The Maritime Suite charts a fascinating voyage, and Fellside are to be congratulated on a splendid package. This release serves to further confirm and cement Peter Bellamy’s elevated stature and status.
Our Song of the Day comes from Bâton Bleu (Blue Stick), an inventive duo from Rennes, France who combine the harmonic vocals of Maria Laurent with the growling Waits-esque vocals of Gautier Degandt.
Prince Edward Island’s The East Pointers return to the UK in January on tour. This promises to be a very genuine winter warmer as this is music to dance to as they proved so very heartily on their last tour.
This week’s show draws on music from both sides of the Atlantic highlighting how well folk music travels. From the British Isles to the Appalachians. From new releases to old field recordings.
Supported by the likes of Eliza Carthy, Martin Simpson & Sam Carter, Steve Turner returns with his eighth solo album ‘Late Cut’. This is music that exists in a timeless realm, as is the case with all great music recorded with love, mastery and sincerity. An album of immense distinction.
With very few exceptions, the songs on ‘Where the White Roses Grow’ paint a picture of Yorkshire life: from the hardened drinkers to the workers sacrificed in the building of a railway tunnel, and the growing band of Robin Hood followers reclaiming the man in green for South Yorkshire.
John Kirkpatrick’s Carolling and Crumpets is an excellent antidote to the perpetual Wizzard and Slade drummed into shoppers ears this time of year. There are no airs, no graces, just a man and his instrument, a few stories and a set of good songs.
The Golden Angle is an admirable work with great potential, and David Benedict has truly proven himself among leaders of a generation of musicians guiding bluegrass into new pastures.
Watch the new video from Dublin-based trio Slow Moving Clouds. ‘Under the City’ is the second track on new album Starfall, an original song which has emerged from experimenting with Finnish and Irish folk influences. They are to perform at Celtic Connections alongside Lisa O’Neill next year.
The Last Whole Earth Revival are old time Kansas City Ozark music exploring duo Betse Ellis and Clarke Wyatt and Brett Ratliff, ‘a multi-instrumentalist and lifelong apprentice of the Kentucky repertoire’. Watch their video for Waterbound which was filmed during a trip to Big Sur.
Gaelic singer Christine Primrose will this week attend an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace, where she will be officially be awarded an MBE for ‘Services to Gaelic Music to Culture and to Education in Scotland and Internationally’.
This is an impressive album, blending the traditional folk of artists like Denny, Jansch, and the Thompsons, with more contemporary sounds from alt-folk artists like Ryley Walker. We strongly recommend giving it a listen.
