Albums

Womad Festival 2017 lived up to the title of the biggest and best world music festival this year with incredible performances from across the globe. Read about some of our highlights, from the music to the poetry and more. It was an unforgettable experience.

Rob shares his highlights of this years Cambridge Folk Festival in photos and words. He talks to Frank Turner, Jon Boden, Daoirí Farrell, The Worry Dolls, The Furrow Collective and more.

Roselit Bone are a band with a dark and beautiful vision all their own, and judging from the yellow school bus that serves as their touring vehicle, they have the determination to pursue their dreams and ambitions. Good things are in store for them.

Juanita Stein, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist in indie rock band Howling Bells, releases solo album ‘America’, one that finds her in search of hope as she travels through America’s dark heart.

Little Mammoths is the project of former Noah & the Whale bassist Matt Owens. Cargo for the Road is a solid addition to the year’s Americana stockpile and albums about musicians balancing romance and the road.

On Richard Thompson’s Acoustic Classics II, songs from many years, albums and moods, hang together and work alongside one another. It not only displays the journey of the singer but, importantly, flows more coherently than a straight forward ‘best of’ set. One to treasure.

Mary Ann Kennedy’s An Dàn is one of those heart-lifting albums where it soon becomes impossible to choose a favourite moment or passage. There’s a wealth of beautiful music and song to explore. It’s a gem of an album.

Reg Meuross’s Faraway People goes the distance in turning the spotlight on issues that should not be left in the shadows. There’s anger and indignation, but, all too rare in a protest album, there’s also a deep well of compassion and insight into the human heart and spirit.

Trawling through these lost songs I never thought would see the light of day was definitely a favourite aspect of this release. But no one would describe it as one of the best Fairport Convention albums…

On Turned Over to Dreams, Daniel Martin Moore offers a collection of lullabies – meditative, calming and cleansing, the perfect way to slip into the arms of Morpheus.

There’s something personal about Sam Amidon’s The Following Mountain, it’s as though it’s being put together in real-time; this makes it a refreshingly disjointed record that almost describes the creative process that defines it.

Treading the Marches is an exceedingly recommendable disc for lovers of songs of Cumbria and Northumberland who like their material rendered with flair and imagination.