Nothing like a good folk song about love and death for a Friday…Barbara Allen, performed courtesy of fellow south-west resident James Findlay. Check his gig dates, we highly recommend you make every effort catch one or two!

We have a beautiful song premiere and free download from Brazialian born Eric Taylor Escudero with The Uncountable Colours of The Sky. Joined by Ana Luísa Ramos on backing vocals, the joint-effect is both haunting and otherworldly, creating moments that intertwine and compliment his poetic lyrics.

Her fiddle playing is peerless; her voice soft, warm and soothing; and her rapport with the audience as easy and sincere as if she was chatting with a neighbour. With a surprise guest slot from Siobhan Miller the full house at the Tron Theatre would clearly welcome Rayna back to Celtic Connections again and again.

Gem Andrews’ Vancouver navigates the listener through folk and alt-country numbers with a crystal streams voice, at times evocative of the McGarrigles from whom she covers their classic Heart Like A Wheel. Seek this wonderful album out.

Our Song of the Day comes from Kelly Oliver with Lay Our Heavy Heads, a track taken from her new album Bedlam which is released March 6th via Folkstock Records.

Bob Harris announces his own festival – Under The Apple Tree Roots Festival. Check our video preview and find out about the line-up of artists, many of whom have featured on Folk Radio UK.

Cam Penner & Jon Wood bring Sex & Politics to the Tron Theatre for Celtic Connections and transport the audience to the hand-built studio shack in the woods where the album was crafted.

With Wolves the Lamb Will Lie balances richly detailed lyrics with accessible arrangements which present M.G. Boulter’s musical vision intact. Anyone looking for instruction in the dark art of writing meaningful and original songs would be well-advised to give this a good, close listen; meanwhile the rest of us will be over here, losing ourselves in Matt’s music.

It’s rare that a compilation warrants an album of the year tag, but ‘The Essential Gretchen Peters’ does. Released to coincide with her UK Tour which kicks off at Celtic Connections this month.

We have a unique offering today courtesy of Irish singer-songwriter Colin Dempsey who talks about Storytelling and how it helped him with his Songwriting. Plus we have an excellent song premiere from Supersmall feat. Colin and Israeli drummer Daniela Schiller.

Mischa MacPherson talks to Folk Radio UK about what she’s been up to including her new 7-piece band which will debut at Celtic Connections on 29 January ft: Mike Vass, Innes White, Ali Levack, James Lindsay and more.

Our Tune of the Day comes from our Artist of the Month for January: Jamie Smith’s Mabon. Croeso Ioan features on their latest release The Space Between. Watch them performing it live at the studios of Welsh TV show ‘HENO’.