Albums

A compelling collaboration between Mercury-prize-nominated folk singer/song collector/broadcaster Sam Lee and pioneering, free-thinking composer/conductor/bandleader Peter Wiegold.

There is a weight of history and a longing for a better world on The Young’uns’ The Ballad Of Johnny Longstaff – it contains the past and it contains the future. It is a special achievement by an extremely talented group.

All Is Quiet At The Ancient Theatre has a sense of stillness and ancientry that is both powerful and all-embracing. This is eternal, irresistible and stimulating music that provides ever-increasing reward on successive replay.

With support from Jim Ghedi & Toby Hay, Vashti Bunyan works her magic before a quiet and reverential audience at Leeds Brudenell Social Club. An unforgettable evening.

It is rare for an album of predominantly traditional material to sound as fresh and inspired as this, and feel both thrillingly contemporary and utterly timeless. Cunning Folk is making some of the finest acoustic music to come out of this country in years.

If you are simply hankering for timeless folk, splendidly played and sung, that sounds ancient as days, but as fresh as a daisy, look no further. It’s the most important, the most beautiful, the most magical… saggy old soundtrack in the whole wide world.

This solo debut album from Helen Diamond will no doubt find its way into the traditional music collections of archives all over the world but it also needs to be listened to for the sheer enjoyment of a remarkable voice.

Reg Meuross has achieved something rare and important: he has reanimated a valuable piece of history, and he has done so with great sincerity and emotional depth.

Royal Traveller not only confirms Missy Raines’ renowned instrumental status but also announces another first, as she debuts as a songwriter, over 11 tracks on which she is joined by a star-studded cast.

Throughout his career, Michael Hurley has inhabited his own niche, a living embodiment of the songs Harry Smith collected for his Anthology Of American Folk Music. Living Ljubljana is an excellent addition to his canon of work.

Rock Island Grange is a highly energetic and hugely enjoyable album, even if you’re not a devotee of old-time American string band music, this offering from Foghorn Stringband hard to resist.

Featuring Brian Ó hEadhra & Fiona Mackenzie and produced by Mike Vass, TÌR: Highland Life & Lore is an inspired, beautiful album and is destined to become a classic of contemporary folk music.