Albums

Our first in a series of reviews of Celtic Connections 2012: MOVE is a dynamic show that blends traditional and modern cultures.

★★★★★ Ben Calvert & The Swifts latest release ‘Festive Road’ has a charm about it that makes it a lot warmer than you expect…

★★★★★ Gretchen Peters latest album ‘Hello Cruel World’ is a collection of eleven self-written songs that offer a wry, and often intimate view of life and what we make of it.

★★★★★ Aoibhinn Crónán (The Deadly Buzz) is Mick O’Brien and Caoimhin O Raghallaigh second album. It delights from the very first bar, a combination of tradition, skill and sheer love of the music.

★★★★★ Ani DiFranco’s ‘Which Side Are You On?’ is a phenomenal album by any standards, but all the more so because it’s a composite of everything that’s excellent about DiFranco’s music.

★★★★★ The best possible way to appreciate Northern Lights debut release ‘Dubh agus Geal’ and the wealth of creativity, imagination and study that’s gone into the creation of this masterpiece is to immerse yourself completely…

★★★★★ The Alan Kelly Gang features Alan Kelly, Tola Custy, Steph Geremia and Tony Byrne along with guests Eddi Reader and more. Their début album is the perfect celebratory mix of a touring partnership!

★★★★★ Burn is the fourth self-released studio album by Californian singer Rita Hosking. A strong collection of country-folk songs that range from the celebratory to the elegiac.

★★★★★ On James Hill’s latest release, Man with a Love Song, he proves his virtuosity lies not just in the ukulele.

★★★★★ Naomi Bedford’s début release ‘Tales from the Weeping Willow’ is definately well well up there on our best of 2011!

★★★★★ Ooh La Baby is an album that is full of surprises – the biggest surprise being that Galia is yet to break through to the wider audience she deserves.

★★★★★ With Idir, At First Light have presented a hugely enjoyable collection of tunes and songs that will be treasured by listeners!