Albums

Chris Foster has the uncanny ability to make everything he does appear easy, assembling or arranging songs like an artisan builds a drystone wall. And like drystone walls, Hadelin is sure to stand the test of time. The album features Jim Moray, Jackie Oates, John Kirkpatrick, Jim Causley & more.

On Son Volt’s latest offering ‘Notes of Blue,’ Jay Farrar homed in on the unique and haunting tunings of Mississippi Fred McDowell and Skip James. Whilst clocking in at just over 30 minutes you’re not left feeling short-changed.

When Team Love signed Willy Mason, they had no idea that another story existed, that of his mother. From an album recorded in 1979 that never saw the light of day to an album of newly recorded material, this double album paints an excellent musical portrait of Jemima James and places her in the spotlight. Hopefully, there’ll be further chapters yet to come.

For his latest release ‘No Rain, No Rose,’ John Craigie decided to make an album about Portland and his life there. He’s joined by a collection of local musicians, among them The Shook Twins and Gregory Alan Isakov.

Trimdon Grange Explosion are made up of four core members of The Eighteenth Day Of May and for those of us who enjoyed that original LP it is a pleasure to report that the new band have picked up pretty much where the old one left off.

On Enter the Kingdom, their fifth album, Frontier Ruckus offers an invitation to visit and explore suburban American homes. It’s a wistful reflection on a vanished past and childhood innocence.

Shirley Collins’ Lodestar performance at the Barbican is fresh and contemporary and avant-garde at times. The assembled musicians are nothing short of brilliant, the arrangements are in turns atmospheric, joyous, stirring and thrilling.

Brigitte DeMeyer and Will Kimbrough record as a duo for the first time with Mockingbird Soul, a stripped-back collection of blues, gospel, folk, country and early jazz. A fine album of understated but expertly crafted musicianship.

It is ‘Burning The Threshold’s’ tangible atmosphere as much as its songcraft that makes it one of Ben Chasny’s (Six Organs of Admittance) most accomplished and accessible releases to date.

For their latest album, husband and wife duo Truckstop Honeymoon decided to make things a family affair. Recruiting their kids as musicians, Big Things and Little Things was recorded around their dining room table.

Son of the Velvet Rat is a Joshua Tree-based husband and wife duo. Dorado, their sixth album, is a haunting and soulful offering which was produced by Joe Henry….for those who like their music steeped in the parched sand, dry rocks, forbidding cacti and mournful night winds.

Graham Mackenzie’s Crossing Borders is an ambitious, original and ultimately, very successful venture. Originating as a commission for Celtic Connections Crossing Borders proves to be exceptional, both as an album and on stage.