BRING IT HOME
Acoustic Picking Roots
In various music circles it seems to be an accepted fact that whilst electric Blues Rock is championed and receives wide public appreciation here in the UK, a similar recognition for finger-picking acoustic guitar music is singularly lacking. Step up to the plate Another Planet Music, and kudos to them in their endeavour to redress this imbalance.
Their mission, to celebrate and disseminate samples of the best finger-picking acoustic guitar music on the burgeoning and authentic UK roots music scene, has spawned this album of exclusive recordings by nine musicians who were invited to contribute a couple of choice songs or instrumentals that they played regularly or meant something to them. An accompanying film, more of which later, adds to the story, as does a planned live show featuring some of those musicians.
Recorded across three different regional studios, in order to accommodate the artists whose locations encompass Birmingham, Bristol, Bromley, London, Rainham, Tunbridge Wells and York, each of the 17 tracks on Bring It On Home was captured in a single take, with no overdubs. A small note of caution for those looking for a collection of original songs or tunes, you will be out of luck on this count. Apart from the two contributions from one artist, the other 15 tracks are all covers/interpretations from the American Roots Music tradition of the early 20th Century, with a balance of approximately 50% songs and 50% tunes. The result? An album of inspiring and authentic Folk-Blues/Rhythm and Blues/Americana/Jazz of the highest calibre.
What better way to open the album in fine style than to hear Bristol’s Holly Carter, Instrumentalist Of The Year in both 2023 and 2024 in the UK Americana Awards, who delivers a cracking medley comprising John Henry and Who’s Gonna Shoe Your Pretty Little Feet’, top-class music.
Andy Twyman, a regular at clubs and festivals around the UK with his one-man-band act which amalgamates blues, comedy and rock ‘n’ roll, who also presents music from the 1920s and 30s as one half of Nothing In Rambling with Sister Suzie, offers up two stompingly good instrumentals, his slide and finger-picking efforts giving his resonator a really good work-out. Birmingham’s Abi Budgen’s lifetime’s love and study of traditional blues and gospel music is clear to hear in her two, contrasting contributions. First up, she ventures into gospel territory with Reverend Gary Davis’s ‘I Belong To The Band’, whilst her interpretation of Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s ‘Up Above My Head’ further shows what an accomplished player and singer she is.
Blues heroes Bill Bill Broonzy and Robert Johnson are the artists chosen by London musician Dariush Kanani for his offerings, whilst Remi Bankyln’s 1950 Gretsch Corsair brings a refreshingly cool jazz-imbued sound to the instrumental ‘Where Is My Good Man At’, originally written and recorded by the influential American blues artist Memphis Minnie (Lizzie Douglas) alongside her husband and musical partner Kansas Joe McCoy, whereas his second track, a toe-tappingly upbeat-tempo interpretation of ‘Big Road Blues’ showcases his undoubted ability.
Slow, smouldering blues playing of the highest order is provided by Joe Wilkins on ‘T’ain’t Nobody’s Business’, the classic 1920s blues standard, (originally ‘T’ain’t Nobody’s Biz-ness If I Do’), written by Porter Grainger and Everett Robbins. Here, the original vaudeville-jazz style musical arrangement is given a full-on blues treatment courtesy of Joe’s Gibson J50.
London-based Oli MacDonald is the sole artist contributing self-composed songs. Feted as Acoustic Blues Artist Of The Year Winner in the 2026 UK Blues Award for the third consecutive year, and the fourth time overall, his credentials are obvious and are well-exhibited in both ‘Candela’ and ‘Trouble Blues’, where his life-worn vocal blues delivery give the listener no choice but to feel his pain.
Female artists plying their trade in this field are also represented by Elsie Franklin, whose authentic takes on early blues and jazz of legendary female blues artists are embodied here by two wonderful tracks, ‘Kissing In The Dark’ and the instrumental ‘Knoxville Blues’, where her National Steel Resonator builds up a glorious head of steam.
Chris Corcoran’s two instrumental performances exemplify his reputation as one of the UK’s finest exponents of early swing, jump-blues and rhythm & blues guitar styles, firstly via ‘Misterioso’, Thelonious Monk’s first ever 12-bar blues composition, and then with the jazz-inflected ‘Blues For The Night Owls’.
Eagle-eyed mathematicians will have realised that two of the contributing artists have thus far been acknowledged as having provided one offering each, whilst there only remains one track. The explanation is simple, for the album’s final track, ‘Blueberry Hill’, Holly Carter and Joe Wilkins combine their considerable talents. The combination is a match made in heaven, with the synergy between the two guitarists on this instrumental rendition being palpable, delivering an uplifting version that would bring a smile to the face of the most morose of stone gargoyles.
Bring It On Home - Acoustic Picking Roots makes for an absorbing and entertaining listen in its own right as a stand-alone release, and is worthy of investigation. When combined with the accompanying film documentary, which further explores, via the contributing musicians, topics such as the sound, “what do you play?”, beginnings, heritage, technique, community and the future, then even greater benefit and enjoyment will accrue. The video can be accessed via this link Bringing It On Back Home.
Thank you, and well done APM records, further volumes please.
Acoustic Picking Roots