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2 Various Artists Resound: A Musical Tribute To Alan Surtees (Shrewsbury Folk Festival) In tribute to Shrewsbury’s recently- deceased Director, a compilation of choice tracks (including Surtees’ personal favourites) from artists who have strong links with SFF. All profits to Alan Surtees Trust, to give grants to young/emerging musicians and new musical projects.
shrewsburyfolkfestival.co.uk
1 Phil Hare A Stranger I Came (March Hare MHPCD02) Respected guitarist and lyri- cist presents a typically all-encompassing trip for his seventh album. Unlikely to win Phil new admirers, but it’s a convincing (if down- beat) set; basic, stylishly laid-back guitar-and- vox is enlivened with occasional banjo and dobro.
phil-hare-guitarist.co.uk
2 Various Artists Cat Scratchin’ (Koko- Mojo KM-CD 10). Ladies In The Groove is the subtitle to this collection of mostly forgotten female performers who could give their male counterparts a run with their own brand of fun, funky and often wild R&B. 28 ’50s and ’60s tracks by 28 artists like Baby Joy Hamil- ton, Dimples Jackson, Mary Coleman (a voice to rival Big Mama Thornton’s), and Peppy Prince. Ain’t nothing shaking? Could have fooled me!
koko-mojo.com
1 Blair Dunlop Notes From An Island (Gilded Wings GWR005) Latest collection of songs brings an intelligent mix of socio-politi- cal comment and tender love songs, under- pinned by his ever-impressive virtuoso guitar playing. Increasingly couched in a pop idiom rather than folk, though.
blairdunlop.com
2 Per Gudmundson & Bengan Janson Hjeltamôs (Country & Eastern CE39) Per Gudmundson (Frifot etc.) is one of Sweden’s greatest fiddlers. Lovely tunes, from Orsa learned from the CD’s dedicatee elder-great Björn Ståbi, and from Rättvik. Per’s sweet- toned mastery blends perfectly with Bengan Janson’s accordeon, so sensitively empathic it sounds like another fiddle plus rich bass end.
countryandeastern.se
@ Harmony Yemanya Eirlys (Snowdrop) Snowdonia-based singer/musician and music- therapist Hilary Davies accompanies herself on guitar, violin, flute and piano on her fourth album, a collection of largely self- penned songs on themes of nature and loss. All on one level, however, so file under mere- ly-pleasant.
harmonymusica.co.uk
1 Sarah Bauhan Elmwood Station (Whistler’s Music WM9817) The clue’s in the label – Sarah’s a seasoned flautist/ whistle player sharing her Celtic and New England roots with familiar musician friends. Her fifth recording, comprising traditional and original tunes and songs, forms an easy vehicle for her assured musicianship.
sarahbauhan.com
1 Roger Pugh A Colourful Journey (Oblong OBLCD079) A loosely concept-album charting Roger’s journey through life, on which this English folk scene stalwart is sup- ported by a cast of sixteen, including Pete Morton, Roger Wilson and Chris Conway. Catchy, well-constructed songs – what’s not to like?
roger-pugh.co.uk
@ Owen Ralph Chamber Folk (EP) (Bin- norie BNCF001) Classically trained folk fiddler steers symphonic “big-band” (ten-piece) real- isations of traditional songs and dance tunes, involving contemporary classical orchestra- tion, electro-pop bleepings and vocals from Rosie Hood and Jim Causley. Disappointingly identikit though, and the “chamber-folk” label proves a misnomer.
owenralph.co.uk
2 Grupo Mono Blanco ¡Fandango! Sones Jarochos De Veracruz (Smithsonian Folkways SFW CD 40575) Gilberto Gutiérrez and Grupo Mono Blanco are chiefly responsi- ble for reviving the son jarocho and fandan- go traditions of Mexico’s Veracruz state over the past four decades. The extensive, beauti- fully illustrated bilingual booklet tells the story behind the expertly rendered classic repertoire.
folkways.si.edu
1 Esszencia Produkció Elindultunk A Nagy Útra (Fonó FA404-2) Any ensemble fea- turing Róbert Lakatos and Kálmán Balogh is always going to intrigue. But their aim of inim- itably combining Bach, Bartók, jazz and the authentic folk music of the Carpathian Basin only fitfully struggles free of a drowsy fin de siècle Budapest cafe atmosphere.
fono.hu
@ Serious Child Empty Nest (TCR Music TCRM75099) Soon after experiencing his first taste of songwriting at Boo Hewerdine’s workshop, Alan Young was encouraged to record an album of his own songs with Hew- erdine at the helm. Result: somewhat one- paced contemporary pop with a personal angle.
seriouschild.com
1 Conor Caldwell To Belfast (CC 01) An innovative homage to the Edward Bunting collection by prominent Belfast fiddler and member of Craobh Rua and Slow Moving Clouds. Mixing solo fiddle tracks with elec- tronic loops, poetry and phased voicings but never sacrificing the melodic musical core.
