Albums

Johnny continues his highlights of this year’s Wickham Festival including Vishtèn, Ímar, Talisk, The East Pointers, Gordie MacKeeman, The Dhol Foundation, Hò-Rò, Flook, Bella Gaffney and Polly Bolton, Drever, McCusker and Woomble and more.

Young Waters’ debut offers strong vocals, sweet-toned harmonies, stirring instrumentation with melodies and rhythms that alternate from intricate to exhilarating, and all stations in between. In short – innovative, enthralling and enchanting.

Barry and Laura have together made a scrapbook of their life in traditional music and it is truly lovely. There are no airs or graces, no production gymnastics, just a unique snapshot of how these siblings will forever be joined through a living tradition that they themselves have now passed on.

Kitty Macfarlane’s Namer Of Clouds sets her apart as a singular songwriting talent. It is an album to savour, a debut full of old wisdom and bubbling over with new ideas.

Purbeck Valley Folk Festival put on another great festival this year with great performances from Siobhan Miller Band, Sam Kelly and the Lost Boys, Trad.Attack!, Naomi Bedford and Paul Simmonds, Jez Hellard and the Djukella Orchestra, Jenn & Laura-Beth and more.

Kansas City Out Groove is an album brimming with confident and accomplished musicianship, first-rate vocal performances, and an abundant, utterly infectious, relish of the music itself.

While the Punch Brothers embrace a melting-pot of influences on All Ashore, it always feels organically driven. It’s intimate and inclusive, and the listener feels privileged to be in on the five musicians’ private session.

Confidence positively oozes from 13 Rivers, powerful, intelligent, multi-faceted, beautifully performed and consistently strong. It’s also a ton of fun and a genuine high point in Thompson’s career; a record that should be chewed on and discussed for many years to come.

Writing music about his native Speyside definitely seems to bring out the very best in Hamish Napier. The Railway really is a truly delightful journey. As expected, this is music that makes the heart sing.

Johnny shares his highlights from this year’s Wickham Festival in a two-part live review which delivered perfect weather and music to match. In part one he covers Martyn Joseph, Findlay Napier, Reg Meuross, Boo Hewerdine, The Gerry Colvin Band and Sounds of the Sirens.

There will be many who have collected June Tabor’s recorded work over the years but for those who are perhaps less familiar with her work, this introduction is a grand way to discover one of the best voices of her era.

While Baltimore-based folk singer Letitia VanSant may no longer work in social and environmental advocacy, as this terrific album ably proves, the day job hasn’t changed, it’s just altered its channels.