From the moment the intro of ‘Piles of Sand’ by Sam Robbins shares a perfect finger picked, acoustic melody, there’s a sense of the artist drawing his audience into something special. As the guitar melody grows with Sam adding a few broader strokes, the opening number from his 2025 album ‘So Much I Still Don’t See’ takes on an amazing folk-pop stance, but it’s with the arrival of a hushed vocal, those very positive first impressions are very much confirmed. The narrative track is perfect for Sam’s voice as he quietly cries through a lyric that reflects on the old adage about how small problems become larger if taken out of context, and how time passes, “empires fall”, but a little self-belief can keep us trucking. Throughout these perfectly formed four minutes, the performer takes the greatest influences from 90s acoustic sounds and even further back, with hints of Bruce Cockburn, James Taylor, and even a pinch of Gordon Lightfoot, blending them into something that’s very much his own. There’s a real purity to this performance. The music is superb, but every vocal note here has an even bigger emotive pull that’s almost impossible to resist.
Tag Archives: folk
VARIOUS ARTISTS – The Magic Forest: More Pastoral Psychedelia & Funky Folk 1968-1975
In 2022, the Cherry Red subsidiary label Grapefruit Records released ‘Deep In The Woods’, a 3CD collection of cult recordings from the late 60s and early 70s, which documented the trippier and occasionally proggier elements of folk rock. Featuring a host of familiar names along with some genuine obscurities, the lengthy listen played brilliantly, offering the more open minded prog fan and 70s rock buff a listen that relied on far more than easy nostalgia.
IAIN MATTHEWS – Thro’ My Eyes: The Vertigo Years 1970-1974
After leaving Fairport Convention rather prematurely in 1969, singer songwriter Iain Matthews embarked on what was to be an epic musical journey. His first solo album ‘Matthews’ Southern Comfort’, released that same year, saw him venturing further away from folk and further into the realms of country rock and Americana, and two further albums released under the Matthews’ Southern Comfort band name cemented a warm, rootsy sound, eventually netting Matthews a UK #1 hit with a cover of Joni Mitchell’s ‘Woodstock’, presented in the mould of the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young version. For the more casual observer, that will be the recording for which Iain is best known.
KATE BURKART – Another Night EP
Kate Burkart’s 2024 release ‘Another Night’ comes almost a decade after her previous EP ‘Save Me A Seat’, but often shares a stylistic approach that makes the listener feel as if the singer songwriter has never really been away. On these five almost timeless sounding numbers, the performer’s mature voice really comes through, but just as importantly, the arrangements are strong. Three of the songs share a natural blend of Americana and rootsy sounds, along with a warm, almost bluesy guitar tone in a couple of places, which results in something rather satisfying despite any budgetary constraints.
THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #73
Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the individual tracks that have landed in our inbox over the previous few weeks. This batch brings the usual eclectic quality. We’ve got a couple of returning faces, but a whole world of new stuff for you. This week’s singles bring together an acoustic work, a remixed slice of electronica, a brilliant debut single from a band who pepper their rocky edge with some great brass, and more besides. Grab a cuppa and dive in!
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