Albums

Renata Rosa cuts a colourful figure from the very beginning as she sweeps onto the stage at Glasgow City Halls to perform with her three-piece band…a thrilling and enchanting taste of Brazil.

Robin Morton’s admiration for the Battlefield Band in all its many incarnations has driven the assembly of this collection; snapshots of 40 years of musical development that so effectively chart the band’s evolution. The Producer’s Choice is a superbly fitting celebration of it.

The very nature of Celtic Connections means there are a wealth of exciting collaborations, formed without much time for rehearsal, and they can be all the more exciting for it. However, when something as carefully planned, and as perfectly executed, as Duncan Chisholm’s The Gathering takes place the results are captivating and memorable.

The years covered by these recordings were a golden period for Old Crow Medicine Show. For anyone who wants to know what fuelled the, now widespread, musical chimaera, “modern old time”, this is essential listening.

On Mike Grogan’s ‘Too Many Ghosts’ he is joined by the likes of Phil Beer and Miranda Sykes. The message, like the music, is simple, direct and clear. And both all the more effective for it.

Featuring Karen Matheson, Julie Fowlis, The Kaela Rowan Band and more, Paul McGeechan presented Celtic Connections with a unique and captivating performance, successfully bringing the splendour of Starless to a live, and thoroughly appreciative, audience.

With a tracklisting voted for by fans, The Carrivick Sisters celebrate their ten years of recording and performing music together with an album that showcases their incredible talents.

The Mitchell Theatre was filled to capacity to experience the true American legend that is Tom Paxton and he didn’t disappoint. Joined by his band of Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer it was a truly memorable evening.

A perfect blend of styles delivered with assured mastery by a group of highly accomplished musicians; The Kaela Rowan Band provided another example of the genuinely outstanding quality of performance on offer at Celtic Connections.

Whilst they’ve both made strong impressions with their solo work, a new partnership of TRADarrr founder members Marion Fleetwood and Gregg Cave may well prove their biggest yet.

Go Get Gone, the debut album from Rosie Jones and Zoe Nicol, known as the Worry Dolls, is sure to cement their reputation here and introduce them to America in a big way.

Six years on from Abigail Lapell’s debut, Hide nor Hair is a calming 10-song collection of fine-spun folk songs, as much about mood as it is about storytelling. A departure from her earlier efforts, she possesses a persuasive voice, bearing echoes of many of the greats.