Mike Davies

With a shared appreciation of Bert Jansch and John Renbourn, Emma Tricca and Jason McNiff have created a hugely enjoyable and relaxed album. At under 25 minutes, it’s all too short, so here’s hoping for a full-length follow-up.

Painful though the experience may be, break-ups frequently result in some of an artist’s best work. Luke Winslow-King’s latest offering in ‘I‘m Glad Trouble Don’t Last Always’ is no exception.

Featuring co-writes with the likes of Gretchen Peters and Mary Gauthier, The Emigrant is a magnificent album and a substantial addition to the Irish emigrant canon that fully confirms Glover as one of the finest in the Americana genre.

A worthy, if somewhat belated, follow-up to John Prine’s 1999 release ‘In Spite of Ourselves,’ here he is joined by the likes of Iris Dement, Alison Krauss, Holly Williams and more. One of his finest.

A terrific and highly accomplished piece of work, but its worth far transcends the album to stand as a landmark in the fight to not only illuminate the overlooked role women played in the Great War, but also to serve as a reminder that conflict in the name of right is not the monopoly of the patriarchy.

Shoulder to Shoulder is the latest offering from Chris While and Julie Matthews, a potent reminder that they remain one of the finest duos on the acoustic scene, there is strength in this union.

M. Lockwood Porter fits comfortably into the tradition of American folk troubadour protest singers while also mining the more musically aggressive territory of punk-country and roots-rock. His latest offers strong examples of both

Skeleton Tree tackles death, loss, grief and religion couched in a musical meld of noir and Biblical atmospherics. Between times, darkness hangs heavy, even when songs have an edge of hope and celebration.

So Long City is a stripped down solo debut from Pat Kearns – while there are musically uptempo tracks it’s the softer, slower introspective balladry that provides the album’s heart and backbone. Repeat plays will reveal its immense charms.

Paul Goodwin’s latest offering is a quietly unassuming album, but it creeps up on you and hits you in the solar plexus of your mid-life crisis, leaving you winded, but grateful to be still breathing.

As the title suggests, the component parts form together to create a superbly wrought and finely crafted album, beautifully played by all involved, that is certain to loom large in the end of year folk awards.

Common wisdom holds that The Handsome Family’s finest album is ‘Through The Trees’. It may be time to revise that after a listen to ‘Unseen’, an album that embraces forgotten moments, lost dreams and spiritual light.