Albums

Boogieing with the best of them, Green Leaf Rustlers show why they are an uncontrollable force of nature. For those who have been lucky enough to see them, the memories will last a lifetime. For the rest of us, at least we have From Within Marin.

Joined by The Excess – Pete Flood on drums and Pete Thomas on bass – Benji Kirkpatrick delivers a glorious and powerful sound on Gold Has Worn Away, a persuasive and impressive album.

With Companion Rises, Chasny has done something even more intriguing than usual: by pushing the experimental envelope further than before he has somehow emerged with a collection of songs that are amongst the most immediately rewarding of his twenty-plus year career.

Nadia Reid has the temperament to say the things that often go unspoken, the things that bother us. On Out Of My Province, she has created an album of musical maturity and emotional depth. There can be no greater compliment.

This is music of uncommon grace and nuance…a gentle elixir. Under the guise of Cabane, Thomas Jean Henri has created a work that is never fragile, yet filled with beauty. Grande Est La Maison works its way into your heart and soul, like a rose. There are thorns, but without them would the flower be as beautiful?

Michael shares a magical evening spent with the multi-talented Phil Beer Band at The Octagon Theatre in Yeovil, the warm audience reception more than made up for the chill in the air outside.

The Broken Pledge, the latest offering from Irish traditional music group The Bonny Men, is an album that shows how the handing on of the music, the tradition, is carried out very successfully. Clear the floor and start dancing.

Featuring an impressive cast including Bill Frisell, John Paul Jones, Matt Chamberlin, and Dave Mathews, Danny Barnes continues his message of finding the good that helps us get through these hard times. It’s one thing you can always count on. Just like his music.

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.