Up early this morning and I hear something wonderful on the Radio. After a bit of searching I find out it’s Dan Auerbach’s (Black Keys) new single. There’s some Black keys and also Jessica Lee Mayfield on Tuesday’s show. Jessica sings back up on last year’s (rightly popular) Black keys album and Dan has produced her new album as well as finding time to bring out his own. if you want something done, ask a busy man.

In truth I’m travelling as I write this and experiencing the wide extremes of world weather. Last week – for those of you not in the UK – we experienced the kind of winter we’d nearly forgotten about. the snow lay in our garden for a week and even my children began to weary of the white landscape. I have to say that I have not yet reached an age – I fear I may never – when I mutter oaths about snow. To my parents it was always a problem – roads closed, pipes frozen and driveways blocked. They even moved house at one point because their hilly approach road became a down hill slope in the winter. Maybe it’s because I’ve never had a proper job or I’ve never accepted citizenship of some traditional kind but I can’t help but love the winter weather. In Glasgow, where I’ve lived for the last 25 years or more snow is so much nicer than traditional winter fair – wind and rain.

Whatever is outside your window this Tuesday at 8 you can cheerfully ignore knowing that we’ll be taking you to some great musical places. Allow yourself to come with us to Virginia
never been there myself – and experience the diversity of music in that most established of US states. We have a career-changing Unsung album to play you and some new material that won’t be available in the shops (record shops??) for a few weeks yet. Chiefly and most excitingly for me is the new album by Buddy and Julie Miller. If you feel intimidated because you know very little about country or Americana music let me assure you of this: two years ago, when I first went to Nashville, I worked with Phil Madeira who told me he played with a guy called Buddy Miller. This meant nothing to me until I did some research and realised that Buddy was at the epicenter of everything. Writer, producer and guitarist to the stars (recent Plant/Krauss tour) Buddy is central to all things truly country. His new album `(with wife Julie) is going to be one of this year’s key releases and I predict a nomination in the Americana awards come late summer. Another Country will be around when the awards are given out this year so stay tuned. Catch you on Tuesday at 8.