131 f
2 David Benedict The Golden Angle (Shelton Records DSB 149 8 59728 13084 7) A quite outstanding bluegrass mandolin album. Superb playing, faultless tone, a set of new tunes and perfect top-of-the-range support- ing cast.
davidbenedictmusic.com
1 Louis de Bernières with The Book- shop Band The Songs Of Louis de Bernières, Volume 1 (Letterpress CDLPR001) Author of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, but also a singer-songwriter, recently “discov- ered” by Beth Porter and Ben Please (The Bookshop Band). Louis’ music proves curious- ly compelling, for all that it takes most obvi- ous inspiration from early Leonard Cohen and Al Stewart.
louisdebernieres.co.uk
1 Christine Collister (Fledgling FLED3109) Collecting two albums’ worth of Christine that showcase her move into blues and soul territory post-Gregson. A widening vision which serves her well across great covers of Heart Like A Wheel (perhaps obvious), Har- vest For The World (a pleasant surprise) and Black Eyed Dog (weird but compelling). Backed by agreeably heavyweight guests.
fledglingrecords.co.uk
@ We Banjo 3 Haven (WB3CD 005 641444 19322 6) File under Festival Music. Loud. Designed to impress. Repetitive lyrics, anthem-like songs. Nothing subtle to be found and although there are some top Irish players here, they hide their roots well.
webanjo3.com
2 Argyll Cèilidh Trail (Feis Latharna ACT001CD) Five-track debut release from hugely promising young Scottish seven-piece band, comprising fiddles, guitars, mandolin, bagpipes, whistles, accordeon and vocals in Gaelic and English. Includes richly textured, exhilarating uptempo instrumentals and some gorgeous singing.
feislatharna.org
1 Various Artists Scotland’s Voices (Greentrax CDTRAX400) Sixteen-track compi- lation celebrating the influential singers and tradition bearers of the 1950s Scottish folk revival (Jeannie Robertson, Belle Stewart, Jean Redpath, etc). Includes Hamish Hender- son singing his Freedom Come All Ye (which has since become the unofficial anthem of modern Scotland).
greentrax.com
1 Caroline Keane & Tom Delany Never Say Goodbye, Say Good Luck (Own label 5391502519738) Sounding as smooth as Irish whiskey, Limerick duo Keane (concertina) and Delany (uilleann pipes) perform Irish tradi- tional tunes, supported by guitar, bouzouki, harp and bodhrán. Delany’s solo pipes perfor- mance of wild slow air Metro Blues recalls Davy Spillane at his best.
keanedelanymusic.bandcamp.com
1 The Oran Project Music Without Bor- ders (Oran Project ORPJ002) Debut album of mostly original instrumental compositions mashes up Scottish traditional with rock, funk, blues and African music styles. Line-up includes acoustic/electric/bass guitars, bouzouki, cuatro, harmonica, flute, fiddle, mbira, percussion.
theoranproject.co.uk
1 Fourth Moon Ellipsis (Fourth Moon 0748079726574) Debut from quartet compris- ing Mohsen Amini (concertina), David Lom- bardi (fiddle), Géza Frank (flute, whistle) and Jean Damei (guitar) performing original music that mixes traditional Irish and Scottish musical idioms with improvised jazz and clas- sical. Shades of Lau, but smoother.
fourthmoonmusic.com
2 Entourage Ceremony Of Dreams: Stu- dio Sessions And Outtakes 1972-1977 (Tompkins Square TSQ 5463) A euphoric rain- bow of jazz, folk, blues, classical and world influences, refracted through a prism of hip- pie idealism, serious musicianship and fear- less creativity. Music that moves, mesmerises, and motivates the listener to also seek out the two 1970s Folkways LPs.
tompkinssquare.bandcamp.com
1 Matthew Byrne Horizon Lines (Own label MB060417) Canadian singer’s fine third album contains traditional Newfoundland, Irish and Scottish ballads. Byrne’s tender tenor voice is gracefully and sensitively accompanied by his own guitar and man- dolin, and by double bass, keyboard, accordeon, piano, tenor banjo and low whis- tle.
matthewbyrne.net
1 Lews Castle College UHI Nead Nan Ceoladair / The Musicians’ Nest (Own label NNC001) This 18-track album showcases the many successful musicians who studied Scot- tish traditional music at the University Of Highlands & Islands on the Isle of Uist. Includes music from Elephant Sessions, Mec Lir, Trail West, Robbie Greig, Kaitlin Ross and others.
birnamcdshop.com
2 Camerata Kilkenny The Piper And The Fairy Queen (RTE Lyric FM CD156) Celebrat- ing the connections and similarities between Irish traditional and European Baroque music, a well-respected early music group team up with uilleann piper David Power. From O’Carolan to Telemann, Purcell to The Downfall Of Paris, it’s absolutely delightful, occasionally sublime.
rte.ie/lyriclabel
2 Jacken Elswyth / Laurel Uziell & David Grundy Betwixt & Between 1 (Betwixt & Between Tapes) Split cassette/CD-r/DL. Beauti- fully rendered solo clawhammer banjo tracks to set old-time and primitive hearts a-flutter, juxtaposed with electronic improvisations that invigorate and intrigue. First in a series of DIY releases. The stuff I live for!
betwixtbetweentapes.bandcamp.com
2 Floating Sofa Quartet Neighbourhood (Go’ Danish Folk Music GO1218) The Danish/ Swedish/ Finnish instrumental quarter go all trad for their second release. Brilliant techni- cians, they’re exquisite on the slower pieces, where they bring real expression to the music (Skånebitar is a standout). The faster pieces rush by in a flurry of virtuosity, but when they slow it all down, they’re really onto some- thing.
