Albums

There is a point where music must be heard rather than talked about, words can only do so much, and when it comes to Frey, words begin to fail. Tamsin Elliott has created a piece of work that will be talked about for years to come.

County Cork resident Eva Coyle is an exciting new voice in Irish music, with a poet’s gift for song and a fine, evocative, voice to match; Down to the Shore is an alluring album that showcases this to the full.

There is a commanding and soulful vitality on display throughout Carry Me Home that stands as a wonderful final thread to Mavis Staples and Levon Helm’s shared musical connection.

This is a well-seasoned album for a debut, and The Canny Band’s nuanced musicianship suggests there are still many great things to come from this talented trio.

With Mousehold, The Shackleton Trio have delivered a fresh and masterful album that includes inspired retellings of largely unsung local ballads and broadsides from Norfolk. They’ve already built a healthy following, but this is sure to see that grow still further.

The Hackensaw Boys is an invigorating statement of who they are and, more to the point, where they’re going. For the faithful and new arrivals alike, it promises to be a rewarding journey.

Ready For The Times is a testament to both Williams and Catlow’s individual musical talents and the chemistry they spark in each other as a duo.

Tonight We Ride represents a soundtrack to Jason McNiff’s life and a gateway to some of music’s finest songwriters. Imbibed with his own personal takes, nuances and shades, it’s a resounding success.

Damien Jurado’s ‘Reggae Film Star’ is an album that owes much of its thematic muscle to the cinema. The musical diversity is all the more striking given the album’s conceptual clarity. It’s an addictive listen, full of faded beauty and lit by distant hope.

With ‘The Spur’, there is beauty and grace beyond anything Joan Shelley has done before. “…it is a mirror that allows us to see the world differently, to view these moments not only as what they are but as moments rife with possibility.”

A singular talent in the contemporary folk world, Bella Hardy returns with a terrific blend of traditional and original songs for her 10th solo album ‘Love Songs’.

Forget The White Stripes and their Seven Nation Army, and lock into the two-man musical army that is the Madalitso Band from Malawi; you will not be disappointed. Surely only those with a happiness-bypass could fail to enjoy such intoxicatingly accomplished and compelling music?