69 f


1 Jo Carley & The Old Dry Skulls Them Old Bones (Old Higue Records OHR002CD). Semi acoustic, gothic, punk, bluegrass! Er… sort of! Stripped-back and barbed wire com- positions spotlight Jo Carley’s freaky vocal. The eccentricity dial is set to high though you can’t deny they’re entertaining. olddryskulls.com


2 Steve Brookes Hoodoo Zoo (Steve Brookes SB26517). A deliciously rootsy groove here on the fourth album from Steve, almost entirely just the man and his guitar with Ben Gordelier on percussion. Plenty of relaxed, tasty picking and laid-back charm, with obvi- ous nods to Knopfler, Smither, Martyn. steve- brookesmusic.com


The albums – good (2), adequate (1) and bad (@) – which didn’t get the full-length treatment, contributed individually by a selection of our various reviewers cowering under the cloak of collective anonymity.


1 Various Artists I Love My Love (Albion ALBCD032). Re-issued pre-war 78s from when people sang the folk songs collected and arranged by Vaughan Williams, Cecil Sharp, Grainger etc in posh, plummy BBC accents to piano (Conchita Supervia’s O No, John! takes the biscuit!) or in choirs. A bit of a classic – though possibly not for the reasons the com- pilers intended – which at least proves we had some great songs. rvwsociety.com


2 Robert Plant Carry Fire (Nonesuch 563057-1). His undiminished enthusiasm for North African music, blues, folk and dark country continues to shine through all he does: the combination of one of the great Britrock voices with the likes of Justin Adams and now Seth Lakeman makes him the finest gateway drug to our music. nonesuch.com


@ Ifriqiyya Electrique Rûwâhîne (Glitter- beat GBCD 045). Tunisians involved in trance rituals meet French rock and electro musi- cians and they chant, bang and clatter away together. Perhaps you had to be there. glitterbeat.com


1 Various Artists Topic Records: The Real Sound Of Folk Music (Topic TICD001). 28-track compilation celebrating the role of the premier folk label in the growth of folk music in Britain over the past 75 years. A reli- able, if obvious selection covering music both drawn from the tradition and inspired by it. topicrecords.co.uk


2 Commoners Choir Commoners Choir (No Masters NMCD49). Rag-bag 50-piece ensemble of misfitting Yorkshire commoner folk rousing the rabble and stirring the pot of dissent on 21 tracks of post-Chumba harmo- nious insurrection, written and arranged by our favourite agit-propper Boff Whalley. A must-hear, must-join-in visceral singing-news- paper for today. commonerschoir.com


@ Jon Bickley The Common (Tiger). Jon has previously impressed with his succinct lyrics and well-appointeded guitar accompa- niment, but here the over-stressing of his political convictions results in a series of melodically uninteresting rants; a dreary vocal delivery of two trad-arrs doesn’t redeem matters. jonbickley.com


1 Various Artists Milk Of The Tree: An Anthology Of Female Vocal And Folk Singer-Songwriters 1966-73 (Grapefruit CRSEGBOX039). Exhaustive, catch-all 60-track cornucopia – with great notes – illustrating the varied (if variable), wildly imaginative creativity of late-’60s/early-’70s female singer-songwriters. Covering both Britain and America, includes plenty of welcome obscuri- ties alongside the bigger names, also the odd slightly curious selection. cherryred.co.uk


@ Tori Tango For One Touch (Klopotec IZK CD 036). Inhabits a hinterland between tango, easy listening and jazz. Good musicians who would benefit from oyster grit. For me, lacks the passion of classic tango. juretori.com


1 Jamie Francis The Patient Neighbour (TCR Music TCRM75051). The debut solo album from Jamie Francis, the banjo wizard out of Sam Kelly & The Lost Boys. Ten instru- mental tracks (some traditional tunes, others self-composed) that pretty successfully conspire to make banjo playing cool and attractive. Worth checking out. jamiefrancismusic.com


1 Pog Little Trophies (Beside The Birdbath BB08). South coast acoustic ramblers, channel the spirit, if not the style, of Chumbawamba. This is recording number fifteen, so there’s quite a prodigious back catalogue of kitchen sink dramas to investigate if their gentle approach and eclectic chutzpah appeal. The blurb says folk punk, truth to tell there’s too much subtlety for that. pogband.co.uk


