Albums

Medicine Songs is a dynamic, full-blooded reminder that, after 54 years of performing, the Canadian-born Cree singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie remains a voice that demands and needs to be heard.

Underscoring both her skill as a storyteller and her background as a musical ethnologist alongside her songwriting craft and understated, intimate and engaging vocals, if North Star was a coming of age, Carey’s third album marks her blossoming into a rich maturity.

Sandwood is the latest offering from Duncan Chisholm. It draws its inspiration from a single location in Sutherland, the furthest northwest part of mainland Scotland. This is music in which to immerse ourselves, allow our minds to build our own links and maybe, one day, to visit.

While it is easy to focus on just how unusual Xylouris White’s latest album sounds, what shouldn’t be overlooked is the overwhelming and unexpected emotional impact it carries. Mother is that rare thing: experimental music with a huge heart.

Stick in the Wheel’s ‘Follow Them True’ establishes them as a band with a singular vision. Yes, it is a brilliant album and will undoubtedly gain great acclaim, but it’s more than just an album for 2018, this is something to treasure for many years to come.

We Are The Wildlife, the solo debut of Brona McVittie whose name has been cropping up more and more frequently in the more expansive and experimental subsets of the folk music world. This is one of the most distinctive debuts you are likely to hear all year.

Run these Hills is an album of soaring instrumentation and insistent rhythms, conjuring thoughts of long summers and holding hands.  It’s nostalgic post-teen pop for a generation in need of a boost; a perfect dose of optimism for grey days.

With A Hymn for Ancient Land, Jim Ghedi has taken big strides in his sound to create a small masterpiece, a homage of sorts to the subtleties of nature, place and space.

The Wishing Tree is, believe it or not, the first studio recording by the redoubtable trio of John Doyle, John McCusker and Mike McGoldrick. An exceptional album that has to be a front-runner for album of the year.

Jane Doe are a charming four-piece Paris-based band and their new EP Midnight Spell is a very promising debut on which they showcase a fresh and deep-reaching sound – one to watch for.

Whether you’re already a fan or not, this live album is an indispensable addition to Christy Moore’s canon of work. A quintessential release from a national legend.

Dan Michaelson releases his second solo album, taking on that hypnagogic time of day when one is waking from slumber. First Light is a wallow in angst and misery given wings by the superb music and his tremendous vocals.