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1 Bully’s Acre The Twelve Pins (Big Beat Music BBM002). Bully’s Acre is a new Dublin trio mixing both Irish and Latin American rhythms. Accordeonist Peter Browne emerges as the ace card, a subtle boxer, while Lucas Gonzales’ guitar and Robbie Harris’ percus- sion provide compulsive sparring partners for strong results.
www.bullysacre.com
1 El Naán Codigo De Barros (ARC Music EUCD 2566). Central Spanish band touches all Iberian bases: Castilian trad, folk-rock, South American, jazz-rock. Probably stirring live, where one can see the varied instrumenta- tion, but here, with the thinly strident male lead vocal, tenor sax, busy thuddy drumkit and bass guitar dominating, it projects ambi- tion rather than appeal.
www.arcmusic.co.uk
1 Ruaille Buaille Bon Temps Ruaille? (Own label RLB 003). Third album from Basque Country-based Irish / Cajun / roots sex- tet. Heavy doses of social comment infiltrate the lyrical content while the Irish / local crossovers recall a Basque Moving Hearts minus the Hearts’ frenzied zeitgeist. Adept musical subtlety is only marred by nonde- script vocals.
www.ruaille-buaille.com
@ Michael Chapman Window (Light In The Attic LITA 124). This 1970 album had some of his best songs of the day like Among The Trees and In The Valley, but a thin guitar sound swamped by the rhythm section. It turns out Harvest couldn’t wait and had released it with just the guide tracks, and unfortunately this isn’t a remix. Still a frus- trating listen, even with the iconic cover pic to distract in tiny form.
lightintheattic.net
1 Various Artists Discover World Music (ARC Music EUCD 2554). A two-disc label sam- pler selling itself as an introduction to world music. Impressive and wide selection, but a limit to the ARC catalogue is a limit nonethe- less. Good for what it is, mid-to-fair for what it wants to be.
www.arcmusic.co.uk
1 Slim Ali & The Hodi Boys 70s Pop! (ARC Music EUCD 2557). Cheesy, synth-ridden Kenyan pop music propelled by catchy rhythms and the soul-dripping vocals of Slim Ali. Pretty shallow waters, but worth dipping a toe.
www.arcmusic.co.uk
2 Paul O’Shaughnessy The Friendly Visit (Own label POS0002). Fiery fiddling and flut- ing from the ex-Altan man, blending tunes from mainly Donegal with a few classics from elsewhere. Solid tempo, exquisite tone and an innate understanding of the music all combine to prove that Paul still has the ‘nyah’. Truly excellent.
www.facebook.com/pages/ Paul-OShaughnessy/723144911042336
2 Anna Falkenau Féileacán Na Saoirse (Own label SM1401). Hugely impressive debut recording by a German Galway-based fiddler who’s thoroughly immersed herself in both the Irish and old-timey traditions. Her tone is ever evocative and often captivating – imagine Denis Murphy meets Martin Hayes and both win!
www.annafalkenau.com
1 Caladh Nua Honest To Goodness (Own label CN003). The Waterford / Carlow quin- tet’s third album is a well-organised affair with solid musicianship and vocals, but sounds as if it’s emerged from a melting-pot of the last 30 years – a sprinkle of Danú, a sprig of Arcady, a Déanta garnish, and a great big dol- lop of De Dannan.
www.caladhnua.com
2 Various Artists Speak Easy: The RPM Records Story Vol 2 1954-1957 (Ace CDTOP2 1421). The second half of Ace’s trib- ute to one of the great post-war blues and R&B labels. RPM issued some 200 singles between 1950 and 1957 and Vol 2‘s double disc set squeezes in 54 of the label’s tracks (including many alternate takes) from the much recorded BB King, ‘Little George’ Smith, and Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson, threaded between obscure artists whose sales only warranted one release. Another Ace gem!
www.acerecords.com
1 Aodan Coyne If We Only Knew (Own label no cat no). Young Clare singer on a solo kick from Socks In The Frying Pan. Aodan Coyne delivers a solid debut album that proves him an adequate traditional inter- preter. Hints of Gaughan, Jones and Carthy abound but Coyne’s personality is clearly defined.
www.aodancoyne.co
2 Adam Gussow Kick & Stomp (RIGHT 171) 25 years ago fRoots featured blues duo Satan & Adam on the cover. 25 years on Adam has popped up with a solo album that show- cases his blistering harmonica playing, steady percussive footwork, and (on some items) vocals. An absolute must for harmonica freaks!
www.modernbluesharmonica.com
1 Harrison Kennedy Soulscape (Dix- iefrog DFGCD 8753). There’s a strong streak of individuality running through this, and the kind of voice that holds the attention… dark, husky, expressive, which echoes his Afro- American roots. From vocal hollers through banjo-led instrumental and more, Soulscape has much to offer.
