Helen Gregory

Helen captures one the final gigs from Emily Barker & The Red Clay Halo at St James Church. Plus a we have a special Neil Young cover performed at Union Chapel.

This is another sterling example of Topic Records consistency – ‘this compilation is not only the icing on the cake, it’s also the sponge, the jam and the candles on the top’.

Burn & Glow is a great introduction to the repertoire of Amy Goddard, one on which she isn’t afraid to write about contemporary social justice concerns along with more personal matters.

Lily-O isn’t afraid to draw on the musical roots of its contributors while, at the same time, remaining thoroughly contemporary in outlook. An enjoyable, fascinating and very accessible listen.

Amidst Fiery Skies is a very accomplished and confident sounding album which suggests that the rise to prominence of The Willows is richly deserved and it points to a bright future for the band.

With the assistance of long time friend Steve Shannon, Adrian Crowley has created his best album to date; it’s a worthy addition to his already impressive back catalogue which augurs well for the future.

With The Boatswain’s Manual, M.G. Boulter and Samantha Whates provide a nostalgic but thoroughly enjoyable daytrip down memory lane. One to seek out!

In ‘Nothing Can Bring Back The Hour’ Josienne Clarke and Ben Walker have produced a work of beauty and depth which deserves to be acknowledged as a classic in the canon of contemporary UK folk music.

Follow the Music is a superb record in every way, it exudes a gentleness borne of strength, revealing its heart and soul, its depth and beauty, in its own sweet time, over successive listens.

Featuring members of JuJu, Robert Plant’s Sensational Space Shifters, Red Snapper and a guest appearance from Ghostpoet, Fofoulah’s debut album is one of this year’s most enthralling listens.

Comfort Me With Apples is Manchester folk singer and musician Rachel Hillary’s second EP, an artist that places her art first and foremost.

It’s been a long time coming but now it’s here, it’s safe to say that in ‘lullaby and… The Ceaseless Roar’ Robert Plant has produced his most transcendent record to date.

Maritime is the second album from Dave McGraw and Mandy Fer and it’s both a natural progression and quantum leap forward from their 2012 debut Seed Of A Pine. On UK Tour from September.

Oscillations is a solid debut album from London based Cosines, with moments of human kindness melting the sangfroid; it’s a promising start and one worth following the future of.

Stanley Brinks & Freschard return with ‘Pizza Espresso’ , the perfect soundtrack for those long, sultry summer nights when you’re musing on loves lost and found.

Helen reviews Polly Paulusma latest release ‘The Small Feat of My Reverie’, in many ways a precursor to her 2012 release ‘Leaves From The Family Tree’.

Silt is full of sounds and timbres from a region of Africa too often overlooked by many and it effortlessly dissolves the restrictive boundaries imposed by the all-consuming Eurocentric mainstream.

Whispering Hills,Tangled Hair is the debut album from West Country duo Crow Puppets, an evocative, contemporary folk sound which is both assured and confident.