Albums

Songs of Govan Old is not only an album bursting with pride and passion to stir the heart and blood of any Scot, but a damn fine listen even if you don’t have a tartan stitch to your DNA.

Henry Martin, the latest offering from Edgelarks (Hannah Martin and Phillip Henry) is an album filled with positivity – resolutely optimistic, brilliantly played and a joy from start to finish.

Variations Live is simultaneously harmonious, vital, timeless, and invigoratingly fresh, featuring three masters at work and clearly relishing the joy and companionship of playing together. For players and listeners, it genuinely doesn’t get much better than this.

Jennifer Castle’s “Monarch Season” heralds a passage of time, a change of seasons, yet inside the human heart, questions still remain. There is beauty in continuing to look for answers.

Working river: Songs and music of the Thames is a fine collection of some of the songs and tunes that captures the history of one of the most vibrant and historic rivers in the world.

Says The Never Beyond is an impressive achievement by any standards, for it delivers a startlingly innovative approach to the performance of the deep seasonal repertoire. A thrilling and utterly hypnotic ride through the wintersong repertoire.

There is a certain kind of bravery at the heart of Laura Fell’s vision. Safe from Me indicates exactly how determined she was to realize it, regardless of the cost. The results indicate that it was quite clearly worth the investment.

Orlando is a highly accomplished, subtly emotional and beautifully textured debut from Seafarers, here’s hoping there are many voyages ahead.

Gwenifer Raymond’s ‘Strange Lights over Garth Mountain’ feels like a huge leap forward from her debut. Daring and complex it highlights the progressive nature of Raymond’s playing perfectly.

Sun Collective provides Move\\Remove with the kind of sonic energy that requires a fearlessness to explore, but the results pay dividends.

This first compilation from Raelach Records offers 56 minutes of first-class Irish music. Superbly executed, entertaining and delightful and as a bonus supports artists who have been deprived of opportunities to do what they love.

Leyla McCalla has taken huge leaps forward from this mature solo launch pad but, with this timely re-issue, it is an album that remains ripe for wider discovery; its delights are many and varied indeed.