www.bluesweb.com
@ Skipper’s Alley Skipper’s Alley (Own label SACD002). This debut from the Dublin seven-piece incorporates every Irish tradition- al band cliché from Planxty and The Bothy Band onwards. A ‘good’ party game would be to guess their references (Is that Riverdance or Dervish? Lúnasa or Altan?) The singer is a drone with a weird Dub-cum-Gaughan-cum- Carthy accent, albeit flat.
www.skippersalley.ie
1 Martin Matthews Wall To Wall… Lind- isfarne to Walltown (Cúig Music CUI CD 013). Second CD in musical cycle charting Martin’s artistic journey, set to accompany his travelling art-and-music exhibition. With Sean Taylor heading support crew, the result is both invigorating and stimulating. Attrac- tive booklet and artwork too.
www.martin-
matthews.eu
1 Mike Grogan Make Me Strong (Poach- er Records PRCD102). This seasoned southern British singer-songwriter clearly has the back- ing and endorsement of influential friends (Beer, Sykes, Henry, Tucker). However, his own writing seems to be striving too hard to be accessible and mostly remains obstinately unmemorable even after several attentive plays.
www.mikegrogan.co.uk
1 India Electric Co The Girl I Left Behind Me (Shoelay Music SHMU30). Band name gives little clue what to expect from this Devon duo, who provide an ingenious, if at times jittery melting-pot that’s a stimulating meeting point between impassioned song- writing and assorted musical traditions, encompassing folk, Gypsy jazz, African and Latin.
indiaelectricco.com
2 Magic Slim & The Teardrops Pure Magic (Wolf 120.830 CD). The recent loss of Magic Slim has deprived Chicago blues of one of its most consistently gritty and powerful band leaders. The road-hardy Teardrops backed Slim to the hilt providing a solid foun- dation for his stinging guitar work and pas- sionate vocals as these live tracks amply demonstrate.
www.wolfrec.com
2 The Barker Band The Land We Hold Dear (BB Records BAR008). London-based outfit whose driving force and signature is Nella Johnson’s versatile vocal, rocking their basic folk-bluegrass sound into increasingly satisfying, diversely rootsy territories on a confident new set that packs even more punch with its clever arrangement of extra instrumentation.
www.barkerband.com
2 Mad Dog McRea Almost Home (God Dam Records no cat no). Stated aim to give a studio album the edge-of-your-seat feeling of MDM in concert duly achieved, thank Sean Lakeman in the producer’s chair. Natural energy and drive with intelligent songs given rabble rousing shape and form. Roots rock with added injection. Smart.
www.maddogmcrea.co.uk
Adam Gussow
2 Rich McMahon Songs of Exile Love and Dissent (Knotted Oak Productions KOAK006). Irish singer / songwriter domiciled in England delivers promising opening solo gambit. Gerry Diver’s production and accom- paniment skills help lift a quietly impressive collection to bigger heights. Sharp, astute, emotive lyrics allied to strong, confident vocals make Rich McMahon an impressive dis- covery.
www.richmcmahon.com
1 Manuel Diogo Music Of Angola (ARC Music EUCD2565). Easy on the ear, lots of jolly rhythms and sweet voices, but not particular- ly Angolan. Essentially a gospel album, lots of electronic keyboard wash.
www.arcmusic.co.uk
2 Ian Carmichael Ten Years On (SplitRock music, SplitRock001). Five-string banjo mae- stro plays Scottish and Irish traditional tunes and American fiddle tunes, accompanied by acoustic guitars, bouzouki, double-bass, bass guitar, percussion, Dobro, keyboard, accor - deon. There’s a lovely, easy, laid-back, loping rhythm to these reels, strathspeys, marches and hornpipes.
www.iancarmichael.net
2 Mr Bo Weavil As A Striving Lonesome Bull (Dixiefrog DFGCD 8751). Matthieu Fro- mant once fronted the band Bo Weavil and now as one-man performer has written all the tracks and played all the instruments for this album of garage-style blues, which is punchy, vibrant and generally kick-ass! You’d never guess he’s actually from France.
www.bluesweb.com
1 Blueflint Stories From Home(Johnny Rock Records JOROCK 021). Sharp, open- hearted and everyday songwriting and evocative arrangements from the Leith-based alt-folkers, with refreshingly unadorned vocals, and warmly interwoven banjo / fiddle driven band sound.
www.blueflint.org.uk
1 Yannis Saoulis Music For Shows (East- ernGate EG140731). A reviewer’s life would be easier if records were either good, bad or indifferent. This double album of 53 Greek- flavoured, soundtrack pieces boiled down to nine pieces which I liked (and copied to my iTunes) and 44 pieces which, in their inoffen- siveness, I don’t feel a desire to listen to again. So not a bad record but not one I can recommend either.
www.easterngate.net
@ Erkan Og ˘ur, Derya Türkan & Ilkin
Deniz Dokunmak (M&MT Records CD001). A record of vaguely oriental, vaguely jazzy instrumentals that sounds something like a much cheesier version of Taksim Trio. Possibly useful muzak for upmarket hotels and mas- sage parlours. Very polished (the musicians are classy) and with no soul whatsoever. A lazy and pointless record it seems to me.
www.mmtrecords.com
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