyside “Lemon and Lime”

May 15, 2026 1

Well that’s it from us for this week, and bear with me dear reader with the track we’re leaving you with for the weekend which despite starting off sounding like we’ve veered into covering 90s-era Britpop, […]

Cowboy Junkies “Open to Beauty”

May 15, 2026 0

Americana legends celebrate 21st-century releases on latest career retrospective. Forty years in, the Cowboy Junkies remain one of the great under-the-surface bands in Americana: despite having a million-selling classic to their name, they rarely make best-of […]

Book Review: Patrick Joseph O’Connor “Wichita Blues: Music in the African American Community”

May 15, 2026 0

Patrick Joseph O’Connor’s Wichita Blues: Music in the African American Community reclaims an overlooked part in American musicology. While places like Chicago, Memphis, and the Mississippi Delta often dominate the story of Blues, O’Connor suggests that […]