Albums

Swamp Dogg is a force of nature, his music is often wild and unruly, with a voice that crackles with emotion. Sorry You Couldn’t Make It illustrates just how incredible he can be. There is magic in these tracks. It is an album not to be missed!

Dana Anastasia’s ‘cry if you need to’ is a song cycle and meditation on what it means to be human in these strange days of the twenty-first century. That these are questions without answers just makes this collection all the more compelling.

‘Time in the Trees’ reveals so much more than you may initially be ready for, making it ripe for repeated listening – it should get us all thinking about our relationship with the natural world amid the clutter of the electronic jungle that can monopolise our attention.

What makes Dixie Blur so special is Wilson’s ability to allow a team of crack musicians to come along for a ride on his emotional roller coaster. Together they have created an organic revelation that once again illustrates the immense talent that is Jonathan Wilson.

Borrowed Songs contains pieces both original and traditional and Ewan treats them in the same way, which is as songs and stories that need to be kept alive by playing them, hearing them and passing them on. This brief and quietly powerful album is one of subtle beauty and astute skill.

Totally improvised and recorded live in a single take, Adam Summerhayes and Murray Grainger’s “Untold” is work of startling, immediate beauty. It is a rich, durable and mercurial sound that will reward repeated listens.

Seven years on from her excellent debut, Anna Lynch returns with a five-track acoustic EP of heartbreak rural Americana. If you’ve not discovered her yet, then do yourself a favour and check this out.

As sophomore releases go, ‘A Dobritch Did As A Dobritch Should’ is almost as seismic a leap as one could imagine from their debut. Musically, this is an accomplished, engaging offering, with high-quality contributions and performances from all involved.

Untied Kingdom makes a truly inspiring and magnificently empowering sound: the voices of Commoners Choir combine a gutsy, edgy delivery with an enviably well-drilled precision – an exhilarating display of rousing natural togetherness, of pride and of passion.

Sunset Canyoneers doesn’t pretend to be anything more than unabashed retro nostalgia for the halcyon tambourine following, the hickory wind blowing days of American folk-rock and every child of the universe. And rather fine it is too.

Wednesday’s Child finds Hana in a more restrained and contemplative mood as she switches to harp for a ten-track conceptual narrative of atmospheric balladry that will also feature a standalone illustrated book. Intoxicatingly haunting.

Different Geographies, the new album from Collectress, is an exploration of both traditions and technology, a fusion of neo-classical chamber pop and radical experimentation. It is varied and connected, intuitive and vibrant, and draws together experiences and influences from across the globe.