Albums

A nomadic spirit, Carrie Tree has spoken about finding time for journeys and the importance of  “turning off the computer, returning to simplicity and re-centering.” Grab a paddle, get in the boat and sail with her.

It is a rare album that can make traditional music sound truly modern, but The Drystones have managed it here. Apparitions is the kind of album that could change the very meaning of contemporary folk music.

The Story Song Scientists is a wonderfully intriguing release which showcases intelligent songwriting and delightful voices in equal measure.  I hope that we have have not seen or heard the last of their working together to produce music of the finest quality.

On Stick In The Wheel’s second ‘From Here’ compilation well-known interpreters of traditional song rub shoulders with experimental folkies while Brit-folk royalty has a place at the table alongside impassioned protest-singers.

A consummate songwriter, Tivel’s attention to detail, both physical and emotional, draws you into the worlds her songs describe and inhabit, sometimes leaving you in tears, sometimes filled with radiance. Seek your answers within.

I have believed for a long time that there is magic contained in forms of improvised music that cannot be found in others and this album by Cormac Byrne and Adam Summerhayes certainly backs that theory. Their Stone Soup project is the best thing I have heard so far this year.

Wherever you find yourself on the way “From A to B,” The Diamond Family Archive offers you a mind-bending soundtrack en route. The sonorous landscapes in the album are unmistakably British and peculiarly beautiful.

The Melted Morning is Danni Nicholls’ follow-up to her critically acclaimed 2017 sophomore release Mockingbird Lane. It ends on a track that warrants country classic status and a queue of artists looking to cover it. Her best yet.

Sincere and effective songwriting doesn’t always come together. Jefferson Hamer does an outstanding job on Alameda, carving out his own niche in the current folk arena while paying tribute to the masters.

Innes Watson’s highly anticipated debut solo album ‘Guitar Colloquium’ speaks volumes and is full of emotion. It is the complete antithesis of self-indulgent.

Jonathan Seale was born in Texas and raised in the jungles of South America where he was dubbed Son of Cloud by the Yukpa, providing a springboard for a debut solo album that delves into the notion of family tribes, both inherited and created.

Restitute came out of necessity and a feeling of personal responsibility towards her friends. Here is a collection of diverse songs that clearly mean a lot to her …a singer at the height of her power.