Featured Albums of the Month

Gripping from start to finish, here is Another Side Of Todd Snider: piercing, precise, bare but still as eccentric as ever. Cash Cabin Sessions, Vol. 3 earns its place right up there with the very best of Snider’s sprawling back catalogue.

Kathryn Tickell’s music flows so naturally you could be forgiven for thinking it’s plucked from the air. Hollowbone belies that notion in magnificent style. The music is complex and animated, exploring the mists of millennia but singing in a clear, contemporary voice… a wonderful, brave, and intoxicating album.

Yet another fine addition to the River Lea record label – Irish folk music is in a very healthy state at the moment and with The Hare’s Lament, Ye Vagabonds have emerged as its most accomplished exponents.

Changeable Heart’s soul is in the traditions from which Ruth Notman and Sam Kelly draw their inspiration, but at its heart is a series of exquisite vocal duets from two of the finest voices in the land. It’s a marvellous, elegant and finely crafted album that will long be remembered as one of this year’s highlights.

His delicious caressing of the lyrics reminds me of Mike Scott at his most incisive; I can also hear the soulfulness of Ray LaMontagne at times too. Sean Taylor has recorded an album on a par with the strongest work by either of those high-ranking acts and has also written one of the premier topical song albums of our time.

The Gloaming 3, sees the band take the step into the unknown with an even wider exploration of the possibilities that music presents… a bold, beguiling, magnificent album.

Jonathan Day’s Spirit Library is the work of an artist who, whether through the experience of travel or through deep contemplation of his surroundings, has come to terms with his place in the world, and it is utterly beautiful.

This is music in evolution. Melody, poetry, emotion and memory weave in and out like stories. Midnight And Closedown is the next chapter in Lau’s fascinating story. As ever from Lau, it’s a unique and exceptional album.

It is no overstatement to say that Contradicshun is a masterpiece of shared creativity, the fullest flowering of a partnership that has been nurtured for fifteen years. It is Megson’s most complete album and their best to date.

Those Who Roam is a shining example of the enduring appeal of traditional songs, and of Claire Hastings’s exceptional talent for delivering them. Inge Thomson’s production delivers an inventive finish, and, of course, Claire’s clear and inviting vocal shines throughout.

This release will delight existing fans, and bring her music to an even wider audience. If you thought you’d heard the best of Iona Fyfe, think again; there’s every indication that Dark Turn of Mind begins a new, captivating chapter.

The Outside Track weave wonderful music that entertains, fascinates and rewards. Rise Up is a magnificent album that puts them firmly back in the spotlight, as one of the most accomplished bands on the international folk scene.