Albums

Jason Eady’s self-titled release is still very much Texas red dirt country, but more stripped back than his last two offerings, a rootsy approach that puts the spotlight on the writing and where influences such as Guy Clark, John Prine, Steve Earle and Merle Haggard shine through.

San Francisco-based Front Country continue to defy the constraints that oft define bluegrass or string band music on Other Love Songs, a follow-up to their acclaimed 2014 album For The Sake Of The Song.

Whether gentle and plaintive or upfront and thrusting, Harrow Fairs’ vocals have a feeling of being right there on the emotional edge… and that quality sure is tremendously exciting.

All We Have is Now is the latest offering from Elephant Sessions and with tunes that rely on polish as much as on pace, they are certainly not standing still in the race to create the next defining sound for folk music.

On Big Bad Luv, his 4AD debut, John Moreland sets his sights on reaching out to a wider international audience, but without sacrificing the qualities that have built his reputation. While the songs still address bruised and battered relationships, there’s a more positive, redemptive note.

Ross Couper and Tom Oakes offer an honest, accomplished, and, above all, thoroughly enjoyable 46 minutes of music on Fiddle & Guitar. The duo’s close empathy is in evidence throughout as they deliver the very best of live, contemporary trad music, perfectly adapted for the studio.

Moondogs and Mad Dogs is the debut album from Donald Byron Wheatley, the cracked-voiced scion of a family of showmen and fairground people stretching back one hundred and fifty years.

With Further Tales, TRADarrr have generously delivered on the promise shown by their debut album. These new tales are the product of a band bursting with ideas. It truly is an album that gives more and more each time you listen.

There is no-one quite like Avital Raz in the world of music right now, and she should be applauded for the intelligence and singularity of her artistic vision. The Fallen Angel’s Unravelling Descent is a genuinely original musical statement, full of wise, exotic and gleefully mordant songs that manage to be simultaneously challenging and melodic.

On Swimming in Mercury, Boo Hewerdine offers lush arrangements, affectionate homages to different musical styles from the years gone by, and a mix of playfulness and quiet poignancy in the lyrics. An eloquent album.

On his new album, Taking the Long Way Home, Canadian singer/songwriter Richard Laviolette combines roots/country/gospel music with earthy/organic musical accompaniment to deliver a heart-warming, energising album. Food for the soul.

Beinn Alba marks a slight change for Scottish folk singer Davy Holt as he shares his self-penned songs for the first time. While he may not come festooned with the reverence accorded to fellow contemporary Scottish folk acts his music is no less worthy of recognition.