LISA McHUGH - Dreams Come To Life

The lovely LISA McHUGH is getting plenty coverage at the moment, from her successful appearance in Caithness, to her impending appearance at CMA Festival in Nashville, and she also has a cracking new album to offer her fans.
“Dreams Come True” is her second official album, and is released on the Rosette label, home to Daniel O’Donnell.
Across the fourteen tracks on the album, there’s a really refreshing mix, from her fast paced cover of Rhonda Vincent’s “Court Of Love”  and her latest single “In The Glow Of The Light”  to ballads like “Help Me Make It Through The Night”, and Ronan Keating’s “This I Promise You”, which she does a really nice job on.
There are covers like “Somedays You Gotta Dance” and “The Time Has Come”, but some newer material too, including “Out There Somewhere”, written by rising Irish star Derek Ryan, and the Miranda Lambert hit “I Cant Be Bothered”.
She even goes back in time with her version of “The Lightning Express”, which she does a good job on.
Dolly Parton has obviously made a huge impression on Lisa, as she’s featured three very different Dolly songs on the album. “Why’d You Come In Here” packs a punch, whilst “To Daddy” shows her sentimental side, but it’s the very traditional sounding “False Eyelashes” that stands out for me.
Apart from the superb twin fiddles, I love the story of the girl singer who left home to become a star, and because she hasn’t made it, she’s afraid to face family and friends at home. It could’ve mirrored Lisa’s move from Glasgow to Donegal, but her success has ensured that the song isn’t autobiographical.
But my favourite track has to be the heart wrenching “Words Dont Reach My Heart”, a ballad that Lisa really delivers with such emotion.
It’s a superb album, offering such diversity from one of our most enthusiastic entertainers. And the CD cover is worth having as well, with no less than 16 pictures of the lady herself.

JOHNNY REID - Fire It Up

JOHNNY REID is probably the most successful Country performer ever to be born in Scotland.
Yet, he is largely unknown in his homeland, although he is slowly picking up a cult following here.  He emigrated as a teenager to Ontario, and is now the biggest Country star, and a huge crossover artist in his adopted Canada.
Although he’s spent time in Nashville, as a performer, and a songwriter, it’s Canada that has made him a star. He has a unique sound for Country music. He’s certainly not got that pop flavoured Nashville sound.   But it’s not a traditional Country sound.  He has soul, he can rock, and on some tracks, he certainly stretches the boundaries of Country. I see Johnny as being a huge crossover act if he was to get his records released here.
His latest album (his 8th), “Fire It Up” (EMI Canada) offers quite a unique mix. There’s uptempo numbers like “Lets Have A Party”, “What Makes The World Go Around”  and “Dancin’ Shoes”  and ballads like “Dedicated To You”  and “Love Of A Lifetime” . I do prefer Johnny on his ballads, they suit his gravelly voice better, although the catchy “You Got Me” really stands out.
 He has a couple of duets, “Baby I Know It”, with Carolyn Dawn Johnson , and Serena Ryder joins him on “Walking On Water”.
He wrote all twelve tracks on the album, and the album was recorded at various studio’s in Nashville & Toronto.
What I really love about Johnny though, is his lifelong devotion to the land of his birth, even if he hasn’t had the chance to play here.  He calls his fan club, “The Tartan Army”, and, even on this album, he recalls his roots.
In a beautiful ballad, “Right Where I Belong”, he talks about “I was born by the banks of the river back in 1973, raised up in a steel town, surrounded by fields of green. The fires went out, when the steel went south, soon it was time to leave”, recalling his Lanarkshire upbringing.
Then to close the album , “Till We Meet Again” is a beautiful anthem, eclipsed by the arrival of the Toronto Police Pipe Band, who add something really special to the whole album.
Despite his success in his new home (where he’s been for 24 years), the pipes, and the old homeland, still figure in Johnny Reid’s life.
www.johnnyreid.com

JANEY KIRK - Dont Colour Me Blue

Moving down the east coast to the Kingdom of Fife, where JANEY KIRK, has been one of Scotland’s top social club acts for many years. But Janey has always been a Country girl, and really got noticed with her last album, “Sweetheart Darlin’ Of Mine”.
She has worked on that success, got herself on tours with the late Billie Jo Spears, and TV appearances on The Phil Mack Show.
Now she’s back with her new album, “Dont Colour Me Blue”, a song she was introduced to, by Billie Jo. The album features a dozen tracks, with a variety from an uptempo “Banks Of The Ohio”  and Emmylou’s “One Of These Days” to the Osmonds’ rockin’ “Down By The Lazy River”.
Janey is also a keen songwriter, and has written six of the songs here, and co-wrote another.
Her own numbers range from the catchy opening number “I’m A Woman”, the rather fun “Fifty Three” and “Foolin’ Good Country”, to  the rather poppy “We Can Still Be Friends”, and the beautiful ballad “Live For Your Love”, which is my favourite track on the album.  I think it’s probably the song that best showcases Janey’s voice.  I also enjoyed “Portrait of You”, which she co-wrote with Karl Rucker. It’s a bit different.
I enjoyed listening to the album, which is available at local HMV stores.

