Ags Connolly is widely considered to be one of the best country artists ever to emerge from the UK and is proof that authenticity comes from the heart not from where you happen to have been born. If Stevie O’Connor can be considered the UK’s answer to Chris Stapleton then Connolly is our Willie Nelson. ‘Siempre’ (Spanish for ‘Always’) is his fourth studio album and marks a change in direction for the traditional country singer-songwriter as it takes the glimmers of Texas border sounds heard on Ags’ last two records and merges them with Tejano music and barroom waltzes while also accommodating his honky tonk and singer-songwriter roots. As with his previous record ‘Wrong Again’ (named UK Country Album Of The Year at the 2020 UK Country Music Awards), ‘Siempre’ was produced by Ags himself and recorded at Woodworm Studios in Oxfordshire.
“It’s best described as a Texas music album”, Ags explains when talking about ‘Siempre’. “Texas-style country is my favourite, and it takes many forms. I wanted to celebrate them all.” For the Tex-Mex tracks, Ags taught himself to play bajo quinto, a traditional Tejano instrument. “I knew if I was gonna do it I had to do it right”, Ags says. “Wes McGhee (the legendary UK country artist who spent years playing in Austin) told me you need the bajo for an authentic sound – he should know as he was making records like this decades ago.” Connolly covers MCGhee’s ‘Half Forgotten Tunes’ on ‘Siempre’ as tribute and it’s fascinating mix of Springsteen ‘Nebraska’ vibes and Willie Nelson storytelling that could also be the tale of a wild night out in Newcastle! The song plays out, in true troubadour style, with Connolly taking the role of an ageing singer. There’s a sadness to the song but also a satisfying feeling of a life well lived and the powerful, impactful fiddles that elevate the song’s final third bring a real sense of drama to the whole story.
Elsewhere, those Tex-Mex, border town sounds rule the roost on ‘Siempre’. ‘Headed South for a While’ is both album opener and statement of intent. A biographical tale of a singer heading south to ply his trade is augmented by some accomplished accordion flourishes that give a real laid back feeling to this simple driving song. ‘Tell Me What You Were Going to Tell Me’ builds a bridge between Europe and the South with its statement that ‘Tequila ain’t so different from vodka or whiskey’ on this post-pandemic song about dislocation with a kind of ‘seize the day’ mentality.
That mix of of ‘Nebraska’-esque Springsteen and Texan Willie Nelson feels rears it’s head again on ‘I Trust My Heart These Days’ and ‘In Love at All’. ‘I need you like I’ve needed no-one before,’ Connolly states on the former set against a backdrop of acoustic guitar and accordion flourishes on a song that feels like it’s been plucked right out of a Mexican cantina whilst ‘In Love At All’ also contains a tinge of Gaelic folk and Tyneside shipbuilding storytelling. There’s a heady, unique mix on this song that posits the old adage that it’s better to have lost and loved than never to have loved at all, although I’m not sure I fully believe that the narrator of the tale here believes that deep down!
Of all the Mexican-themed influences ‘Sênora (Whatever Comes First)’ is possibly the best. An uptempo, jolly cadence erupts out of nowhere as the song barrels along with Connolly trying to convince a woman to love him! Accordion mixed with some ‘arriba’-esque calls and a bit of Spanish in the final third makes you really believe that you could be listening to this song in Juarez rather than Skegness.
There are some classic ballads on ‘Siempre’ too. ‘Turns Out’ is a simple ballad about heart break, loneliness and missed opportunities whilst ‘Overwhelmed’ has a delightful, lilting cadence to it’s verses, a gorgeous chorus and cracking guitar solo in the song’s final third that makes it one of the albums best listens in terms of musicality. ‘Siempre’ is closed down with ‘I’d Be Good For You’, a plaintive ballad in which the weary troubadour spins a tale of self deprecation as he declares that ‘you’d be wonderful for me and I’d be good for you.’ More Willie Nelson overtones again here as the fiddles paint a tender, lush landscape on top of which Connolly makes his impassioned plea.
Does it matter where you come from and where you are born when it comes to making Country music? Or does it just matter what’s in your heart? Ags Connolly doesn’t care about those type of boundaries or pigeonholes, he just makes music that means something to him: learning, evolving and pushing the boundaries of his own creativity one album at a time. ‘Siempre’ is a triumph. A visionary album brought to life by a guy from Oxfordshire who has a troubadour heart and a songwriter’s soul. Who gives a crap what his passport says? Let’s hope the album can give him the push and the attention he deserves as he endeavours to take his songs out on the road like only a real, honest, authentic troubadour can.
Tracklist: 1. Headed South for a While 2. Change My Mid 3. Tell Me What You Were Gonna Tell Me 4. Overwhelmed 5. I Trust My Heart These Days 6. In Love At All 7. Sênora (Whatever Comes First) 8. Half Forgotten Tunes 9. Turns Out 10. I’d Be Good For You Record Label: Finstock Music Release Date: June 16th Buy ‘Siempre’ right now
