Albums

The Melrose Quartet embody the kind of collaborative spirit and socially aware stance that makes folk music such an interesting, challenging and continually relevant form. As demonstrated on Dominion, they have prospered by seizing the day, by daring to do things that are slightly different…who are able to make old songs sound new, and new ones sound timeless.

LOWP are a folk band from the North East of England, formed in late 2009. Their music is drawn from Tyneside, Durham and Northumberland, and has a quality that is unique to that area, a meeting of Scottish and English but suffused with its own vitality and its distinctive accents.

This has-to-be-definitive reissue of Pearls Before Swine’s of One Nation Underground is something of a benchmark. The sturdily-packaged CD edition is sure built to last; it sports full lyric sheet and new notes giving a historical perspective from both Rapp and Alderson.

On his first entirely self-composed Irish folk album ‘Sharing a Song’, Eddie Sheehan enlists the help of, amongst others, Dirk Powell and Mike McGoldrick. The songs are personal and unpretentious but also to reflect the fallibility that goes with being human.

Wild & Reckless was born from the stage production that Blitzen Trapper spent the better part of a year producing….a terrific album. “The wind don’t always blow and the sun don’t always shine”, sings Earley on the closing track, but the weather report here is just fine.

The press notes for Spades and Roses talk about the power of songs to help find peace, clarity and hope amidst the emotional wreckage of our everyday lives. Caroline Spence  is a testament to that.

One-third of The Sweet Water Warblers, Mother Lion is the latest offering from Michigan-born May Erlewine, a further nugget in a goldmine of soulful folksy Americana. A tour with her own band is planned for the UK which is sure to widen her fanbase here.

On Langhorne Slim’s latest album ‘Lost At Last Vol 1 he sets out to challenge the idea of social rigidity and encourages us all to reconnect and fall in love with our phones off – getting lost is the cost of being free. Throw away the map and grab yourself a copy.

With Midnight Milk, Adam Holmes demonstrates his willingness to mine the rich creativity behind his work and bring to the surface previously unimagined gems. Adam Holmes and the Embers have created an album that digs deep into the soul and finds it a place of calm comfort.

Vancouver duo Hannah Walker and Jamie Elliott, better known as Twin Bandit, deliver harmonies that are uncannily tight and melodies that are just as warm. Their second album Full Circle, is a collection of songs that radiate energy and hope, make sure they appear on your radar, you won’t be sorry.

Thunder and Rain are a four-piece from Colorado who draw on roots in traditional bluegrass and folk spliced with elements of pop and rock. Start Believing is their second album and one that should go a long way to getting their name known on the Americana circuit.

Throughout the whole album, there is a sense of Hart enjoying himself, little glints of a wry smile here and there, a little joke held to himself. And, importantly, here is another generation learning from the previous generations, moulding it in some cases but still presenting the tradition. Absolutely excellent.