Albums

The finest CD of English fiddling I have heard and I enjoyed ALL aspects of it. An outstanding and major contribution to English fiddle playing that it should be heard throughout the land and considered the high water mark of England’s music.

At times nakedly exposed, at others complexly layered, introverted yet expansive, it marks a major stride forward in their musical journey, one which, it is hoped will find the travelling companions it so fully deserves.

On her beautifully presented latest album, Caelum Scalptorium (The Engraver’s Chisel), Gemma’s simply guitar-accompanied tracks have a timelessly plain and unadorned quality…delivered with care and attention to detail yet without ever coming across as precious.

Whilst this sampler can be but a snapshot of John Tams work over the years and can only hint at his polymathic talents, it is a timely reminder of what a powerful songwriter he is and what a significant contribution he has made to the folk world.

There’s a long tradition both of Jewish political activism, and of artists and musicians fighting for social justice, and Ben Caplan fits proudly in both. He has used his considerable talent and unstoppable energy to create a mini-masterpiece that’s historic and timeless at the same time.

Who knows whether we can expect to see so many Fairports together on a stage again, but for now what we have is a brilliant best-of collection performed with the musicianship you might expect, but a vibrancy you possibly wouldn’t from a band with a half-century heritage.

Join Freschard and Stanley Brinks for an evening of bar hopping. A look into the late night drinking culture in Paris or Berlin, but not as you might expect: eclectic, at times eccentric and positively entertaining.

Since their debut in 2003, The Wave Pictures have been releasing albums at the rate of more than one a year and Brushes With Happiness is another winner, an album of raw emotion and even rawer musicianship from one of the UK’s most underrated bands. 

There’s been a four-year gap since Skerryvore’s last studio album and the quality and mix of material that now appears on EVO shows it has been time well spent. A very firm reminder that they’re just as much at home in the recording studio as they are on the road.

This willingness to engage – emotionally and physically, with internal and external landscapes – is what sets Toby Hay apart from virtually everyone else currently making instrumental folk music. The Longest Day is a triumph, a thing of shimmering beauty.

Sue Wilson shares her Orkney Folk Festival highlights including Newfoundland’s The Once, Highland fiddle maestro Duncan Chisholm, Findlay Napier, Quebec’s Le Vent du Nord, Fara, The Maes, Ímar, The Chair and more. Another top weekend of superhuman smoothness and cheer.

Brighton-based quartet Hatful of Rain return with a downpour of riches melding together their Celtic, American and English folk influences that have seen their stock increasingly rise since their debut release back in 2012.