Helen Gregory

Chris T-T & The Hoodrats latest album ‘The Bear’ shows the mark of a writer and musician who knows his art and his craft; a rare thing in this disposable age where even instant gratification isn’t quick enough.

The scenes on Emily Jane White’s Blood / Lines are worlds between worlds and the spaces between words, ghost ships passing in the night. This is the music of yesterday and tomorrow, seen through the gauzy curtain of today.

Just a week into a 28-date UK tour, Emily Barker & The Red Clay Halo rolled into town and proceeded to tear the roof off a packed house at London’s O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire. Helen was there for FRUK.

Nordic duo Mona & Maria offer a sonic time capsule of better days tinged with the famed Nordic melancholia on their debut album My Sun. A welcome pick-me-up for the winter ahead.

Kathryn Williams’ new album Crown Electric unites disparate elements from the simple to the complex, light and dark, loud and quiet through musicianship & gorgeous singing. You need this record in your life.

Helen catches a great performance by Gill Sandell at The Green Note accompanied by Ted Barnes, Anna Jenkins, Jo Silverston with a guest appearance from Adrian Crowley.

David Rotheray’s ‘Answer Ballads’ features some of the best singers around today, read our album review and listen to three exclusive Song Premières!

Lowri Evans ‘Corner of My Eye’ has hidden depths that call you back for repeated listenings, the ideal platform for for her to find the wider recognition that her music deserves.

Chatma, the new album from Tamikrest, is possibly one of the most powerful and inspirational records to emerge from the conflict in Northern Mali to date.

The real heart and soul of Sidi Touré’s latest release ‘Alafia’ are to be found in its power to bring people together, to unify and to heal.

The quality of the new 4CD+DVD release ‘The Band – Live at the Academy of Music 1971’ sounds fabulous and must surely rate consideration as their best record alongside ‘Rock of Ages’.

Live At Caffè Lena is a thoughtfully sequenced compilation which manages to distil a wide range of emotions and musical styles into a low-key but never lowbrow collection which captivates by virtue of its simple humanity.

Another Self Portrait offers a new perspective on one of Dylan’s most controversial albums and contrary to widespread opinion – Dylan was as creative and prolific as ever.

Helen reviews Roy Harper’s Man and Myth: a tour de force which effortlessly displays Harper’s mastery of his craft and is without doubt the best record he has ever made.

Folk in a Box is one of those concepts so simple that it could only be either a harebrained idea doomed to failure, or a flash of genius bound for success.

Lazibyrd, although comparative newcomers on the scene, have shown that they have all the necessary ingredients to take it to the next level and are definitely one to watch.

Three Cheers For The Undertaker is a highly accomplished debut album which bodes well for The Lost Cavalry’s future.

Gill Sandell’s second solo album is an object lesson in the art and craft of songwriting; a shimmering tapestry of sound with a mesmerising beauty, Light The Boats must surely rank amongst the year’s best records.