Albums

Steve Earle’s ‘Guy’ stands as both a terrific tip of the hat to Guy Clark (who he first met in ’74), a seminal Americana figure and a damn fine Earle album in its own right.

Brooklyn based solo guitar player (and Ancient Ocean member) J.R. Bohannon’s newly extended mini-album, originally self-released on Bandcamp, now being put out by Phantom Limb records is an album of deliberately paced and played gems.

It’s an album that solidly consolidates the success of her debut, but digs a little deeper on the way. Spine-tingling and a touch inscrutable. This is an album with mysteries worth investigating.

In a nutshell, Norine Braun’s ‘Through Train Windows’ is a distinctly Canadian musical mosaic that will send the listener on a journey they will want to take again and again.

Twelve Months and A Day is the best possible advertisement for the delights in store from this entertaining duo – you can hear why they continue to be such a draw at folk clubs and festival stages alike.

Ancora picks up where Flook left off with Haven 14 years ago, delighting us, again, with their unique, exciting sound and their ever-inventive arrangements. Expectations more than fully met – simply a brilliant album.

California Feetwarmers will spare nothing to exhume this treasurable heritage for our delectation and have a whale of a time doing so. If you like your early jazz close-to-the-source, boisterous and fun, then they will definitely warm your feet and more.

Changeable Heart’s soul is in the traditions from which Ruth Notman and Sam Kelly draw their inspiration, but at its heart is a series of exquisite vocal duets from two of the finest voices in the land. It’s a marvellous, elegant and finely crafted album that will long be remembered as one of this year’s highlights.

His delicious caressing of the lyrics reminds me of Mike Scott at his most incisive; I can also hear the soulfulness of Ray LaMontagne at times too. Sean Taylor has recorded an album on a par with the strongest work by either of those high-ranking acts and has also written one of the premier topical song albums of our time.

From the artwork to the music, this album is pure joy. Most importantly, for all their infectious joy, this is a band that does not shy away from making poignant statements about the world we live in.

Patty Griffin’s latest offering is an album of quiet grace, determination, survival and self-identity that serves as a reminder of her status among the Americana greats.

Featuring Norwegians Frode Halti and Vegar Vårdal alongside Irish flute player Nuala Kennedy the Snowflake Trio’s debut album Sun Dogs contains a wealth of diverse, nourishing music and is an all-round thing of beauty.