Peter Shaw

Olivia Chaney and The Decemberists join forces as Offa Rex. The resulting album, The Queen of Hearts, turns a nostalgic nod to the great British folk-rock albums of the late 60s and 70s but is equally assured in a fresh and contemporary way. It is a towering, majestic work.

Jim Causley’s ‘I Am The Song: Children’s Poems By Charles Causley’ is a little gem of an album. It seems staggering that these poems weren’t songs in the first place, and very satisfying that they are now. Car journeys with the kids just got much, much better…

Fairport Convention celebrate their 50th Birthday at Union Chapel alongside a few special guests including Pentangle’s Jacqui McShee. It was a memorable evening – read our live review.

Show of Hands, joined by special guests, celebrated their 25th Anniversary in front of a 5000-strong audience at the Royal Albert Hall. It was a performance to remember with many of the most heart-stopping moments coming from the core trio of Steve Knightley, Phil Beer and Miranda Sykes.

Alex Rex (Alex Neilson) is an artist with a singular, uncompromising vision that he expresses in multifaceted and always fascinating ways. Vermillion, his solo debut, is both daring and formidable. An insight into ‘a complex and inquisitive musical mind.’

Sillion is a strange, affecting and beautifully realised album, one with many hidden (and manifest) depths. Johnny Flynn has made a captivating, exhilarating and sometimes unsettling album. Go and listen.

It’s together that Tobias Ben Jakob and Lukas Drinkwater shine brightest, a synergy of two musicians perfectly complimenting each other, bringing to mind the likes of John Martyn and Danny Thompson. An intense and spellbinding performance at The Riverhouse Barn, Walton-on-Thames.

Shirley Collins’ Lodestar performance at the Barbican is fresh and contemporary and avant-garde at times. The assembled musicians are nothing short of brilliant, the arrangements are in turns atmospheric, joyous, stirring and thrilling.

Geoff Lakeman steps into the limelight at 69 to release his debut solo album. Featuring a host of special guests including the Lakeman brothers, Cara Dillon, Kathryn Roberts and nearby neighbour Nic Jones.

Hannah Ashcroft is a singer/songwriter now based in Manchester. Her debut EP, The Quiet Kind, displays the confidence of a seasoned traveller who has learnt her craft on the road. Definitely a name to watch for…let’s hope an album is to follow soon.

As the year comes to a close and the inevitable ‘best of’ lists appear, it’s gratifying to find another album that demands attention. But The Drowned Lover and Other Dark Tales doesn’t permit you to wallow in the past; Paul is a performer who continues to push himself and all those willing to listen.

As they days draw near their darkest, it’s tempting to sit by an open fire and listen to wintry folk music with fiddles and traditional tunes. But if you want to inject a splash of summer (with a melancholy edge), then this release will get you singing, dancing and pondering. Sometimes a pendulum swing helps you see life from a fresh perspective.