Albums

M. Lockwood Porter fits comfortably into the tradition of American folk troubadour protest singers while also mining the more musically aggressive territory of punk-country and roots-rock. His latest offers strong examples of both

Skeleton Tree tackles death, loss, grief and religion couched in a musical meld of noir and Biblical atmospherics. Between times, darkness hangs heavy, even when songs have an edge of hope and celebration.

So Long City is a stripped down solo debut from Pat Kearns – while there are musically uptempo tracks it’s the softer, slower introspective balladry that provides the album’s heart and backbone. Repeat plays will reveal its immense charms.

Don’t expect wistful nostalgia, Joe and Billy perform these robust songs because they love them and that passion is persuasive. If you don’t already, you’ll end up loving them too. And it’s a journey well worth taking, particularly alongside these two travelling companions.

Combining a mix of original compositions and their arrangements of traditional music and song, NEWiD is as fine a showcase as you’ll find of their unique vision of “Celtic music for the 21st century” and is sure to become a firm favourite of long-term fans and newcomers alike.

Ryley Walker seems to have taken what Pentangle were doing, added his own voice and a shed load of influences and given it back to us writ large for the 21st Century. Don’t miss his European tour dates in November / December.

Rob captures in words and images a captivating set and a fantastic evening of acoustic music at Kenilworth Arts Festival featuring Rachel Sermanni, Luke Jackson and Kitty Macfarlane.

Paul Goodwin’s latest offering is a quietly unassuming album, but it creeps up on you and hits you in the solar plexus of your mid-life crisis, leaving you winded, but grateful to be still breathing.

As the title suggests, the component parts form together to create a superbly wrought and finely crafted album, beautifully played by all involved, that is certain to loom large in the end of year folk awards.

That Flemons and Simpson are able to rework and revive the tensions and turmoils that fester in blues and folk music is the deepest tribute a musician can pay to their forebears, as well as the only way to bring those ghosts back to life.

Any chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Apple Of My Eye are happily lacking in any such weak links, and as a result, they have produced one of the most exciting folk albums of the year so far.

Common wisdom holds that The Handsome Family’s finest album is ‘Through The Trees’. It may be time to revise that after a listen to ‘Unseen’, an album that embraces forgotten moments, lost dreams and spiritual light.