Richard Hollingum

As an album, Silent Spring may be built on and around the folk-infused music of fifty years ago but its message is very much for today. Henry Parker is clearly an excellent guitarist and writer, but he has also not lost sight of the message. He has found his path.

Whilst some may have stopped listening to words in songs, the strength of ‘The Reckoning’ lies in John Tams’ skill in building a strong connection between the words and music, it’s as good a demonstration as you’re likely to find.

Silver Pin is an excellent first release with a great selection of songs. Sophie Crawford has a lot to offer in both her voice and her rendition. This has gently but firmly fallen into my consciousness and I hope she finds time in her busy schedule to record a follow-up.

What a great way to celebrate 80 years as Topic Records take over Barbican Hall for a celebration of its past and a milestone event setting the stage for the current and the new to come on board.

Thom Ashworth is in the vanguard of a new generation of protest singers. His songwriting is political, intelligent and full of impact. Outstanding.

On Nick Hart latest offering, his effortless phrasing, the clarity and simplicity of the song, the voice, the guitar, entrap the listener and pull us into the timeless – then and now – world of the folk song. Excellent again.

Despite Dick Gaughan’s ‘Handful of Earth’ being released 38 years ago, these songs still reflect the times, still call out the oppressors and still support the oppressed.

Restitute came out of necessity and a feeling of personal responsibility towards her friends. Here is a collection of diverse songs that clearly mean a lot to her …a singer at the height of her power.

Even when surrounded by the nascent folk-rock of the Albion Band, Shirley’s voice rings out true, true to the tune and true to the song. It still rings out true today and what a most fitting album to present to a new generation to listen to and learn from.

All-in-all, this is one of the most significant recordings of the period. A tribute to the recording techniques of Sean Davies and the production of AL Lloyd, a tribute to the work of Topic Records and a tribute to Anne Briggs. This is music to pass on to the next generations.

On The Road to Horn Fair, Joshua Burnell pays homage to the sounds of the late sixties and seventies. Fun, lots of tongue in cheek but at the same time spot on.

Cheating Monday is the new single from Glasgow’s folk & blues band Avocet. This double-A-side adds a lot to Avocet’s catalogue and is a testament to not only their playing but also to the assistance from the Bert Jansch Foundation.

This And The Memory Of This offers a gallery of emotional contact where the dark edges of life, the shadows and the just glimpsed, play on our aural emotions. Stick In The Wheel continue to explore those limits, which may be further than you at first thought.

With very few exceptions, the songs on ‘Where the White Roses Grow’ paint a picture of Yorkshire life: from the hardened drinkers to the workers sacrificed in the building of a railway tunnel, and the growing band of Robin Hood followers reclaiming the man in green for South Yorkshire.

John Kirkpatrick’s Carolling and Crumpets is an excellent antidote to the perpetual Wizzard and Slade drummed into shoppers ears this time of year. There are no airs, no graces, just a man and his instrument, a few stories and a set of good songs.

Here are what, 40 years perhaps, spread out before us. And whilst you can hear changes and movement and development, it never strays – from the core, from the good tune, the excellent finger work.

On Weary Traveler, the latest offering from Americana trio The Deep Hollow they sing of love, love lost, untimely death and personal reflection. Misery may not fuel the entire album but, as some may say, misery goes with the territory.

Robb Johnson’s extensive 3-CD album Ordinary Giants is a monumental release. Supported by the likes of Roy Bailey, Boff Whalley, Tom Robinson, Miranda Sykes, Matthew Crampton, Phil Odgers and more, it tells of how we got to where we are today, told through the life and times of Robb’s father, Ron.