Johnny Whalley

Graham Mackenzie and the six musicians he has assembled for ‘The Dawning’ have not only successfully fused the styles and techniques of the folk tradition with the structures of jazz, they’ve also created music that delights and intrigues in equal measure but, above all, is hugely enjoyable.

Fàs is a thoroughly satisfying album that introduces significant new elements to Breabach’s music but also confirms they’ve never lost sight of their roots. It brings them very securely back to home ground, all adding up to a fascinating blend of familiarity and innovation.

Gog Magog, the highly anticipated follow-up album from The Trials of Cato is an album packed with genre-defying music that will surely be greeted with as much enthusiasm and praise as their debut.

Featuring a host of special guests, Mike Vass’s Decemberwell Decade is a tour de force. Don’t wait to add it to your Christmas list, you’d then miss out on the best possible month to be listening to this inescapably December music.

Janice Burns and Jon Doran’s debut album ‘No More the Green Hills’ exceeds all expectations – few will have the voices, musicianship or imagination to pull it off at this level.

With a change to their lineup, The Magpies continue to plough their own furrow on ‘Undertow’, weaving their broad influences into songs and tunes that are indisputably their own including an unexpected cover…proof that they can successfully apply their unique polish to pretty much anything.

On Ranagri’s ‘Tradition ii’, the songs are packed with passages in which voices and instruments combine to astound the listener with some of the most attention-grabbing music I’ve heard in a long time.

Tina Jordan Rees’ ‘Beatha’ is an expertly crafted suite of upbeat tunes that raise the spirits and celebrate the small pleasures that can enrich anyone’s life. “…an album of the most joyous, energetic music I’ve heard in a good long while.”

Rory Matheson & Graham Rorie celebrate the success of The Assynt Crofters on We Have Won The Land, a gem of an album capturing the ups and the downs of that journey.

There is an undefinable excellence to be found in the sibling vocals of The Brothers Gillespie. When combined with their gentle and varied instrumental arrangements found on ‘The Merciful Road’, their music becomes the complete gold standard package.

For Where Old Ghosts Meet, The Haar bring fresh insights and breathe new life into some of the most iconic songs in the Irish traditional repertoire. A stunning multi-layered, nuanced album that reveals more with each play.

Graeme Armstrong’s debut album ‘You Are Free’, stands out as an adventurous and honest expression of one musician’s thoughts and feelings, as they relate to both his own life and to the great bedrock of folk music that he is building upon.