Albums

A Syrian American guitarist and teacher based in Chicago, Rami Atassi’s ‘New & Ancient Christmas Music’ is a radiant and rhythmic set that also reminds us that global connections endure in the message of goodwill.

“Quiet Light” is the latest release from the Bristol-based folk trio Hands of the Heron. The ensemble’s profound sense of tranquillity and aesthetic allure provide a soothing balm for the contemporary world.

With Paper Tigers, the fourth teaming of Boo Hewerdine and Brooks Williams as State of the Union, the creative spark shows no signs of diminishing – an unfussy vintage-sounding album played with simple, consummate ease by two outstanding artists.

Such a perfectly realised amalgamation of concept, melody and landscape is vanishingly rare, but on Cloud Walking, Alice Boyd achieves it with an easy grace.

The latest Folklore Tapes’ Ceremonial Counties series covers Berkshire and Kent. Stella Maris, Tim Hill, and Revbjelde demonstrate the sheer breadth of England’s folkloric traditions and the breadth and variety of art that we can use to interpret those traditions.

Each time, I wonder how on earth Luke Jackson will surpass his previous album, but he manages to do so. With ‘Bloom’, he does so spectacularly, with dramatic moments and some hugely impressive storytelling.

The exquisite vocal arrangements on ‘Great Joy to the New’ will excite and amaze as much as any of Janice Burns and Jon Doran’s previous work, and the brass arrangements pack such a punch that they put a smile on my face every time.

Subtly understated in its melodies and delivery but with a profound depth of emotion, Letitia VanSant & David McKindley-Ward’s ‘Eye of the Storm’ is a deep album that sings to their musical chemistry – we hope it marks the start of a journey.

‘Safe Then Sorry’ may only be the second CIAO MALZ EP, the solo project of Brooklyn-based songwriter Malia DelaCruz, but it’s a real gem, and it already seems likely that DelaCruz has a big future.

From recordings discovered on some dusty tapes in Yuma County Library, Charles ‘Poppy Bob’ Walker’s ‘Dirt Bike Vacation is quietly groundbreaking while containing some of the most modest guitar music you will hear. It’s probably my favourite release of the year.

Very much in a classic 60s coffee house folk troubadour vein, ‘Love, Dan’ is C. Daniel  Boling’s latest offering; he just keeps on producing albums of outstanding quality.

Beth Malcolm’s Folkmosis is a spellbinding album that speaks not only to the music and heritage that lives within her heart but also to how the music of our homelands can root us in identity and place, however far away from home we may be.