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1 Gabe McVarish Eclection (Greentrax CDTRAX348) Debut solo album from Daimh’s fiddler (and twice US Scottish fiddle champi- on) accompanied by A-list Scottish/ Irish musi- cians. The album plays like a travelogue of Gabe’s life: Highland jig set, Donegal set, Cape Breton set, Kerry polka set, Tommy Peo- ples set, Gordon Duncan set.
www.green-
trax.com – distributed in the UK by Proper.
2 Matt & Shannon Heaton Lovers’ Well (Eats CD008) Pittsburgh/ Milwaukee couple based in Boston release concept album based on theme of love. Not as pompous as it sounds, the Heatons’ lightness of touch on flute and guitar and Shannon’s breathy vocals make for a relaxed and sensitive effort. Airy revisions of classics like Lilly Of The West show interpretive skill and arrangement nous. An understated and accomplished effort.
www.mattandshannonheaton.com
@ Merlin’s Keep Of This World (own label CDMK003) The PR leaflet with the legend ‘Celtic Folk Rock’ in green type didn’t prepare me for the flat awfulness of the singing in vaguely Mamas & Papas style harmonies, the ploddingness of the rhythm section, the relentless tonelessness of the instruments. Oh, and did I mention that it really isn’t very good?
www.myspace.com/merlinskeep
2 Hawp Storm + Calm (own label PLSNT 001) Nova Scotia and Ontario based outfit playing predominantly Irish/ Scots and local repertoire. The flute and fiddle front line pro- vide nimble exchanges. Andy and Niamh Webster’s strident vocals grab attention with their rugged earthiness. There is an edgy excitement pulsing through this music that wriggles at the earlobes. A raw, pulsating dis- covery – check them out.
www.hawp.ca
2 Tradish Beyond The Borders (Go’ Danish Folk GO0210) Danish-based trio containing two Danes and domiciled Englishman John Pilkington. Musically it’s robust and exuberant with Louise Ring Vangsgaard’s fiddle singing sweetly and Pilkington’s Anglo-Saxon folk rock tendencies holding vocal sway. It’s a tunefully confident package that promises much and delivers more.
www.tradish.dk www.gofolk.dk
2 Tommy Hayes & Ian Leslie Almost Home (own label OPP4) Ex-Stockton’s Wing and Puck Fair musician Tommy Hayes’ music encompasses traditional and jazz approaches. Saxist Ian Leslie combines with Hayes in an atmospheric collection redolent of Peadar O’Riada, where ambient jazz/ folk/ world/ Celtic-based improvisations rarely lose con- centration and encompass some worthwhile melodic turns.
www.hayesleslie.com
2 Various The Essential Guide To South Africa (Union Square ESGCD328) An ency- clopaedic 3 CDs’ worth, 49 tracks from RSA, covering all the major urban artists and styles: jazz, jive, accordeons, nightingales and grun- ters. Known figures like Hugh Masekela, Lady- smith Black Mambazo, Miriam Makeba, the sublime Soul Brothers, Lucky Dube, plus a whole CD of modern kwaito and derivatives. Under a tenner and worth it just for Sipho Mabuse’s Jive Soweto.
unionsquaremusic.co.uk
2 Louisiana Red & Little Victor’s Juke Joint Back To The Black Bayou (Ruf RUF 1149) Although recorded in Norway, this is a true slice of pure gut-driven blues. Producer Little Victor (who also plays guitar and har- monica), his rhythm section, plus some top- rate guests (Kim Wilson, Dave Maxwell, Bob Corritore etc.) have propelled Louisiana Red to his best recorded performance for some time… and when Red’s on top form he really blazes!
www.rufrecords.de
2 Bruce Nemerov Zeno Dreamed (Spring Fed SFR 1001) Veteran US guitarist puts together a set of tunes and songs, some trad, that bring together Gus Cannon, Stephen Foster, Dock Boggs and Blind Willie Johnson among others. His straightforward, no-frills style has a homespun, archaic charm, and the overall effect is charming. www.springfe-
drecords.com www.brucenemerov.com
2 Rory Block & Stefan Grossman Coun- try Blues Guitar (Acoustic Music 319.1440.2) Including the ground-breaking 1964 album, How To Play Blues Guitar, this PDF-enhanced reissue also features a dozen other tracks by guitarists Block and Grossman, plus two tracks with Son House on vocals. This is where a lot of the blues revival came from, and still stands up
today.www.acoustic-music.de
2 Oktopus KaféAr Vro Didu (Vocation/ Poch An Toer VOC1708 / PAT01) Breton quartet provide the musical soundtrack for some 11 minutes of 1954 film footage of a busy small fishing port and provide 11 audio tracks of song, poetry and music in the same vein as the film – all contributing to a pleasant affection- ate whole.
www.myspace.com/oktopuskaf
@ Kasír Chilling On A Sunday (GO’ Danish Folk Music GO0810) Irish music from a young Danish band. They can all play very well (especially the bodhran player), but when there are so many Irish bands doing this bet- ter, you have to wonder why. And the songs simply don’t cut it – at all.