@ Daniel Nestlerode Almost Home (Camp 40 Recordings C4T 200CD). A vanity project if ever there was one. Lovely pictures of Daniel and his mandolin not revealing earnest, unin- spired singing and basic playing that swings like lead. nestelrode.co.uk


1 Bill Booth Some Distant Shore (Wheel- ing WRCD 1701). Oslo-based American singer- songwriter. Mark Knopfler-type voice. Addi- tion of uillean pipes is a nice touch, all musi- cally sound but nothing that has not been heard countless times before. billbooth.no


2 Shirley Collins An Introduction To … Shirley Collins (Topic TICD002). This fifteen- track compilation introduces newcomers to the fragile power of Shirley’s voice. Drawing almost exclusively on her ’60s releases on Topic (especially Sweet Primeroses), this is a good value primer if you don’t already have these recordings. topicrecords.co.uk


Shirley Collins 1963


1 Resonant Rogues Hands In The Dirt (Resonant Rogues 7 00261 45203 6). Interest- ing original acoustic music from Asheville- based outfit fronted by the tantalisingly- named Sparrow and her musical partner, the plainly-named Keith Smith. Good variety. Well played and sung with humour and style. theresonantrogues.com


2 Haley’s Comet Done Gone (Just For The Records JFR 725). Just fiddle, banjo and bass. Supreme playing when American fiddler meets up with Norwegian banjo and bass player. Lovely light touch fiddle playing and the whole is technically and musically first class. musikperatorene.no


@ The Bara Bara Band The Seeds Inside (The Grape Upon The Vine) (Singaround SING06). “We do not fear tradition, we embrace it“ they claim. A well-intentioned statement which doesn’t really come off here. Sadly this doesn’t have the fizz and chutzpah to wrestle with roots, it’s too clean and pure. Go electric, get dirty and show us your teeth. Instead! thebarabaraband.com


2 Kate Ellis Carve Me Out (River Rose RR02). Top quality singer-songwriter based in London where she arrived via New York and her birthplace in Louisiana. Outstanding voice, with good original songs and tasteful backing. Followers of the likes of Mary Chapin Carpenter will love this. kateellis.com


2 Sierra Hull Weighted Mind (Rounder 11161-9166-2). What a talent. First known as an amazing mandolin player adding singing and songwriting to her portfolio. Nearly all her own work, mandolin, voice with just bass accompaniment and occasional guests. Class acoustic music. rounder.com sierrahull.com


2 The Lasses & Kathryn Claire Live At De Parel Van Zuilen (The Lasses). USA meets Holland with spectacular results. The trio of voices blend together perfectly as they soar through originals and well-worked arrange- ments of others. Closing a cappella Grey Fun- nel Line is sublime. kathrynclairemusic.com thelasses.nl


2 Mike Cooper Blue Guitar (Idea Interme- dia IDEA 027P). Lovingly-realised LP reissue of 2010 release combines sung/spoken Burrough - sian text collages (from Thomas Pynchon’s Gravity’s Rainbow) with Cooper’s remarkable rembetika, flamenco and blues-infused improvisational vocabulary. “There is nothing fixed harmonically or melodically here.” Haunting, brilliant and unique. cooparia.com


@ Mark Lavengood We’ve Come Along (Earthwork Music 6 66449 96432 9). From Michigan, fronting his own bluegrass band, dobro and guitar player Lavengood plays much better than he sings. Not at the top of any listening pile. marklavengood.com


1 Kasai Allstars & Orchestre Sym- phonique Kimbanguiste Around Felicité (Crammed Discs CRAM 273). This is an odd one. Music from and inspired by a film which was in turn inspired by the singer with the Kasai Allstars. The Kasais do their trancy Con- golese likembe thing interspersed with the symphony orchestra playing pieces by Arvo Part. There’s a bonus CD with a mixed bag of remixes. Nothing wrong with any of it, but it all adds up to a strange whole. crammed.be


1 Stephan Micus Inland Sea (ECM 2569 575 6547). Another album of characteristic slow calmness by Micus, here mostly playing nyckelharpa, shakuhachi, gimbri, guitar, Tajik balanzikom, chord and bass zithers with touches of voice. It’d be a good atmospheric, contemplative background for an art exhibi- tion. ecmrecords.com


1 Mae Trio Take Care, Take Cover (The Mae Trio). Three Australian women who are popular enough to tour the world. I assume the songs are self-written in the absence of information otherwise. Cut in Nashville, good singing and well-crafted songs. themaetrio.com


Photo: Brian Shuel


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84