Albums

Blood is thicker than water, and the familial bond of Sara and Sean Watkins is undeniable. More than just sister and brother they are kindred spirits, creating music that appeals to both body and soul. The Watkins Family Hour continues the journey of two musicians on the lifelong pathway of brother sister.

The Burying Ground return with A Look Back, another absolute charmer featuring their achingly cool, though gritty blend of acoustic country-blues, old-timey, ragtime, gospel and folk.

Touchstones. Talismans. Certain pieces of music have the ability to transport you to a different dimension – Last Flight Out merges the landscape between folk and jazz, it approaches the sublime with subtlety and grace.

Jurado is the perfect songwriter for these strange times. He is wistful without ever wallowing in nostalgia, and he balances heartbreak with hope in a way that few artists can. This represents some of his finest work to date.

Bet On Love is another warm, homespun, pure folk gem from the Romeros, who are such naturals within their sonic realm that they possess the knack of making it sound totally effortless.

At once playful, focused, narratively strong and highly respectful of heritage, Atlantic Edge is a triumph of musical prowess and a master class in beautifully blending traditional music with classical styles. It is an exceptional album.

Elkington’s Ever-Roving Eye is a compelling, characterful and mesmerising album. Listening to its intricate layerings and meticulous, deliquescent fingerpicking, one can well understand the desire he had for perfection.

‘I’ll never write a song as good as Chuck Berry’s Maybellene,’ says Teddy Thompson when introducing these songs…but he comes oh so close, proving once again he is much more than the sum of his lineage.

Alex Rainer’s ‘Time Changes’ is a mature album which seems to meander between eras in terms of composition and lyrical style while portraying the sense that we are all transient and nothing is stable and there is nothing truer than that.

Avocet may not have been travelling that long but they are definitely travelling in the right direction. Their 2018 Borrowed Seed EP was an attention grabber and this, their first full-length album, is no different. Excellent.

A masterful, innovative, highly accomplished and persuasively entertaining work that reinforces their credentials as one of the truly pioneering acts in contemporary folk music, this is one gap you really do need to set your mind to.

We need more music like this; spontaneous, alive and affecting, The Haar, featuring Adam Summerhayes, Cormac Byrne, Murray Grainger and Molly Donnery, will take you on a journey and have you appreciating the purest of life’s pleasures. Wonderful stuff.