Pharis & Jason Romero: Bet On Love
Bet On Love arrives two years on, and it’s another warm, homespun, pure folk gem from the Romeros, who are such naturals within their sonic realm that they possess the knack of making it sound totally effortless. There is such an ease about their sound and tight harmonies and melodies, that it’s as if the songs just land in their laps fully formed, from somewhere divine, ready for them to lay down.
Like its predecessor, the 11-song Bet On Love was recorded live off the floor in their resurrected banjo workshop, once more guided by the in-demand producer/musician Marc Jenkins, with the only additional musicians present being master mandolinist John Reischman and bassist Patrick Metzger. It’s a composed, informal affair, so if you’ve enjoyed any of the couple’s previous five albums, or generally dig soulful roots music written and performed with great skill by couples that are deeply in love, able to rise above unexpected life challenges, and fully focused on their art, you’ll undoubtedly flip for this lovely album.
Rachel Newton: To The Awe
To The Awe, through its collection of voices and themes, presents both a timeless and immediate message. Despite, or perhaps because of, many of the song’s narratives being rooted in folklore and myth the resonance of each tale rings remarkably apposite to our world and attests truth to the adage that nothing every really changes. Beautifully produced, To The Awe is a striking, pertinent, and entirely enthralling album. A powerful testament to the experiences of women through the ages.
Ross Ainslie: Vana
Throughout Vana there is a sense of rebirth and renewed energy, it’s clear the retreat provided Ainslie with the time and focus he so desired. And what a treat it has provided for us too, Vana sees Ainslie at his most musically vigorous, experimental, and confident. There is undoubtedly some adept tunemanship here. It is somewhat of a new destination for Ainslie, world music has a stronger presence here than in any of his other releases, but this is world music seen very much through a Scottish lens. It’s a confident, considered, and accomplished release from one of Scotland’s finest and most exhilarating musicians. Take your time with Vana, it’s a slower, more introspective album than Ainslie’s previous Sanctuary. Consider it as, to quote Ainslie, a ‘journey album’ and it should be treated as such. Linger in it and you’ll be much rewarded. And take the heed of Ainslie’s wise words, printed on the edge of the CD booklet demands. ‘nae skipping tracks.. ya kents!’
Sally Anne Morgan: Thread
Thread is a very tactile album, an autumnal set of songs full of warmth and the fragility and beauty of nature. In that way it does remind me somewhat of Sarah Louise’s Deeper Woods, especially with songs like the fragmented ‘Ellemwood Meditation‘, but more commonly throughout these songs, Morgan plays with the traditional features of Appalachian music and subtly morphs them into fresh and imaginative new shapes. Like the electric guitar underpinning ‘Thread Song‘ and traditional piece ‘Annachie Gordon‘ (a beautiful closer using banjo alongside electric guitar to frame a ballad air best known from Nic Jones’ Noah’s Ark Trap album), these decisions provide a slightly different landscape in which the music can live. The result is a wonderful, deeply thought out, rich and engaging album that manages to sound completely original within the parameters of its musical roots.
Salt House: Huam
Scottish trio Salt House have named their latest album Huam and the name is entirely appropriate, for there is something of the wild strangeness of the day-calling owl in its haunting melodies, its resonance and depth, its sweetness and its connectedness to the natural world with all its damp and hidden beauty. And when you get to know a little more about the backgrounds of these three musicians, it comes as no surprise that their songs are deeply rooted in landscape and in the heritage – human or otherwise – of their homelands.
Beyond the surface meaning of these songs, which can be philosophical, political or poetic, Huam has something of the magic of an untrodden path about it. It rewards deep listening just as a landscape rewards deep observation, and it delights in the spirit of the outdoors and the warmth of home. Light and quick, profound and full of care, it is an album of serenely balanced opposites.
Sam Amidon: Sam Amidon
Sam Amidon feels a very personal album, with tracks that have a resonance to the artist’s past, yet the choice of traditional tracks ensures there are cultural ones for us all too. These tunes are shared with everyone and Amidon’s selection, sensitively curated, with an ear to the timelessness of the original words and tune, remaining true to their roots. Despite Amidon’s pleasing electronica experiments, it’s an oddly respectful approach: the delivery is both reverential and innovative at the same time.
And that’s what characterises the album’s sound. Amidon’s wistful vocals layering the songs with an ageless, melancholic mood. It’s a dreamy listen and despite its ‘folktronica’ vibe, a curiously ageless recording.
It’s telling when an album makes you want to hunt out an artist’s back catalogue. Despite being relatively familiar with some of Amidon’s earlier work, Sam Amidon makes me want to dig deeper. A handsome and entirely seductive album.
Sam Burton: I Can Go With You
From Salt Lake City and now based in Los Angeles, with Jarvis Taveniere producing and playing bass, I Can Go With You marks Sam Burton’s official debut after several years of releasing homemade cassettes, from which many of the tracks are revisited.
Having been something of a treasured secret among the musical cognoscenti for the past decade, the time has come for Burton to take his overdue place on the wider stage.
Sam Carter: Home Waters
What I love most about this album is the clarity it displays; Sam’s guitar playing has never been better and his writing (and that of his producer Ian Stephenson on ‘Hold Back the Storm’) is clean, wise and often beautiful. The arrangements too are very delicately written, with none of the eight other players featuring across the ten tracks upsetting the balance of the music. To me, Home Waters is Sam Carter’s finest and most confident piece of work so far and best displays the honed talents of this valuable musician. A concise, cohesive and self-assured album that perfectly balances and blends ace song-writing with considered and finely judged arrangements, centred around technically accomplished and nuanced acoustic guitar playing. In short, Home Waters is a must-have.
Sam Lee: Old Wow
Like previous releases, Lee still has a way of bringing together a remarkable cast of players and the musicianship remains exceptional. However, although their classical elements have carried over, the exotic textures of his past records feel more refined on Old Wow. Now it’s slightly harder to discern the fusion of multicultural influences in the music; they’re still there, it’s just that each part and player falls into place so effortlessly and organically. These songs are loose, sparse and sombre one moment, then dynamically swell to a grand, ornate flourish the next. Tracks occasionally take on a trancelike quality, allowing ample space for striking lead lines to cut in, like with Caoimhin Ó Raghallaigh’s Hardanger violin for example.
On producing and playing on Old Wow, Bernard Butler’s desire was to capture Sam as a soul singer. And that’s exactly what we get. With Lee’s impassioned baritone at the forefront, the arrangements allow him the freedom of movement an unaccompanied singer might enjoy, as he flirts with unusual note choices, fluidly experiments with delivery and his melodies stray from the beaten path.
…his most direct, urgent and moving record to date.
Sam Sweeney: Unearth Repeat
As it says in the notes, ‘this is an album of tunes’, and those tunes are indeed glorious and cannot fail to affect those listening to them, but also important here is how they have been handled, which is with care and flair in equal measure, by musicians who love their craft. Unearth Repeat is a significant leap forward for Sam Sweeney in terms of his solo work. It is a highly creative work that brings something new to the mix, while also celebrating the simple joys of instrumental folk music. Mesmerising and irresistible stuff.