facebook.com/conorcaldwellmusic/
1 Sangre De Muerdago Noite (Neuropa) Leipizig-based folk quartet injects some Gothic gravity into their Galician-flavoured tunage. By turn sweetly melodic and emi- nently rustic, it crosses Celtic and Medieval borders with a finely tuned sense of melody and style.
sangredemuerdago.com
Steph Geremia
2 Steph Geremia Up She Flew (Black Box Music BBM009) Second solo album from NY- born flautist and singer with Alan Kelly gang. Her eloquent flute shimmies through an affectionate homage to North Connaught styles. Lusciously floating vocals and spare accompaniments make for sublime listening – pretty great!
stephgeremia.com
1 Borbély-Dresch Quartet Körbe-Körbe (Fonó FA 406-2) Two modern saxophone mas- ters compose a deliciously morose folk- inflected dream with enough finesse to sug- gest that they may one day gift us an ethno jazz Hungarian Sketches Of Spain. But they will have to first jettison the polished restraint and become less wary of their tremendous trad influences.
fono.hu
1 Magna Carta No Truth In The Rumour (Talking Elephant. TECD395) A mix of original No Truth material with ’79– ’83 cuts from Spanish-only release Sweet Deceiver, this rep- resents a fluid period in Magna history with a varied cast including Doug Morter, Tom McConville and Kate Robbins. Best slices, the pop roots of Jigsaw Man and Band-like title cut.
talkingelephant.co.uk
1 Eliza Gilkyson Secularia (Red House RHR CD 307) Gilkyson’s been releasing albums for almost 50 years now, and this one keeps up the quality with guest spots from Shawn Colvin and the late Jimmy LaFave. There’s a ton of passion on her words and her voice.
elizagilkyson.com
2 Anne-Mari Kivimäki Ilja (Nordic Notes NN107) The last of Kivimäki’s five CDs based on the historical life of Karelian parish Suista- mo. After 2015’s electro-powerful Suistamon Sähkö it’s largely acoustic, but as always unusual, energetic, melodeon-chugging and quirky. Field ambiences, dance tunes, group and solo songs, with Eero Grundström’s har- monium, and Pekko Käppi’s jouhikko, bass, drums, kanteles and fiddle.
nordic-notes.de
2 Eliades Ochoa & Alejandro Almenares Dos Gigantes De La Música Cubana (Tumi TUMI 251) Santiago natives Ochoa (guitar) and Almendares (requinto) unite for the first time on a lyrical, entirely instrumental rendi- tion of 14 of the latter’s original son and bolero son numbers, backed on tres, guitar, contrabass, violin, soprano sax, flute and per- cussion.
tumimusic.com
1 Jon Budworth We All Share The Same Sky (Flying Folkie FF01CD) Bright-eyed, confi- dent songwriting from Lancashire-born, now Yorkshire-based Jon, dealing with common themes in friendly, accommodating language and appealing arrangements.
jonbudworth.co.uk
2 Duo Systrami När Isen Går (Nordic Notes NN108) Elegant, airy and rich-toned fiddle/cello duets by twin sisters Fanny and Klara Kallström in innovative, strongly trad- rooted material focused on the landscapes of their home in Sweden’s Ångermanland. There’s a touch of their attractive singing too.
nordic-notes.de
1 Sharon Lazibyrd Half Shame And Half Glory (Trampoline TRL002) Debut full- lengther from Somerset-based s/s Sharon Martin explores (sometimes quite enigmati- cally) the ambiguities of life’s journey through her pertinent, charmingly indie-pop- oriented compositions. Shades of Kirsty Mac- Coll at times.
sharonlazibyrd.co.uk
@ Estrella Acosta Mujeres De Luna: Songs By Cuban Women Composers (eStar 134) Adequate Cuban American singer interprets 11 songs by nine Cuban women composers, a lushly orchestrated easy listen- ing slough that masters such as Orlando “Maraca” Valle and Horacio “El Negro” Hernández cannot redeem.
estrellaacosta.com
1 Very Be Careful Daisy’s Beauty Salon (Downtown Pijao/Steady Beat) Per this LA- based cumbia-vallenato band’s promo sheet, “We rushed [into the studio] with no plan- ning. The songs weren’t finished and we did it on the spot.” What this accordeon-fronted dance music sounds like, indeed. Maybe lively party fare like this is better done live and undocumented.
verybecareful.com
2 Jess Sah Bi & Peter One Our Garden Needs its Flowers (Awesome Tapes From Africa) A re-release of a 1985 recording that was a huge regional hit in Cote d’Ivoire. A remarkable blend of country music with soar- ing West African vocal harmonies – strange but highly listenable!
awesometapes.co.uk
2 Kardemimmit Kesayön Valo –Mid- night Sun (Kardemimmit KARCD-002) Inter- esting, unusual melodies, mostly their own, to largely trad lyrics, by light-voiced, attrac- tively harmonising Finnish quartet. Self- accompanied on their four silkily chiming 15- and 38-stringed kanteles, their fifth album is their most engaging yet.
kardemimmit.fi
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