THE CHICKEN PICKERS _ The Chicken Pickers

We’ll kick off this time with a new album from one of the most exciting young bands in the country. THE CHICKEN PICKERS have progressed in the three years since they first got to play at the Caithness Festival. This year, they used the event to launch their self titled album, on Pan Records.
The five piece band are made up of Mikey Henderson, on vocals, with Andrew Reynolds, Chris Boxall, Michael Simpson and Ryan Bain, who do all the playing on the album. The only outsider on the album is famed Caithness fiddler Addie Harper, who adds some nice touches.  Mikey, who heads off to Heriott Watt University after the summer,  is credited with producing the album, which must make him one of Country music’s youngest ever producers.
It is an album of covers, but they’ve chosen well, and feature a good mix of classic, and modern Country songs, ranging from Billy Yates’ “Alcohol Abuse” and Hal Ketchum’s “Small Town Saturday Night”, back to “Cotton Fields”, “Wagon Wheel” and “When You Say Nothing At All”.
Chris adds some nice harmonies, and gets his only solo number, as he delivers a catchy Monkees cover on “I’m A Believer”.
Youngsters in the far north don’t have to look far for inspiration in wanting to be a first class Country band, and these guys have found theirs just down the road in Golspie. “Drivin’ My Life Away”, although an Eddie Rabbitt song, is still a Jacks favourite, and the youngsters do a very good road version of the song.  They even cover Geordie Jack’s autobiographical “Something To Say”, and make it their own. I’m sure they’ll change the words in twenty years time, when they can put their own story into the song.
The album is well produced, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Looking forward to many more.  Available through www.panrecords.co.uk

NORMAN BORLAND - Choices

NORMAN BORLAND has a wealth of admirers on both sides of the Irish Sea. His rich, traditional vocals have warmed audiences for many years now.
His latest album, “Choices”, recorded at Glasgow’s  Stealth studios, features 15 tracks, all delivered in a pure Country manner.
The songs range from George Jones’ title cut, through Don Williams’ “I Would Like To See You Again” and “Lay Down Beside Me” to Jim Reeves’ “Welcome To My World”.
I really enjoyed Norman’s version of Aaron Tippin’s “How’s The Radio Know”, he does a fine job on the Tracy Lawrence hit “Paint Me a Birmingham”.
There’s also covers of hits by Ronnie Milsap, Heather Myles, Randy Travis, Moe Bandy and Toby Keith.  He even stretches back to the sixties with a very credible cover of the Frankie McBride hit, “Five Little Fingers”, and the album also features his recent single, “Catfish John”.
It’s an album of covers, but not songs that have been overdone. I think Norman has chosen well, and I really enjoyed the album.

PAULA MACASKILL - This Is Me

Good to recieve a new CD from one of the hardest working performers on the Scottish entertainment scene. PAULA MCASKILL, from the Lochaber area, is kept busy most nights of the week, especially in the Fort William, Elgin and Inverness areas.  She plays primarily in tourist venues, so it’s no surprise that a lot of Scottish traditional music features in her shows, although she has always done a fair bit of Country too.

Her new album, on Pan Records (home of Manson Grant), is an unashamedly easy listening mix of Scottish & Country music. Scottish material includes “Skyline Of Skye”, “These Are My Mountains” and “Highland Cathedral”, whilst the Country material does tend to be well known covers like “I’m Gonna Be A Country Girl Again”, “Blackboard Of My Heart” and “You’re My Best Friend”.

She does a very strong version of The Louvin’s “How’s The World Treating You”, with Keith MacLeod , covers of Isla Grant’s “Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Star”, and Steve Earle’s “Galway Girl”, but it’s her version of Jim Reeves’ “Pretty Brown Eyes” that steals the album for me.

The players on the album include Manson Grant, and Robert Cameron from The Dynamos, Keith MacLeod, Gordy Gunn, Phil Anderson, Brandon MacPhee, and Richard Nelson. It’s a good professional backing throughout.

Whilst there’s nothing groundbreaking here, it’s a pleasant easy listening album, that Paula’s audiences will love.

There'a also a DVD with the same tracks.  

www.panrecords.co.uk

STILLWATER - Run deep

Frank Doyle & Danny Rodger have been popular guys on the Scottish Country club and linedance scene for many years, through different bands, but now are together as STILLWATER, and have just released a new CD, “Run Deep”.
Produced at Stealth studios in Glasgow, the album features 13 well produced covers, some more aimed at linedancers than Country fans, such as “Baby Jane” and “Lucille (Chill Factor).
But there are plenty Country songs on her, from “Heaven In My Woman’s Eyes” and “Cold Cold Heart”, through to “I Couldn’t Leave You If I Tried” and “Lovin’ All Night”.
The track that stood out for me was “That’s What They Said About The Buffalo”, first recorded by Michael Peterson.
A good production from a duo who have many fans across the land .

BOB LESLIE - Fat Cat

It’s good to hear from BOB LESLIE once again. Bob, from Glasgow, has a very interesting sound,  which mixes Country and Blues, with a Scottish perspective. I was very impressed with his last album, which I reviewed in these pages and this new collection, “Fat Cat” is equally impressive.
All songs were written by Bob, and recorded at North Glasgow College.
The album kicks off with the catchy “One Size Don’t Fit All”.
“The Devil Aint A Friend Of Mine” has an outlaw sound, with some neat harmonica from Fraser Speirs.
“It Wasn’t Down In Texas” doesn’t exactly have a Texan sound, but still works with it’s Caledonian edge.
“Suddenly The Sun” and “Behind The Song” are slower ballads that have their own style. He has a kinda Froggie charm when in this mould.  There’s a different kind of charm on the album’s title cat, and “Kid With A Gun” where Bob has the bluesy sound so familiar to listeners to the world famous Prairie Home Companion.
And it all comes to an end with the reflective “The Tune That Was Broken”, another relaxing bluesy ballad.
I really enjoyed the album, for being different.
Check Bob out at www.bobleslie.biz