Taken from her current album ‘When My Man Comes To Town’ that is picking up glowing plaudits from various critics including this very music publication, Hege makes the decision to issue ‘Lay Your Burden Down’ to offer another example of what all the fuss is about. With ‘Lay Your Burden Down’ containing a far chipper rhythm compared to a few of the other offerings from her latest album, the lyrics provide a shoulder to cry on, with religion playing its part here, and the band offering a welcoming sound with its references to western swing and gospel and, most notably, the steel strings, fiddle and Hege’s subtle tinges of Dolly Parton held in her vocal. There’s no other place to ease your worries right now than Hege and her new single, ‘Lay Your Burden Down’, because you will leave feeling enriched by the end of this experience.

Picking up comparisons with the likes of Jeff Buckley, Paul Simon and Ray LaMontagne is the new album ‘Breathing In’ from singer-songwriter Dan Lipton. With a sound that fuses the traditional sound of Americana with story-based blues, in addition with Appalachian country and world music, Dan Lipton displays such influences throughout his current album comprising of twelve self-penned songs. The album ‘Breathing In’ was a lengthy process, having utilised a number of empty cabins from Maine to Virginia to seek the right atmosphere for each, and every track in terms of their recordings. What Lipton ended up with is a close intimacy that can be heard in such songs as the tender and sore ache of ‘Dark Water’, and softer pop tones of equally good ‘Come On Georgia’. There is great care taken with all the contents of ‘Breathing In’, which is echoed in the quality of the recorded works where songs can sound bright and colourful by way of its title track and near jaunty rhythm of ‘MTA’. For those seeking that singular moment with the songwriter, then the wistful ‘Wings Of A Crow’ is a fine place to start, with Lipton in fine vocal and occasionally supported by a faint yet soothing backing vocal. It’s Lipton’s song writing qualities that really impress throughout with his ability to name a song ‘End Of The World’ yet give it an upbeat feel, as well as transform the lonely isolation of ‘Television’ in to something warm and engaging via its country roots. A master in his own field, Dan Lipton has just delivered an album of supreme quality, and one that is definitely worth ‘Breathing In’.

Back with a third album is Hege (Brynildsen) with, ‘When My Man Comes To Town’. This latest release follows after the audacious experiment that was ‘Till Harry’, which made use of the Swedish language to fill its songs, only it managed to exclude a number of would-be supporters due to its language restrictions as the album presented an engaging listen, and one that served as a supportive companion during the wee small hours. Despite this obvious disadvantage, Norwegian singer-songwriter Hege reverts to English in order to deliver ten new songs drenched in an authentic traditional country sound. With production duties being entrusted to Gøran Grini (Paal Flata, Chip Taylor, Tommy Tokyo) once more, and with the tried and tested musicianship of Omar Østli (guitar), Finn Tore Tokle (bass), Tor Hauge (drums) Lars Ivar Borg and Kristin Solli (choir), in addition to American multi-instrumentalist Fats Kaplin weighing in with a number of instruments, Hege remains as thorough as ever in terms of her preparation for ‘When My Man Comes To Town’. The evidence of this comprehensive approach is instantaneous as the album’s title track quietly saunters into town on the back of a spidery sounding organ, a restrained twang of the guitar, Hege delivering a poignant vocal that really adds to the emptiness felt, and where Halden is transformed into a desolate outback somewhere in the Wild West. From this remarkable start, the rest of ‘When My Man Comes To Town’ feeds on this loneliness and despair with ‘Oh Loneliness’ standing out as a prime candidate, and former single, ‘If You Have To Cry’, being another song where its desperation alludes to some form of wrongdoing without giving much away.  Elsewhere, any form of hopelessness reveals itself in heartbreak of the relationship kind, especially during the tender ballad ‘Lovely Charming Ways’ with Hege sounding full of regret and not too distant from a younger Dolly Parton , “I should have listened to my friends when they warned me, Not to fall for your lovely charming ways”. With songs aching with much sadness, and the instrumentation doing its upmost to keep up with these melancholic feelings (‘Please Remember Me’ is a perfect example), Hege marks this latest chapter in her recording career as one that will see her song writing gain new levels of respect because ‘When My Man Comes To Town’ is a truly wonderful achievement.

