Albums

Earth Bow is diverse, immersive & sometimes intense & powerful, what shines through is Sarah Jane’s unshakable belief in and love for our planet – the lifeblood of all of her music. It should be heard by everyone.

On the latest Bob Dylan Appreciation Society, things go a little deeper as Danny Neill looks at Dylan as a live performer and a career that provokes continued debate to this day. Includes an extensive playlist featuring over 6 hours of live music.

Enjoy unique guitar playing with breathtaking creativity and a new Collective approach to traditional tunes on the latest Betwixt & Between Tapes instalment featuring guitarist extraordinaire C Joynes and the Shovel Dance Collective.

John Martyn’s music reaches deep into the heart and soul of those who feel the space in the notes and the grace of the songs and here, in just three songs, Katie Spencer proves she understands him and The Hurt In Your Heart.

Leftover Salmon, bastions of the jam band community, take us on a timeless breeze through the annals of cross-connecting American musical styles. It may have taken me 30 years to catch up with this band, I certainly hope they have some more wind in their hair.

Collaborating with Joshua Britt, Ben Glover and Neilson Hubbard, Amy Speace’s latest offering is a spellbinding masterpiece and the most personal work to date from one of the greatest artists in Americana today.

Recorded live in the mountains of Asturias in Spain, Los Campeones En Vivo demonstrates what a powerful live force Danny and the Champs are, unleashed on stage they’re like a power station on steroids.

Whether painting small vignettes, looking inward at his own emotions or addressing wider issues, Declan O’Rourke’s “Arrivals” is an intimate listen, one that draws you into its musical and emotional orbit with the brushstrokes of a master craftsman.

It seems Sarah-Jane Summers & Juhani Silvola cannot put a foot wrong and The Smoky Smirr o Rain is a stunning addition to an already impressive catalogue of music. Written and played with skill, flair and feeling, this album is vital and quite wonderful.

For week three of the Bob Dylan Appreciation Society, Danny Neill steers our attention towards Dylan’s songs of Society, Protest & Classic Story Songs. Again Danny has pulled together another great playlist to accompany the piece.

Last year Dylan sang, “I contain multitudes” quoting Whitman, a sentiment this sophomore tour de force boldly epitomizes. Equal parts glamorous and grotesque, Matt Sweeney & Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy’s Superwolves is a sprawling, bewildering frenzy of ideas and emotions, leaving the listener with plenty to unpick.

Musically, vocally and lyrically absorbing, Abigail Dowd’s ‘Beautiful Day’ may chart one woman’s story of rising above the odds, but in troubled times such as these, it offers a universally inspirational voice to ride the flood rather than being drowned by it.