Albums

Ben Walker gives us another masterclass in technique, feel and tone with a second compact collection of tunes – a trip from England to Ireland and back again. All proceeds go to Macmillan Cancer Support.

Featuring four richly talented local legends including Dan Weisenberger of Tremblers of Sevens, Fans & Motor Supply Co. re-issue their loosely funky, very soulful ‘Quiet Dream’.

The power of A Casual Invocation comes from its mystery: it feels at once ancient & modern. Folk music at its most transcendent, an antidote to the banal and a gateway to the weird.

Solas an Lae is the complete package, the tune and the words and the presentation together encompassing the emotional tales of the tragedy of life. To me, this is what makes sean-nós what it is. Excellent.

With Reckless River, Zoë Wren has produced a mature, exquisitely well-crafted album of great beauty and listening pleasure, deserving of a wide audience.

This celebration of twenty years of Kleztory’s commitment to the genre demonstrates that Klezmer is a living tradition and this album portrays it at its absolute best.

The vivacity and sheer exuberance of Diamond in the Rough is hard to resist. Slip on your dancing shoes on, jump in and embrace the vigour; you won’t be disappointed.

It took a hurricane wrecking their studio to jolt them into finally making these demos, originally recorded to just fulfil a publishing contract, available. Who said it’s an ill wind that blows no good?

If you are a fan of Jez Lowe you will love this, as I did. If you are new to his work, then this will prove to be a great introduction and will certainly send you off looking for more.

It’s impossible not to fall a little bit in love with Hemet. Beautifully listenable and rich in some rather gorgeous melodies and emotive arrangements, it is an adept and utterly mesmerizing debut from Niamh Regan.

Allysen Callery’s “Ghost Folk” casts a mesmerising spell, impossible to resist, and yet also conjures subtleties and substance that demand your closer investigation.

Sophisticated songs for a sometimes saccharin season, A Midwinter Miscellany (featuring Ashley Hutchings, Becky Mills, Blair Dunlop and Judy Dunlop) is a Christmas album with a big dollop of class.