It’s rather ironic that a lot of the current European artists are outdoing their American counterparts when it comes to reproducing a sincere country sound. A fine example of this transition is The Country Side of Harmonica Sam and their current album ‘Open Letter To The Blues’, because it doesn’t come much more authentic than this when replicating country music from the late 50s and early 60s. With the countries of origin for this new long player stemming from Sweden and the UK, this latest guise for Harmonica Sam (real name Chris Wilkinson) is one that fits splendidly as the honky tonk sound of the aforementioned periods in history is resuscitated and delivered inch perfectly as if it never went away! Together with band members Peter Andersson (steel guitar), Johan Bandling Melin (lead guitar), Ulrik Jansson (upright bass) and Patrik Malmros (drums), Harmonica Sam sings with a genuine authority that makes these covers sound like his own compositions whether coming from Faron Young, Skeets McDonald or Ray Price, not to mention the band’s own song writing which can be found here as well. Setting the time period from the off is the excellent ‘A Double Shot of Heartache’ with compelling steel guitar and added fiddle from additional musician Johan Malmberg. The heartache really begins though, during ‘Forbidden Wine’, where you will hear a real sense of yearning at the centre of this song and one that makes those George Jones comparisons believable. The mood is lifted somewhat with ‘It’s Such A Pretty World Today’ as it’s a lovely mellow tune, with the steel guitar providing that extra tonic and allowing for a bit of sunshine to seep through the cracks between the blinds. Such a cheerful disposition doesn’t last long, however, as the blues return with a vengeance and finds Harmonica Sam soon drowning as suggested by the line, “Just because I’m smiling, it doesn’t mean I’m fine” and you instantly know where you are in terms of the context of this particular song (‘I Regret It Every Day’). From such compelling traits so often found in country music, with its melancholic song titles and habit of finding a rhythm that is more lively than it should be considering the misery involved, The Country Side of Harmonica Sam more than masters such feats. In fact, the song delivery is so convincing that it is likely to have any listener reaching for their copy of this record to see exactly when it was produced, because ‘Open Letter To The Blues’ is definitely not from the present era, that’s for sure!

Rob Williams has taken the long route to finding his feet in the world of music. Having established a career in education, a long held passion for music eventually persuaded Williams to enter the ring of song writing, which saw the release of his debut solo album, ‘A Place In The Sun’, in 2013. Since that time, Williams continued his role within academia, but the lure of song writing proved too strong once more, and a decision was made to record a follow-up album. ‘Southern FM’ is that record which saw Williams relocate from the comfy surrounds of his hometown and head for pastures new. This deliberate action resulted in Williams setting up camp in Dallas with producer Salim Nourallah (Rhett Miller, Old 97’s) in order to bring to life Williams’ love for a Southern acoustic sound that blends traditional and contemporary Americana. What the listener receives, as a result of this process, are a number of confessionary tales concerning relationships, that are sometimes interlaced with hardships à la ‘Henry and Maria’ for example. Such storytelling reaches its zenith during the gospel feel of ‘Best I Can Do’; a clever song, full of wisdom, reflecting on those in life who are less satisfied with their lot; “Some people climbing ladders have no idea what they’re even after, They hope someday to be on track.” There’s a breezy feel to the rhythm of ‘Where You Hang Your Heart’ with Rob Williams letting in a definite Bob Dylan influence, whereas ‘Sometimes It’s A Song’ casts a more downbeat shadow that creatively mixes references to the forces of nature with the struggles found in relationships. Elsewhere, ‘Sun Gone Down’ reveals another facet to Williams’ song writing with a touch of humour and slight eccentricity in both the lyrics and music, with the latter sounding more pop and rock influenced. For the majority of its contents ‘Southern FM’ is an inspired body of work, and one that is not afraid to break from the conformities of a musical genre by adding a variety of personal touches that provides that extra flavour. It looks like the radio frequency is going to be set to a ‘Southern FM’ sound for the foreseeable future.

Coming together after the demise of a few former projects, the trio that is The Secret Sound of Dreamwalkers see the release of their debut single this week. This first release is actually a digital only offering, with the tracks being presented as a double-sided single with ‘My War’ and ‘Whiskey Song’. As far as immediate impressions go, lead song, ‘My War’, hits the senses with an arresting vocal performance, in addition to a delicate and pensive musical accompaniment that also contains a few stings in its chords, magnificently expressed by the guitar hands of Thomas Bergsten and Kristine Marie Aasvang, who is also responsible for the aforementioned. Think Mazzy Star; think Cowboy Junkies, think a darkened corner of a barroom somewhere in the vicinity of Twin Peaks, and you’re close to an understanding of where the melancholic beauty of ‘My War’ resides. The second composition,’ Whiskey Song’, is the perfect companion, beginning with dreamy steel guitar and stunning vocal that holds a real sadness inside. This sadness becomes more apparent as the song wears on, as its tone becomes more resentful, to the point of almost mumbling, as it plots its revenge on a hapless former lover. The twist at the end of this song raises a wry smile, and is but one reason why a return visit to the music of The Secret Sound of Dreamwalkers is a must the next time they’re in town.