Albums

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.

If Lindsay Straw’s debut album, “sounds like no one but herself,” then her second album ‘The Fairest Flower of Womankind’ imparts that authenticity to the voices of women whose stories speak to a new generation.

Anna Coogan’s ‘The Lonely Cry of Space & Time’ isn’t an album you approach on a casual basis, you need to work with it to form a relationship, but once you do, it’s one that will last.

Aizle are one of the latest among the new crop of exciting young folk/traditional bands from Manchester’s thriving Celtic music scene. They definitely offer something different as their classical and jazz backgrounds meld with a hugely enjoyable bunch of Irish and Scottish traditional tunes.

Where the River Meets the Road is an impressive and affectionate showcase for the songwriting talents of all these West Virginians (including Tim O’Brien himself) alongside his own considerable gifts as a talented musician and interpreter of songs.

Inver, the debut album by three-piece ambient folk band HAV, has been slowly brewing for three years. Accordingly, the music they make together proves to be a slow-burning pleasure. A profoundly moving and expressive album that is the perfect antidote to quick fixes and empty gestures.

Little Me Time finds Latham recording outside of his home studio for the first time, enlisting an ensemble of local talent. Anti-folk has come a long way from the early days at Sidewalk Café, and, as demonstrated here, the music industry is a more colourful place because of it.

Rising stars of the South West folk scene, Kadia, return with their latest EP ‘The Outlandish Collection’. Recorded in the studio, it allowed them to exercise a greater freedom and flexibility which comes across in a richer fuller sound.

Brown Bird’s journey continues with this release. A Light I Can Feel is that rare cover album that expands the sound of the band, adding to their legacy. Listeners who want to join that continuing voyage should check it out.

A Little Bit of Everything sees Lowri Evans and Lee Mason forge ahead as a duo with seemingly renewed confidence as evidenced by their exceptional live performances which also sheds new light on some highly accomplished songwriting.