Bob Fish

The journey goes ever onward for Ralph McTell with his seventy-fifth birthday on the horizon. Taking paths less travelled and understanding that it’s less about the destination than the people you meet along the road. May they continue to be varied and may he continue to provide moments of unrivalled beauty.

The genius of Opsi lies in the ability of Jens Carelius to capture a portrait of a man who was fascinating not only for what he did but who he was… the portrait we observe is of a man in total, complete with gifts and faults, but a man well worth knowing.

While ‘Free Company’ proves that love is never really free. Taylor Vick’s Boy Scouts emerge from these moments cleansed, ready to move on. Rather than a downward spiral, Vick seems to emerge energized and invigorated. All heartbreak should be so inspiring.

Angie McMahon is a walking contradiction, a smiling 24-year-old who roars like a lion, a gentle folk singer who rocks with raw abandon, a guarded thinker who wears her heart on her sleeve. She wrestles with her demons in public, providing insight we can’t afford to ignore.

With help from friends Kevin Scott, Dave Colohan, Graeme Lockett, James Connor, and Ronnie Maxwell, Alison has created something remarkably fresh. Which is to be expected from someone who has always responded to her own muse.

Malin Head is a tribute to the sense of longing many of Irish descent must have felt leaving everything behind. Accordingly, there is hope amidst the heartbreak in equal measure. Ardentjohn mine both seams, creating a statement of yearning that tugs at listeners long after the album has ended.

The journey taken to create Daughter of Swords’ (Alexandra Sauser-Monnig of Mountain Man) ‘Dawnbreaker’ dazzles in its simplicity.  And it surprises in the ability to put a positive spin onto some of life’s heartbreaking moments.

On Water, Sadgirl’s first album after five years of EPs and singles, they throw all their influences into a pot and come up with a cross-cultural blending that sounds unlike anyone else.