Albums

Allt finds Julie Fowlis, Éamon Doorley, Zoë Conway and John Mc Intyre at the top of their game. That they gel so well musically and allow each other the space to explore new ground says an awful lot for the selfless ethos in both traditional music, and the musicians themselves.

Gently pulsing, pinging and twittering synths, acoustic guitars and Scott Orr’s soft, crystalline voice float through a homemade lo-fi haze.  This analogue approach and the album’s laid-back, dreamy pace mark Worried Mind as a beauteous, melancholy treat.

Starfall is a natural follow-up to Slow Moving Clouds debut, on which members draw inspiration from Irish and Nordic traditions. An intriguing and compelling album.

Recorded live at the Crosskeys’ Inn, the oldest thatched pub in Ireland, Irish banjo player Stevie Dunne is accompanied by Gerdy Thompson, Brian McGrath, Cyril O’Donoghue and John Joe Kelly on what is a warm album, filled with bags of enjoyment.

Bella Hardy showed her folk roots were well-watered during her performance at Cecil Sharp House as part of her Hey Sammy acoustic tour. A broad and diverse set blended both her traditional and contemporary influences. A wonderful concert.

Through the Wild is an album that is full of emotional peaks and troughs that marks the wholly triumphant return of The Willows, one of the most exciting, fresh and talented bands around today.

Fair Lady London marks the latest chapter in the journey of two of the UK’s brightest stars. Trevor Moss & Hannah-Lou’s songs are of a standard that any major label indie band ticking off the production reference points by committee could not get close to.

Richard Thompson’s Cambridge gig leans heavily on the high tempo rockers with only a couple of pauses for some, typically breathtaking, solo acoustic interludes…It really is time we were all standing up in appreciation of Richard Thompson.

Lisa O’Neill’s ‘Heard a Long Gone Song’ is easily one of the greatest surprises I’ve enjoyed for some time; an exceptional album that will make the trad music scene stand up and take notice; if it doesn’t, there’s something far wrong with the trad music scene.

Ben Walker’s ‘The Fox on the Downs’ is his first solo EP on which he showcases his deft and intricate fingerstyle guitar with jaw-dropping arrangements of four solo guitar instrumentals. More, Please!

Vesper Sky is a new project that comprises a unique collection of songs and poems. It’s a collaboration between Yvonne Lyon, Carol Henderson and Stewart Henderson, a poet, songwriter and broadcaster whose own work has significantly influenced Yvonne’s writing over many years.

Shooglenifty & Dhun Dhora have realised a beautiful dream and produced an album of exciting, intoxicating, exceptional music. This collaboration takes that Shoogle spark of adventure to new levels.