Albums

Kathryn Tickell’s music flows so naturally you could be forgiven for thinking it’s plucked from the air. Hollowbone belies that notion in magnificent style. The music is complex and animated, exploring the mists of millennia but singing in a clear, contemporary voice… a wonderful, brave, and intoxicating album.

Simple, insightful, heartfelt and lyrical, Danny Schmidt’s ninth solo album ‘Standard Deviation’ finds him in a reflective mood and deserves to rank among the year’s finest releases.

It’s so refreshing to hear so many songs and melodies that we have almost forgotten how much we love, but to hear Diane sing them backed by Manus Lunny and his incredible squad, they breath new life into old traditions, guaranteeing their survival for at least another generation.

Kinloch Nelson is a skilled player whose technique and broad repertoire inform his modest and intelligent guitar playing. There is a lot to enjoy and admire and indeed return to inside this forty minutes of material.

Here There’s No Sirens is the first solo album from Case Hardin’ main-man Pete Gow. It’s a remarkable record, engendering, in varying proportions, elements of beauty, discomfort, empathy and guilt.  Something for everyone then.

On her latest album, Laura Cannell seeks to reveal the sounds of the universe that humans do not hear, doing so through a theory of the music of the spheres – The world is de-reified, shown up to be as transient as the experiences we have in it.

All-in-all, this is one of the most significant recordings of the period. A tribute to the recording techniques of Sean Davies and the production of AL Lloyd, a tribute to the work of Topic Records and a tribute to Anne Briggs. This is music to pass on to the next generations.

Dreams About Falling is a musical tour de force, and undoubtedly his best release to date, and one can only see Jamie Freeman’s star ascending as a result.       

The Hermit’s Spyglass evokes a simple life, at one with nature, of timelessness and memories. Bedford was once described as among the 50  most significant folk singer-songwriters of the past 50 years. This album changes that. He’s now among the Top 30.

What’s significant about Martin Simpson’s ‘Prodigal Son’ is that although outstanding tracks abound, this really is the one where it all came together. If you haven’t heard it, you should. If you have, you should revisit it.

Yet another fine addition to the River Lea record label – Irish folk music is in a very healthy state at the moment and with The Hare’s Lament, Ye Vagabonds have emerged as its most accomplished exponents.

Scran are a young Manx trad group from the Isle of Man whose talents have been nurtured by the island’s cultural organisation, Culture Vannin. Their debut album Nane is an album that bristles with a youthful vigour that leaves you marvelling at the talents on display.