Albums

The Long-Awaited Album is nothing short of a polished tribute to the bluegrass form. Upheld by the rhythmic and melodic prowess of the Steep Canyon Rangers and the virtuosic flair of Steve Martin, bluegrass could not have hoped for a better pairing. But if it had, Martin would surely have already written a song about it.

John Thumb has written veritable earworms that are difficult to dislodge on this debut offering. This young man is evidently a talented songsmith, in fact, regarded by Other Songs Music Co. main man Scott Orr as a “classic songwriter…born in the wrong era.” 

The Foxglove Trio’s latest offering, Distant Havens, is both highly accomplished and musically complex for such limited instrumentation. This could deservedly well find itself among next year’s BBC Radio 2’s Folk Award nominations.

Incredibly, Wounded Healer is Immigrant’s fourteenth album. If there is any justice then this set of delicate, beautiful songs will see Immigrant finally reach the audience he deserves.

Mountain Fires is a swift follow-up to The Mining Co.’s  2016  debut, recorded in the same Spanish studio. It finds the woozily deep dusty-voiced Michael Gallagher in a nostalgic and reflective mood for his Americana-stained songs.

Songs My Ruiner Gave To Me sees Naomi Bedford & Paul Simmonds draw on the influences and inspirations of their first two remarkable albums to create something entirely new, and simply superb.

The Bara Bara Band are a collective who do not fear tradition. Instead, they embrace it with open arms, whimsical humour and touching melodies. You could do worse than joining their congregation.

EB=MC2, an album produced in Ehud Banai’s native Israel brings these two together – and shows that the adage about old dogs and tricks is far from the truth. “And your guitar, so clear and bright, is like a cure to the broken heart”.

Edgelarks is an album that is full of muted, autumnal beauty. Edgelarks may signify a new venture for Hannah Martin and Phillip Henry, but the quality of their songwriting and performing only continues to improve, this is their best yet.

On Laura Baird’s debut solo album, ‘I Wish I were a Sparrow’, she captures the spirit of the old field recordings and reveals little nuggets of joy throughout on which original and traditional songs work fluidly alongside each other. Listen to the premiere of her original Wind Wind.

Jeremy Tuplin may be the missing link between Nick Drake and ‘Space Oddity”-era Bowie. “I dreamt I was an Astronaut” is an engaging piece of work, blending excellent folk-based songwriting with creative and gently overarching production that fittingly frames Tuplin’s songs.

Hailing from Chicago, Big Sadie make their debut with Keep Me Waiting. They’re new entrants in a fairly crowded field of old-school American folk revivalism, but on this evidence, they’ll soon be rising to the upper echelons of its ranks.