Helen Gregory

The collaboration between Colorama and Plu has clearly been fruitful and it’s to be hoped that there’s more to come from the quartet. Bendith offers a beguiling mix of sounds and styles, effortlessly crossing musical borders to produce something as fresh and breezy as a warm summer’s day.

Steeped in the folk traditions of Wales yet fully attuned to the present day, Ruins/Adfeilion is an absorbing, thoughtful and ultimately forward-looking collection of songs which perfectly showcase Gareth’s flawless musicianship and creative vision.

Combining a mix of original compositions and their arrangements of traditional music and song, NEWiD is as fine a showcase as you’ll find of their unique vision of “Celtic music for the 21st century” and is sure to become a firm favourite of long-term fans and newcomers alike.

Nine Pin is a stunning album of understated clarity and insight, effortlessly bridging the past and the present to create a blueprint for the future. Included in our review is the video premiere for Harlem’s Little Blackbird.

SERA has an impressive ability to weave together strands from different genres to create songs which allow her individuality to shine through. Little Girl looks set to reach a wide audience and bring Sera the commercial success she so richly deserves.

The musical collaboration of Tanya Brittain and Sam Kelly digs ever deeper into the culture, heritage and traditions of Cornwall – a fresh and compelling display of creative symbiosis, suffused with a wild beauty and offering tantalising insights into the proud heart and soul of this ancient Celtic nation.

Anthony Joseph – the poet, novelist, musician and lecturer described as “the leader of the black avant-garde in Britain” – returns with his sixth album, Caribbean Roots, whose 11 tracks present a fearless and thoughtful exploration of his Trinadadian roots and his own Caribbean identity.

With a poignant reminder that it’s not only the future of humanity that’s at risk, Neil Young delivers fiery, apocalyptic visions, tempered with hope for a better world. Some people want to hear songs of love, some want to hear about “the corporations hijacking all your rights”: either way, Earth has everything you need.

Imarhan’s debut presents the band’s musical vision with a clarity and dynamism that makes it a compelling and essential listen, as well as a unique snapshot of the leading edge of contemporary assouf music.

A self-assured and stylish collection of very listenable contemporary folk-roots songs, Fine Line has all the necessary ingredients to become a big crossover success without compromising the band’s musical vision.

Plu have created something very special with this understated gem of a record; it’s a compelling album from start to finish, which reaffirms their richly deserved place in the forefront of the vibrant and flourishing Welsh folk music scene.

‘This House Will Stand: The Best of Oysterband 1998-2015’ is a comprehensive and essential overview of one of the folk scene’s finest bands and is recommended to established fans and newcomers alike.

By turns sardonic, polemical, articulate, funny and vulnerable, 9 Green Songs is an exhilarating white-knuckle ride through the technicolour daydreams and feverish nightmares that inform the worldview of one Britain’s most singular creative people.

An assured and beautifully realised collection of songs which will undoubtedly appeal to existing fans and newcomers alike and has all the makings of being a significant and well-deserved crossover success.

Along with his collaborators, The Kaniks, Stanley Brinks has made yet another glorious album which celebrates the individuality of us all at the same time as it reminds us we’re not all that different, really, under the skin. Plus we have an exclusive album stream.

This is a compilation that will be welcomed by anyone who’s ever thought, to quote Linda Thompson, “I so wish she had recorded a solo album”. Bringing together some of the best material available from such a wide range of sources, it presents Sandy Denny’s towering legacy in a way which is both respectful yet revealing.

An understated gem from Gill Sandell whose quiet introspection is tempered with an abiding optimism; it’s a rare blend and something to be treasured.

Every Bird That Flies exists in a liminal space, at the edges of music, art, social comment, beyond categories – but one thing is sure: when all’s said and done, you really should hear this record for yourself.