Albums

On her ninth full-length album, ‘Hard Frost’, Annie Keating once again proves herself a true enduring perennial in her chosen field.

With Family Affair, Inna de Yard authentically and innovatively present some of the genre’s most memorable songs and artists. A highly recommended accompaniment to the summer and beyond.

Eilen Jewell’s ‘Get Behind the Wheel’ serves as a testament to Nietzsche’s assertion that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, she’s clearly back in the driving seat.

Archangel Hill is Shirley Collins’s third album since returning to the studio half a decade ago; this album and its two predecessors seem almost to relish their maturity and at 87, she continues to create some of the most exceptional music of her career.

With voice, lyrics and melodies, the songs on ‘Kassi Valazza Knows Nothing’ will draw you into its embrace. A totally captivating album that’s sure to bring Valazza the larger audience she deserves.

While it’s been a long hibernation, ‘Wish You Were Here’ finds Terry Emm in top form; it’s good to welcome him back into the warmth of the sun.

The Declining Winter is an integral, if obscure, feature of the British musical landscape, like a stone circle hidden behind a housing estate and Adams’ latest offering, Really Early, Really Late, is an engrossing, sometimes playful, frequently pensive, and never less than captivating album.

Gareth Thompson reflects on Mike Gangloff’s well-attended gig at the Golden Lion…Gangloff ends by saying, “A set of creaky old fiddle tunes ain’t the easiest gig to sell,” but the success of his latest touring venture would rather suggest it is.

The music across the twelve tracks of Jim Ghedi & Toby Hay is diverse and dynamic, ebbing and flowing like a river, evoking nature and the outdoors wonderfully. Assured in its composition and immaculate in its execution, this one is a must.

Featuring three of Chicago’s biggest hitters – Douglas McCombs, Bill MacKay & Charles Rumback – Black Duck is a dynamic, experimental set of instrumentals that oozes the kind of confidence you would hope for from such a power trio.

‘Hold. Star. Return’ finds David A. Jaycock exploring more fully the world of antique electronica. A fuzzy, off-kilter melodicism pervades much of this weirdly beautiful album, which manages to be constantly aware of the past and yet never sentimental.

With Spirits, The Circling Sun have managed to produce an album which succeeds in paying due respect to the African American greats of jazz whilst simultaneously imbuing their compositions with a passionate South Pacific empathy and insight.