02/06/2026
Brightlingsea Free Music Festival welcomes on Sunday 2nd August the very wonderful My Girl The River with their perfect vibe for a chilled Sunday afternoon.
Kris Wilkinson Hughes aka My Girl the River is a Louisiana native who is now based in the UK after a decade of songwriting in Nashville. She has recently released her third album, Songs About Space, to strong critical acclaim.
As a performer, she is funny, warm and fearless with a sackful of hook laden Americana/roots songs and a voice of sweet sugared espresso. You might find yourself singing along or shedding a tear on your journey. Love, loss, Louisiana and Hot Chicken are just some of the stops along the way.
MGTR’s first two albums ‘This Ain’t No Fairytale’ and ‘Cardinal in the Snow’ received critical acclaim gaining 8/10 from Paste Magazine and 8/10 from Americana-UK, to name a couple.
Their third and most recent album ‘Songs About Space’, brought together a collection of songs not a ‘perfection of songs’ - Kris says ‘these songs represent a unique situation, most of them recorded at home with different outcomes, this isn’t a week in the studio full band jam. These are songs that mean something to me personally, recorded over the last few years and deserve their day in the sun. The most recent singles ‘Information Highway’ and ‘Helpless’ have really resonated with audiences.
My Girl The River has performed at Black Deer Festival, Isle of Wight, YNot Festival and toured with Laura Cantrell, Darden Smith and Suzanne Vega. She has supported other notable songwriters such as Kim Richey, Bill Morrissey, David Olney, Fred Eaglesmith, Boo Hewerdine, World Party, Lambchop and others. She also tours with the ARC Songwriters, featuring Anna Howie and Kate Ellis, all three singing harmonies a la Dolly, Linda and Emmylou
Wilkinson has a voice that ebbs and flows to fill all those pools of emotion.’ - Your Life In A Song
‘A lovely mélange of Americana-Roots music brings to mind works by other fellow alt-country musicians Jason Isbell and Lucinda Williams…. exceptional songwriting. ‘ - ★★★★ Paste Magazine
‘Like Lucinda Williams, folk legend Joni Mitchell or kd Lang, we are so impressed’ - Rootstime
‘Thought provoking lyrics delivered from the heart by Kris’s smooth, soulful voice’ - Belles and Gals
A masterpiece of listening pleasure. You Do Not Deserve My Tears is on my list of top songs for 2020. - ★★★★ Robsrawmusic
