Albums

Leyla McCalla has taken huge leaps forward from this mature solo launch pad but, with this timely re-issue, it is an album that remains ripe for wider discovery; its delights are many and varied indeed.

Over the course of the four songs on Day Inside A Night, Brittain Ashford and Matt Bauer establish themselves as singers and songwriters unafraid to look at their world and expose themselves, flaws and all. No one could ask for more.

Now More Than Ever demonstrates that the Cape Breton tradition is in very safe hands with McNally and her band: a delightful, enticing and thoroughly exhilarating release.

Beattie’s “Somewhere Round The Bend” is an album for reverie and relaxing, of raising a glass to what was and a candle to what might be, the boy done good indeed.

An entrancing and memorable interpretation of a fine collection of classic folk songs from LAU. As an EP it is a perfect selection of a rich and beguiling set of tunes.

Suffused with the yearning and the longing of its title, Tanya Brittain’s ‘Hireth’, her solo debut, more than fulfils its promise.

On ‘When a Man Loves an Omen’, Judson Claiborne transfix the listener while keeping them slightly off-balance at the same time, it’s one of the most compelling EPs of the year.

Ben Walker gives us another masterclass in technique, feel and tone with a second compact collection of tunes – a trip from England to Ireland and back again. All proceeds go to Macmillan Cancer Support.

Featuring four richly talented local legends including Dan Weisenberger of Tremblers of Sevens, Fans & Motor Supply Co. re-issue their loosely funky, very soulful ‘Quiet Dream’.

The power of A Casual Invocation comes from its mystery: it feels at once ancient & modern. Folk music at its most transcendent, an antidote to the banal and a gateway to the weird.

Solas an Lae is the complete package, the tune and the words and the presentation together encompassing the emotional tales of the tragedy of life. To me, this is what makes sean-nós what it is. Excellent.

With Reckless River, Zoë Wren has produced a mature, exquisitely well-crafted album of great beauty and listening pleasure, deserving of a wide audience.