Albums

On ‘The Space Between’ Jamie Smith’s Mabon, our Artist of the Month, create and play music that, rather than attempt to faithfully reflect the closely related cultures around the Celtic Fringe, breaks free of the perceived boundaries and re-unites the ancient Western European musical forms.

The Unthanks ‘Archive Treasures’ is described by Adrian McNally as a shelf-clearing selection of snapshots and missing jigsaw pieces providing head space for the next ten years. Here’s hoping they continue with their archiving.

Shadow Songs is an intimate collection of bewitching songs from Southern Ontario artist Creature Speak whose oft-otherworldly vocals are at the fore, providing comfort within the framework of some quite dreamy contemporary folk songs.

‘Pelican’ is a fine debut from Katy Hooper which covers a lot of ground in an unfussy and self-assured way which suggests she has all the ingredients necessary to secure a long and successful career. We’re looking forward to a full-length album before too long.

At this stage in their musical careers Nettlesmith may harbour no ambitions beyond a healthy local date sheet and shifting some copies of the CD at gigs. On the evidence here, they may need to revise that upwards.

Show of Hands’ outstanding reputation has built up over more than two decades, an album of this quality will ensure that it continues to grow…music to please the ear and engage the brain.

Strange Country is an achingly beautiful album from the young duo Kacy & Clayton on which they pay homage to their inspirations from bygone days, in an authentic and timeless manner recalling the spirit of all the great British male-female folk duos of the golden late 60s-early 70s era.

Good Day Señor shows Conor O’Sullivan to be a songwriter and arranger of formidable talent. This accomplished debut is likely to be only the beginning of a highly promising solo phase in his career.

The Unthanks’ Scala performance highlights their uncanny ability to challenge preconceptions and continually drive back the boundaries of the traditional folk music genre, exploring deep into its jazzy, orchestral and progressive corners. Here’s to many more decades of unpredictable awesomeness.

James Hoffman, originally from Portland, Oregon, now based on Ontario, releases ‘Fault Lines’, an elegant album dealing with themes of loss from which can come positive personal growth. An elegant album that will suck you in.

Grass-Tops Recording re-issue Robbie Basho’s ‘Rainbow Thunder’ – ‘a collection of songs expressing the feelings and textures of the West in its Prime, and of the Native American Peoples who lived there.’

German based band Fleadh spread their wings with a UK release. With distinctive songs that echo the approach of Irish contemporary song writers and arrangements that provide a more solid link to the Irish tradition, it’s easy to see why they enjoy such popularity in Germany. The same is sure to follow in the UK.