Albums

Stripped back to just herself on guitar and vocals and an accompanying guitarist, the HC McEntire we get on stage here is more raw and yet also more pure. Her voice is impeccable and the emotions of her lyrics feel more immediate and defined without the whole band setup.

A hypnotic, imaginative and unique approach to contemporary urban folk that marks them out as one of the most distinctive names to have emerged in the past few years.

Featuring assorted members of Son Volt, Sera Cahoone and Rose Windows, and fronted by singer-songwriter Mike Giacolino, Hyways are a hirsute Seattle quartet trading in psychedelic-coloured cosmic country rock.

Shorebound is the sound of Ben Glover planting one foot firmly in his hometown of Glenarm, Northern Ireland and the other just as firmly in Nashville, Tennessee. It oozes confidence and skill. The production is assured, the playing excellent and the singing very beautiful. This is a worthy piece of work from a class act.

The Mammals latest album Sunshiner opens to a glorious upbeat track and ends on an epic ten-minute song. An album with attitude that promises to make you ‘think, dance, feel’. What more could you ask for?

With Orange Whip, the latest offering from Honeyfeet, fronted by flute player and singer extraordinaire Ríoghnach Connolly, you really don’t know what’s coming next but every surprise is a real delight.

Young Valley are an Americana five-piece from Jackson, Mississippi, their eponymous sophomore release augers well with its balance of ballads and more southern infused rock. One to watch for.

Kadia’s business card states that they perform, ‘Uplifting melodic folk music’ – and this fantastic young band do precisely that, and so much more besides, as ably demonstrated at this fantastic live performance.

Great art can often come from the darkest places…many of these songs were born out of very real human experience. They are musically inventive and lyrically astute documents of this experience, but more than that they offer a clearer way of understanding it, and perhaps even a way of helping to overcome its darker periods.

The Nelson Brothers are undeniably very fine songwriters and musicians – Migrant Tales leads the listener on a thoroughly enjoyable and evocative musical trip, it would be foolish not to get on board and share in their journey.

While Iona Fyfe’s tone is youthful and abundantly charming, the sense of assurance in her delivery is astonishing for someone of her tender years. “I’ll be very surprised indeed if Away From My Window doesn’t feature in the year’s best-of lists.”

On her latest album, Lions Den, Jess Vincent opens up a whole new chapter. A sense of dislocation and slightly dreamy aura pervades several of the songs, giving the album as a whole a special ambience.