www.gofolk.dk
2 Mairearad Green & Anna Massie Mairearad & Anna (Shouty Records SHOUTY CD01) Mairearad is an accordeonist, piper and Scots Trad composer of the year 2009. Anna Massie plays guitar, fiddle and banjo. Standout tracks include Oskar Reuter’s exquisite Swedish waltz Farmors Vals, Peter Tickell’s lovely tune Mairearad’s, and the pipe/ banjo set The Ram- page.
www.myspace.com/shoutyrecords
1 Long John Baldry Live – Iowa State University 1987 (Angel Air SJPCD310) Baldry is in great voice throughout this set. Trouble is he’s not featured enough, as two of the seven tracks are sung by Kathi McDonald (belting out soul numbers) who also sings back-up to Baldry on others. Also, as was his want, Baldry is quite happy to let band mem- bers take multiple solos. The featured musi- cians are all top class… it’s just we could do with more Long John.
www.angelair.co.uk
Long John Baldry
2 Taj Mahal Oooh So Good ‘N Blues/ Mo’ Roots (BGO BGOCD892) Two early Taj ‘70s albums on a single CD. Oooh So Good…is stripped back acoustic (solo guitar, a track with piano, plenty of upfront vocals) featuring his fine version of Frankie And Albert. With a band in tow, Mo’ Roots finds Taj branching out in the direction of reggae, no surprise as Bob Marley assisted on the production of three tracks, including the standouts Slave Driver and Clara (St. Kitts Woman).
www.bgo-records.com
2 Tail Dragger Live At Rooster’s Lounge (Delmark DE 803) Recorded at Tail Dragger’s regular Saturday night gig on Chicago’s West Side, this raucous crowd-pleaser delivers as raw a set of popular blues as could be wished for. A solid band of two guitars, harmonica, bass and drums keeps the music boiling and, for one number, Jimmy Dawkins guests with his guitar. DVD also available (Delmark 1803).
www.delmark.com –UK distributor: Discovery.
@ Paul Curran The Cow Ate The Piper (own label PDC03) Oh dear. Oh dear, oh dear. Do people still do this expressionless sub- Dubliners meets Oirish country ’n’ western pub strumalong thing? Ah, I see, he lives in Shanghai. It’ll be an awful shock if he ever comes home then.
www.bunglerye.com
1 Various The Rough Guide To Scottish Folk (World Music Network RGNET1235CD) This conservative selection includes none of the innovative crossover music that has so charac- terised the cosmopolitan Scottish scene (Lau, Salsa Celtica, Chris Stout, Fraser Fifield, etc.). However, there’s an excellent bonus CD by Gaelic singer Maggie MacInnes (drawn from her first three albums).
www.worldmusic.net
2 Various Blodeugerdd: An Anthology Of Welsh Music & Song (Smithsonian Folk- ways SFWCD40552) Worthy project by The Smithsonian to reflect – and no more – the sounds and music of Wales. Specially recorded under the canny gaze of Ceri Rhys Matthews and featuring as diametrically opposed stylists as Max Boyce, Mary Hopkin, Cass Meurig and Llio Rhydderch. More to Wales than just harps and male voice choirs y’know. Tidy.
www.folk-
ways.si.edu – UK distributor: Discovery.
@ The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band The Whole Fam Damnily (SideOne- Dummy SD 1361-2) Fuelled by the washboard of Breezy Peyton and the drums (and buck- et!) of Jayme Peyton rattling along with the wild guitar antics and tortured vocals of The Rev, this unsubtle acoustic punk folk/blues may be hyper-rhythmic but it soon becomes repetitive. Live, they probably whip the audi- ence to a frenzy but on CD it’s music to wreck trains by!
www.sideonedummy.com
1 Mr Black & Blues The Morning Light (Breakneck MJP0801) Australian guitarist/ vocalist Michael Pollitt, aka Mr Black & Blues, beaches up in London, connects with har- monica man Lorne Stockman, bassist Miles Danso and drummer Zeke Manyika and records this 7-track album at good ol’ Toerag Studios. White boy blues for sure, but worse sins have been committed in the name of the true faith. CD sounds better than watching the recording session on the home-filmed DVD.
www.myspace.com/mrblackandblues
2 Baltic Crossing Firetour (GO’ Danish GO 1310) Country dance tunes from Danish islands Lolland and Falster, from 18th and 19th century manuscripts, plus a new one by Lollander Frede Nielsen. Played with custom- ary verve by the Dano-Finno-Brit band – Kris- tian Bugge, Antti and Esko Järvelä, Andy May and Ian Stephenson – but an arts-funded side-project rather than main Baltic Crossing fare.
www.gofolk.dk
1 Caleb Klauder Western Country (West Sound Records WSR 003) More than able out- fit combining country with acoustic sounds on originals and a few well-chosen covers. All in place if the production leans towards ama- teurish.
www.quicksilverproductions.net www.calebklauder.com
Photo: Dave Peabody
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