
Inform Educate and Entertain was the mantra that Lord Reith introduced at the BBC – it is easily the slogan that Alan West could use for his new venture;”A Country Music Songbook” which sees him and his band take us on a chronological ride through the history of great country music songs. This is not a not a jukebox musical, there is no story line joining a clutch of hits together, and there will be no impersonations. What there will be however is a backdrop of moving images that will complement the songs being played while Alan as narrator will guide us through the various eras of country music peppering his introductions with fascinating facts and tales from country history.


Tonight’s event is at the Login Lounge, a rather smart venue in Camberley, with craft beers, a mixture of seating, a great sound and a full crowd of enthusiastic country fans. The emphasis is on the songs and Alan has assembled a cracking ensemble to help bring these tunes to life. Those familiar with his work will recognize long time compadres, Adam Sweet and Nick Bayes on guitar and bass duties. Magnificent pedal steel contributions throughout the night will come from Cristiano Pochesci, while Laura Addy will provide backing vocals throughout the night and will take over the lead vocal duties on the female led songs. Making his debut, not that you would know it, such was his performance, on percussion was Mikey Ciancio.

The songs chosen are an eclectic mix, not necessarily the biggest hits, we start forinstance with a toe tapping song about a train crash, "The Wreck Of The Old 97", it was representing the early days of country but like all great songs it has been covered many times since by The Seekers, Johnny Cash and Woody Guthrie. So even if you were not aware of the original you may well have heard it somewhere over the years and if you hadn't, Alan and the band had provided you with something to check out on arriving home. It was a great bluegrass opener, and made full use of the sparkling sound of the pedal steel, and was revealed to be the first song a formative Alan West ever sung on stage. All played out against an inventive backdrop.
It set the model for a most entertaining evening that clearly both band and audience were enjoying, a quick glance around the room during "Jambalaya", representing, Hank Williams would clearly show many mouths unreservedly singing along. With Alan's rich timbre covering the male leading songs and Laura's vocals proving to be adept at matching the requirements for the female led songs, the evening all but flew by. There are some real neat touches throughout the evening, the promise of an Arthur Crudup tune may net set the pulse racing, but when you find that it is "That's All Right Mama" sandwiched between a slow and fast version of "Blue Moon Of Kentucky" it really brings home just how much country music changed with the arrival of Elvis Presley.

The show comes in two halves, with the second picking up from the early 70's and bringing us through into the 21st century. Occasionally Alan will inject his own version of a song, so although John Denver’s “Country Roads” will make an appearance, it will be as a slowed down, intense affair where the line “I should’ve been home yesterday” carries real weight. Once you've heard it like this you'll never want to hear the original again. Some of the latter inclusions have even fuelled some online controversy, the appearance of Billy Joel on the poster sent one keyboard warrior apoplectic, yet "The Downeaster "Alexa"" was more country in spirit than anything Florida Georgia Line have ever produced!
The second half would officially end on a contribution from Jefferson Ross, probably one of the lesser known songwriters of the evening yet his contribution, “The Prophet Elijah",, coming just before the inauguration of the next US president perhaps was possibly the most prescient song of the whole evening. It was one that every fan of great Country songs needs to be aware of. There was still time for Alan and his crew to dazzle, delight and surprise #TEAMw21 with a John Hiatt tune "Let It Ride" from The Country Bears Soundtrack. On leaving the building, feedback from the audience was universally positive - and here at #TEAMw21 we defy you not to have a good time with "A Country Music Songbook"
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