Johnny Whalley

Featuring richly textured arrangements and a stunning array of instruments, In Phase gives another massive boost to Benji KIrkpatrick’s reputation as both a songwriter and an astoundingly varied multi-instrumentalist.

Delivered with freshness and vigour, Track Dogs’ latest release finds their musical smörgåsbord as varied as ever. While sounding joyous, the lyrics and music of Blind Summits and Hidden Dips also reveal depth and complexity on repeat listens.

Joined by Yann Le Bozac and Sylvain Quéré, True North is probably Calum Stewart’s finest album yet, throughout which he delivers a most delightful and varied paean of praise to the north of Scotland.

Joshua Burnell’s music has always thrived on the blurring of boundaries. However, with Glass Knight, his most daring and deeply rewarding album to date, he’s written music that simply refuses to recognise their existence.

This is the third Dàimh album I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing, and my enjoyment of and respect for their music just keeps on growing. If you’ve not sampled their music before, listening to Sula is a great place to start. And if you have, you’ll already be ordering your copy.

With Diad, Tim Edey & Ross Ainslie capture the freshness and spontaneity that has long been a hallmark of their live performances. It’s an album to be enjoyed again and again.

Awakening shows Ímar are back with a vengeance, producing music that is even more imaginative and adventurous than their first two albums. If I had to single out just one quality in praise of this album, I’d pick the sheer joy they exhibit when playing music, a quality that infuses Awakening from start to finish.

On ‘Caoir’, Joy Dunlop’s third album, the power and expressiveness of her voice shines through, while, aided by a top-notch five-piece band, they push the boundaries of ‘trad’ while expertly retaining its soul.

Rura’s ‘Dusk Moon’ is an expertly crafted suite of new material that showcases both the compositional and performance prowess of all four band members; from moody musical landscapes to blowing up a storm that would get any audience on its feet and dancing, this album has it all.

Volume 1 is an album packed with outstanding musicianship, on which Will Pound and Jenn Butterworth show themselves to be brimming over with ideas and possessed of a determination not to be confined by others’ expectations of what constitutes their style.

With ‘The Wedding Above in Glencree’, Daoirí Farrell confirms his stature as one of the finest Irish traditional singers. From the first note to the last, it is a gem of an album.

Having picked up ‘Up and Coming Artist of the Year’ at 2018’s Scots Trad Music Awards, Assynt’s follow-up album comes with high expectations; ‘Where From Here’ doesn’t disappoint.