Glasgow is famous for a lot of things. The Clyde, the Hydro, Buchanan Street bus station. It isn’t however, a well known hub of bluegrass country music.
One man trying to change that, single-handedly, is Daniel Meade. His new single ‘If It’s Not Your Fault (I Guess It’s Mine)’ certainly throws a knee-slappingly good spanner into the works of that old trope.
If the opening banjo riff doesn’t get you, Meade’s southern drawl vocals certainly will. Close your eyes and listen to this track and it’s easy to be swept away by a sweet Savannah breeze, watching a bleeding sunset somewhere on the Bayou. Open them again and you’ll be met with a dreich North Bridge or rain soaked Byres Road.
But that doesn’t matter, not really. The track is an accomplished, well crafted piece of work from a musician with talent. By his own admission, his influences are right up there at the pinnacle of the country and blues mountains.
From Jerry Lee Lewis to Hank Williams, Meade knows talent when he hears it. And that acknowledgement to the forefathers of the bluegrass and country guitar movement is nothing but beneficial to this young musician. By taking the best of some of the greats and infusing it with his own sharp wit and casual demeanour, this young guitar slinger delivers a performance that outweighs his relative inexperience and puts on a damn good show.
Is there a commercial appeal for this type of music beyond its own cult? No probably not. But that doesn’t really matter either. The mere fact that Meade is producing accomplished work that is so enjoyable and so true to the bluegrass genre’s roots in the 21st century make for a more than welcomed effort. The perfect accompaniment to any live music venue or evening, Daniel Meade should be a rising star around Scottish venues very soon.
Nice review for If It’s Not Your Fault(I Guess It’s Mine)..
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I’ll take… http://t.co/UkfGsX3KEn
The most prolific and interesting songwriter of his generation that hasn’t been given the opportunity to be loved. A Scottish treasure. Follow and watch this man now and you’ll be among the few that in 50 years can say ‘I bought his first record when everyone else ignored’