Albums

If you think you know what ‘joyous’ means, you will think again when you’ve heard ‘Not Leaving Quietly’ by Joe Broughton’s Conservatoire Folk Ensemble. It’s breathtaking.

You don’t have to be religious to feel the spirit that imbues the songs on ‘When Do We Get Paid’. The Staples Jr. Singers have put it in every groove of the original record.

Lily Henley wasn’t interested in blazing a trail with her new album Oras Desaoradas. She was trying to interpret a tradition. This is music that deserves not just your attention but your commitment to ensuring this tradition continues and thrives.

Kinnaris Quintet’s ‘This Too’ may have been conceived in difficult times, but it is an object lesson in making the best out of your circumstances. This is incredibly accomplished music, but more than that it is full of heart and hope.

Echo, the third album from Welsh-Senegalese harp and kora duo Catrin Finch & Seckou Keita, is another significant leap forward; a masterpiece and a beautiful album from two artists who are operating at the height of their powers.

Whilst sounding vintage in style, Narrow Line could belong in no other era than the present day. Mama’s Broke may seem traditional, but their tales of modern life have too much bite to be nostalgic, they are new and unique voices in modern, rootsy Americana that must be heard.

Featuring Kathryn Calder from the New Pornographers and Mark Andrew Hamilton from Woodpigeon, lyrically and musically, Frontperson are at the top of their game and ‘Parade’ deserves to be heard again and again.

Penguin Cafe combines music and cultures, mixing them in ways that are almost unimaginable while being as gentle as a whisp of air. A Matter of Life 2021 only serves to confirm the wisdom of the choices Arthur Jeffes has made along the way.

On Dana Gavanski’s ‘When It Comes’, nothing is ever quite what it seems, unorthodox compositions coax complexity out of deceptively simple songs. It is triumphant and multifaceted, the sound of an artist finding her voice in some style.

For Where Old Ghosts Meet, The Haar bring fresh insights and breathe new life into some of the most iconic songs in the Irish traditional repertoire. A stunning multi-layered, nuanced album that reveals more with each play.

The Wardens’ ‘Sold Out’ is a simple, unfussy album, but hugely appealing to a way of life and a musical genre that is too often forgotten in today’s hyperactive world and the onslaught of processed Nashville country. This is as organic as it gets.

St. Arnaud’s ‘Love and the Front Lawn’ is a light, wry, witty, musically breezy and irresistibly toe-tappingly catchy album that fully deserves entry into the pantheon of pragmatic optimism.