Alex Gallacher

As far as tribute albums go, they don’t come much better than this. Nancy Kerr’s ‘The Poor Shall Wear the Crown‘ is a heartfelt and tremendous album that shines a bright light on the poetic work of Leon Rosselson.

Scottish folk singer Julie Fowlis has released a digital EP featuring songs she composed to accompany the Source To Sea podcast series in which Lee Craigie and Jenny Graham travel the length of three major Scottish rivers (The River Dee, River Tay and River Clyde).

Featuring Clelia Vega with James P Honey, Big Thief, The Baird Sisters, Jake Xerxes Fussell, Nathan Bowles, Bill Mackay and Nathan Bowles, Bonnie “Prince” Billy & The Cairo Gang, Roseanne Reid, Doug Tielli, Hiss Golden Messenger, Clogs, Sally Anne Morgan, Jouis, Turner Cody.

Sam Sweeney announces ‘Solo’, the first in a series of EPs that highlight the band members who performed on his acclaimed album ‘Unearth Repeat’. Listen to opening track “Untitled Waltz #1 / Tweedside”.

Watch the video for ‘Meeting Is Over’, the new single from Moira Smiley featuring Piers Faccini and Seamus Egan – a stripped-down, acoustic anthem that celebrates the cycles of life and death, endings and renewal, farewells and reunion. The perfect end-of-year song.

Featuring C Joynes, Erlend Apneseth & Margit Myhr, The Little Unsaid, Isaac Birituro and The Rail Abandon, Jacqui Alpine, Myriam Gendron, Sarah Louise, Elkhorn, Charlie Parr, Circuit Des Yeux, Ben LaMar Gay, Six Organs Of Admittance, Träd, Gräs och Stenar, Lonnie Holley, Colin Stetson / Sarah Neufeld Duo.

Featuring Harley Kimbro Lewis, Dawn Landes, Piers Faccini & Blick Bassy, Old Salt, Dyad, Cocanha, Cath & Phil Tyler, Tim Eriksen, Milkweed, Aèdes, Jenny Lysander & Gunda (Гәында).

Featuring: The Little Unsaid, Aoife ODonovan, Arooj Aftab and Badi Assad, Diane Cluck, Nathan Salsburg, Hiss Golden Messenger, Curtis Harding, schroothoop, Montparnasse Musique, Sarah Olivier, Matthew E. White & Lonnie Holley, Endless Boogie, Garcia Peoples, Rosali, Jana Horn, Ben Pritchard, Michael Hurley.

Over the years, we have featured a number of winter guest mixes. Here are some of those winter offerings from Michael Tanner, Stephen Cracknell, Salad Sound System and Folk Police Recordings. Happy Winter Solstice.

Simon Jones of Harp & a Monkey shares Royal Mail, a song and video animation inspired by the vintage Ladybird book ‘The Postman And The Postal Service’. It’s taken from his debut solo album ‘How Things Work’ which he has just finished recording.

Featuring Tim Eriksen, Dyad, Kiila, Mary Lattimore, Antonymes, Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin & Ultan O’Brien, Cinder Well, Ghédalia Tazartès + Rhys Chatham, Anna & Elizabeth, Xylouris White, Gunn-Truscinski Duo, Richard Skelton.

These are Folk Radio UK’s favourite Top 100 Albums of 2021 selected from the many albums that were reviewed over the past year covering folk, roots, alternative and global music. Dig deeper by listening and reading our reviews.