Albums

On ‘Our Roots Run Deep‘, Dominique Fils-Aimé offers a humanist side to healing where mind, soul and body connect to word, rhythm and imagery. It’s an album that dreams in lush colours, a stunning work of folk-magic and fellowship.

‘So Far We Have Come’ has breathtaking and memorable moments, making it such a thoroughly intriguing and enjoyable album. In exploring the possibilities of melding English and Arabic folk traditions, Tamsin Elliott  & Tarek Elazhary have created a worthy addition to the musical canons of both cultures.

Viv & Riley’s ‘Imaginary People’ is a more complex and emotionally profound work than their acclaimed debut which was a Folk Radio  UK  album of the year in 2021, there’s no reason to think this won’t be a repeat performance.

Joined by Yann Le Bozac and Sylvain Quéré, True North is probably Calum Stewart’s finest album yet, throughout which he delivers a most delightful and varied paean of praise to the north of Scotland.

On Dreamer Awake, Rachel Sermanni delivers surprising, touching and hopeful moments alongside darkly delicate, atmospheric folk songs and spellbinding experimentalism. Ultimately, it is the sound of a spectacularly gifted songwriter growing personally and artistically in the face of pain and difficulty.

With her 2021 debut, Pohorylle, Margo Cilker set herself a high benchmark, but with ‘Valley of Heart’s Delight’, she’s cleared that with ease and guaranteed another set of Album of the Year votes.

Those ballrooms of romance are long gone, but as long as people like Ultan Conlon keep making music like this fabulous album, their souls, spirits, and the old songs will continue to live on.

For those less familiar with John Fahey’s later catalogue, Proofs and Refutations is a great starting point, juxtaposing elegant acoustic picking, crazed vocals in places and distorted guitar. For the rest of you, just enjoy this wonderfully rich and idiosyncratic set.

Having become mainstays of the folk, roots and acoustic scene, Gilmore & Roberts’ ‘Documenting Snapshots’ is a magnificent, mercurial album that will cement and further enhance their reputation as purveyors of the finest-quality music.

Talking about “Carrying”, Sally Anne Morgan says: “So much of what we accumulate and carry around with us burdens us, but we also can’t or don’t know how to let go.” Through her music, she leaves you feeling that, in a world full of perils, love can surely overcome all.

Unfolding at its own pace, Spirit Fest finds the mystical core of their music on Bear in Town. Not a moment is truly rushed, unfolding precisely, forging musical connections that touch the soul of what makes us human.

Hollow is one of The Handsome Family’s more musically complex albums, exploring new sonic textures, yet still reassuringly sounding familiar, it marks a welcome return and an interesting suggestion as to where the road ahead might lead them.