London Underground Music Scene Brings Bluepint Blue to SXSW; New Releases From Phil Odgers and DocFell & Co (Links)

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Category: UK A&E, Lifestyle, Culture

Published on Sunday, 19 March 2017 08:21

Written by Andrea Lynch

Following recent airplay on BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music along with extensive online coverage, Blueprint Blue release another slice of their Americana inspired songwriting in the form of their stunning new single 'Bad Dreams'.

The band are currently in Texas to play four shows at SXSW, a trip that was entirely fan funded, a huge testament to the strength of their growing support.

Seminal Folk Punk band The Men They Couldn't Hang play Shepherds Bush Empire in London on Saturday April 15th, and it looks to be a busy month for vocalist Phil Odgers who releases his solo album 'Roll to the Left' just a week before the show.

The album which has received international airplay and coverage, was recorded in the studio built for Kirsty MacColl by Steve Lillywhite in their family home in Ealing. The recording process saw Odgers' looking to another musical icon for inspiration through his use of Johnny Cash's Martin guitar on lead track 'The Train'.

March 31st sees DocFell & Co release 'Tumbling Dice' taken from their critically acclaimed new album 'Dust Bowl Heart'. When asked about inspiration behind his writing, Doc revealed he was captivated by books about the lives of legendary artists like Woody Guthrie, Hank Williams, and of course Johnny Cash. 

Phil Odgers
Roll to the Left 
Vinyl Star Records 
7 April 2017

Lead Tracks: 'The Train', 'Mist on the Water', 'Tomorrow Will Be Fine', 'Half Past 3'

Best known as one half of the legendary joint vocal strike force of The Men They Couldn't Hang, Phil Odgers strikes out on his own once more with 'Roll To The Left', his latest solo offering. With this brilliantly fresh new album Phil brings his songwriting into sharp, bright, focus. Lyrically this is a collection of unique tales steeped in cinematic imagery - a journey through kitchen sink realism and social commentary bursting with technicolour splendour.

Phil's warm melodic voice and rhythmic strumming acoustic guitar take centre stage throughout, aided and abetted by fiddle, double bass and lead guitar in all the right places. It's never crowded. Pedal steel and baritone guitar make an appearance when called for and numbers such as 'The Train' have a genuine Johnny Cash feel, Phil playing the actual Martin guitar that Johnny Cash owned on that number. 

The album, in the main, was recorded in the studio built for Kirsty MacColl by Steve Lillywhite in their family home in Ealing. The studio resonates with musical history and Phil was also lucky enough to be able to use guitars previously owned by Kirsty.

Horns also make a welcome appearance. 'Blue Skies And A Saturday Job' showcases the combination of acoustic guitar with baritone and tenor sax, unusually bringing the groove, whilst the only cover version, 'Long Stem Rose', is lovingly embraced by a traditional brass band.

For 'Mist On The Water' Phil is joined by a fabulous string orchestra bringing the cinematic element of the song into the fore.

The nature of the album means we are treated to some fantastic rhythmic playing without needing drums. Happily they do make an appearance on a couple of tracks where the sound of whole band playing together was all captured in just one take. 

Phil and producer James Knight made a point of only using real instruments and chasing the perfect live performance – no auto-tune, no click tracks, no headphones. Just great songs played by great players, as real as it gets!

These organic and passionate sessions have resulted in a deeply accomplished album by the UK's most underrated singer.

Social Links:

https://philodgers.bandcamp.com

www.swillodgers.co.uk

Pre-Order Link:
http://hyperurl.co/RolltotheLeft

Live Dates:
15th April: The Men They Couldn't Hang, Shepherds Bush Empire, London