floatingsofaquarter.com
@ Vaoudou Game Otodi (Hot Casa HC59) Its central sound is a sophisticated, smooth Afrofunk. Songs like Lucie and Soleil Capriceux bring diversity to the songwriting, and the palm wine tones of Bassa Bassa keep it lively. However, most arrangements and production values on the album are quite flat, losing some of the potential sparkle of the music.
hotcasarecords.com
1 Alan Hull Back To Basics (Talking Ele- phant TECD403) Statues And Liberties (TECD407) Tyneside icon’s final live/studio offerings re-presented. They reflect the older Alan Hull’s more philosophical but still com- munal world view. Classic singalongs are buoyed by Kenny Craddock’s keyboards on Basics. Statues, completed after his untimely passing, shows compassion and impatience with injustice, This Heart Of Mine and Card- board Christmas Boxes reveal the fire never dimmed; classics at the end.
talkingelephant.co.uk
1 Delta Ladies Hillbilly Trance, Remas- tered & Expanded (Delta Ladies) Flexible of line-up Middlesex duo who dig back several decades to conjure a roots’n’blues-inspired repertoire which they occasionally overlay with trance-like grooves. First released with- out opening Thieving Boy and a couple of other blues, one of which laments what’s happened to Redcar and the other a peaceful Sunday, all now appended.
deltaladies.com
2 Slow Moving Clouds Starfall (People Music SMC003) Second album from Dublin- based trio specialising in pensive, mood- laden takes on self-penned material and tra- ditional forms. Tasteful combinations of nyck- leharpa, cello and fiddle create wistful Celtic/European-sounding fusions with ambi- ent Nordic tones and floating choral vocals unite effectively. Enthralling.
slowmovingclouds.com
@ Nathan Bell Er Gwaetha Pawb A Phopethm (Angry Stick 192914407690 ) / Love Bones And Stars (Angry Stick 192914407690) On the first, recorded live in a Pembroke Dock Coffee House, Tennessee’s Bell offers a set of original songs. He has a typical American singer-songwriter’s voice – gruff, in tune – and an even more typical set of wordy, towards depressing songs. Love Bones And Stars is a new studio recording – a well-recorded set of songs but nothing that stands out in field where there are a million contenders.
nathanbellmusic.com
2 Steve Howell & The Mighty Men Good As I Been To You (Out Of The Past OOTP 009) An electric band playing a tasteful selec- tion of Americana, old blues and Tin Pan Alley pop at the lowest revs possible. Very tasteful guitar from Howell, who shares vocal chores with Katy Hobgood Ray. A delightful record in every respect.
stevehowell.ws
1 Stanley Brinks Peanuts (Fika FIKA064CD) / Freschard & Stanley Brinks Midnight Tequila (Fika) Blessed with the happy knack of welding witty, gently subver- sive lyrics to deceptively simple melodies, the ridiculously prolific Brinks delivers two of his best with French singer Freschard. An anti- folk hero to rank alongside Jonathan Rich- man and Jeffrey Lewis.
stanleybrinks.band-
camp.com
freschard.bandcamp.com
1 Helen Watson (Fledgling FLED3108) Great R&B singer, the excellent Miss Watson shows commendable chutzpah on the first disc of this double, her own writing an equal for the collection of covers which make up the second, where her version of the Old- ham/Penn I'm Your Puppet is the ace in the pack.
fledglingrecords.co.uk
1 Drop The Floor Fairly Cookin’ (Own Label) Clitheroe’s finest Irish session band delivers a rock-solid set of lively tunes with some intriguing songs of a rustic Irish Ameri- can nature. The performances are shot through with a conviction and assurance that belies their lack of national status.
dropthefloor.co.uk
@ Ali Cooper On White Horse Hill (Stand- ing Stone Music) Entirely self-recorded album of largely folkloric original songs by harping author and archaeologist. Not without a measure of homespun pagan charm, this could have been considerably better with someone to produce and address the frankly teeth-gnashing vocal pitching.
alicooper.net
1 Stevie Dunne Live At The Crosskeys Inn (Stevie Dunne SDB003) Banjo ace Stevie Dunne from Clogherhead, Co Louth, record- ed his third album live at The Crosskeys Inn, Portglenone, Co Antrim. While John Joe Kelly, Brian McGrath and Cyril O’Donoghue drop in, it’s Dunne’s snapping and crackling banjo that steals the show.
steviedunnebanjoplayer@gmail.com
1 Bart Praet Duo (Home 413309) A Bel- gian multi-instrumentalist, Bart Praet handles flute, whistles and uillean pipes with equal aplomb. Add Phillipe Masure on guitar and cittern on Galician, Scots and Irish canons. Warm, breathy flute timbres, subtle piping and mellow accompaniment make for a rounded collection.
homerecords.be
2 Shooglenifty & Dhun Dhora Written In Water (Shoogle 18018) Shooglenifty, pur- veyors of Scottish trance trad, and Raji- nasthani band Dhun Dora’s collaboration was hastened by the death of pivotal members of both outfits. Homage and tribute, it flows effortlessly between Celtic and Rajistani vocal and instrumental forms in an elegant tribute.
shoogle.com
1 Jodelfisch Neue Gezeiten (Beste Unter- haltung BU080) Three German women and an Englishman offer a varied album that has its moments but overall is somewhat uneven. It does offer some interesting instrumental moments.
besteunterhaltung.biz
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