West Midlands-born singer, songwriter and guitar slinger Joanne Shaw Taylor sets the scene with her new single “Hold Of My Heart” featuring Nashville violin virtuoso Sav Madigan. This release follows the massive success of JST’s latest album Heavy Soul which confirms her status as one of the biggest names on the blues and rock scene globally since she relocated to the other side of the pond.
This is hard driving country blues at its best, Joanne’s powerful vocals, mesmeric driving guitar rhythm and killer licks complemented by Sav’s smooth, soaring strings. As Joanne explains, “This song is about telling a good friend that you actually like them more than a friend and realizing, if only for your own sake and the sake of honesty in a friendship, to finally tell them.”
Multi-award winning Elles Bailey has established herself as the UK’s leading exponent of Americana, rock and blues genres. With a rapidly expanding fan base and increasingly international profile, Elles has a brilliant future ahead of her. The track “Let It Burn” is the latest blockbuster single from her newly released fourth studio album, Beneath the Neon Glow.
This evocative, soul-searching ballad with its dramatic piano introduction is a tour de force of breath-taking quality and intensity as Bailey pleads, “It doesn’t take a genius/ To know we are not right/ Put me out of my misery/ Say what’s on your mind.” Elles’ vocals are sublime and her exceptionally talented backing musicians on fire from start to finish.
“Way Down in Enniscorthy” released on Continental Record Services is the second single from the forthcoming Sean Taylor album, The End Of The Rainbow. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, peace campaigner and troubadour, Sean’s legacy to date has been his unique blend of blues, Americana, folk, roots, spoken word and social commentary.
This is a special live version filmed at the Green Note in Camden, London with his international touring trio comprising Mike Seal on double bass and Paulina Sczcepaniak on percussion. Sean’s distinctive vocals and fluid boogie-woogie piano accompanied by probably the best acoustic rhythm section in the UK stand out in this memorable, upbeat performance with the vibe of a glorious summer’s day.
Three times winner of the British Best Harmonica Player of the Year Blues Awards and ‘Best International Blues Act’ nominee at the Jazz FM Awards, singer and songwriter Errol Linton is variously described as: “a harmonica wizard from Brixton (of Jamaican descent), “a painter” and “the hero of the London Underground” where he has played “his unique and highly original blend of blues with hints of reggae with jazz flavors” for 30 years.
Linton’s new album Break The Seal on Brassdog Records, is dedicated to his mother Ruby Naomi Linton whose sudden passing in 2023 gave Errol the deepest blues he has ever had to deal with. It comprises 10 tunes that reflect the struggles and joy of life in Britain today. As Errol says, “At least I’ve got the music to express my pain. Pain and joy – we play a lot of happy blues.”
The title track showcases five musicians at the top of their game, a combination of innovative harp attacks, keyboard flourishes, tasteful lead guitar interludes and Errol’s trademark silky, impassioned vocals. The listener is transported to an intimate late night jazz or blues bar on a warm summer evening.
