Billy Rough

At the heart of Spiers & Boden’s “Fallow Ground” is the utter joy of two friends making music together. It’s a joyful, exciting, and beautifully produced release and it’s so great to have them back.

Tré Burt’s You, Yeah, You is characterised by an honest and compassionate set of tales, rich with stories of humanity, its beauty and faults, of Burt’s American homeland; a philosopher in jeans and a persuasive new presence on the American folk scene.

Adam Holmes has long been one of the country’s most talented and impressive vocalists, with Dreamweaver he takes that step further to being one of the finest songwriters in the UK today. Dreamweaver is a truly heart-warming listen and a formidably affecting and potent release.

We chat to LA-based singer songwriter Marina Allen (also our Artist of the Month) about her debut album ‘Candlepower’, the challenges of songwriting, her eclectic influences, and the LA music scene.

Candlepower is an effortlessly crafted, and luxurious, listen. Charming and challenging in equal measures it is a thoroughly beguiling debut from Marina Allen who is also our Artist of the Month.

My Name Is Suzie Ungerleider is a sweet, wistful album. It tells a beautifully painted set of tales; rich in genuine and moving narratives focusing on emotion and the heart. While we bid farewell to Oh Susanna, it is a very warm and pleasant welcome to Suzie Ungerleider.

‘Notes for a Maiden Warrior’ is an exciting and confident debut from Dani Larkin. The album has a vitality and irresistible energy which is impossible not to be swept up in. A striking debut, effortlessly succeeding in captivating the heart, as well as the ear.

Marry Waterson & Oliver Knight’s “The Days That Shaped Me” 10th Anniversary re-issue is a beautifully evocative record…a celebration of family history, romances, memories, and the sheer joy of life. It’s been a poignant, and thoroughly heart-warming, pleasure to revisit.

The enticing combination of Ó hEadhra’s sensitive playing and NicChoinnich’s delightfully sweet vocals, rightly identified as one of the finest Gaelic singers on the scene today, is hard to resist. Càirdeas is a rather gorgeous album, a genuinely soothing and captivating listen.

With a focus on the vivacity and legacy of the Shetland tradition, Atlaness is a handsome, and thoroughly delightful listen on which Gray proves to be a talented fiddler, composer, and arranger in her own right.

…its in the poetry of Garret Pierce’s lyrics that his talent lies. There is a deepness to the album’s themes and thoughts but they are always delivered with a soft and tender touch, quietly drawing you into the record’s passionate heart.

With a refreshing, invigorating sound, and demonstrating a confidence and maturity in their tune and song writing, with ‘The Light of the Moon’, Gnoss have captured a sound dipped in honey that reinforces their formidable presence on the Scots traditional music scene.

Lunatraktors ‘The Missing Star’ is a recording that will linger in your thoughts. A powerful comment on the politics of our day, it deserves a wider listen, and I for one, would love to see this performed live. A timely recording. We need this.

We chat to M G Boulter, our Artist of the Month, about his new album which introduces us to the eerily familiar landscape of Clifftown, a sleepy seaside resort on the east coast of England.

Joined by eight female vocalists, Olav Larsen’s “Stream of Consciousness” is an album rich in low-key ambience, its honest sound pervades deep to the soul. It’s a heartbreakingly raw, considered and thoroughly enticing album.

Journey Through The Roke is a rather fetching gorgeous record. Flitting from Americana, jazz, and blues, with nods to funk, country, and tradition, the album expertly demonstrates Honey and the Bear’s skill and confidence. It is a road I’ll happily wander along again.

In Clifftown, M G Boulter perfectly captures the poetry of everyday life in a muted, fading town. Stay awhile and let its poignancy flow over you. Its quiet grandeur will gently seep into your soul. A thoroughly intoxicating listen.

Les Ailes may still be something of a new name on the scene, but with Tennessee she proves herself to be an accomplished and confident songwriter. A force to be reckoned with – a cool, chilled, and thoroughly dreamy listen.