{"id":3063,"date":"2024-08-02T14:15:07","date_gmt":"2024-08-02T13:15:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/?p=3063"},"modified":"2026-05-23T16:27:52","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T15:27:52","slug":"micks-picks-book-and-cd-reviews","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/?p=3063","title":{"rendered":"Mick&#8217;s Picks &#8211; Book and CD reviews"},"content":{"rendered":"<hr \/>\n<div id=\"attachment_1888\" style=\"width: 246px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/?p=85\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1888\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-1888\" src=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/CD-Reviews-Archive-banner-cropped.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"236\" height=\"28\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1888\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>Click Here for Reviews 2020 Onwards<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_1888\" style=\"width: 226px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/?p=2708\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1888\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-1888\" src=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/CD-Reviews-Archive-banner-cropped.jpg\" alt=\"Click Here for Reviews Before 2020\" width=\"216\" height=\"26\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1888\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>Click Here for Reviews Before 2020<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"toc_container\" class=\"no_bullets\"><p class=\"toc_title\">Contents<\/p><ul class=\"toc_list\"><ul><li><ul><li><a href=\"#MAY_2026\">MAY 2026<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#MICK8217S_QUICKS\">MICK&#8217;S QUICKS<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#STEVENS_POUND\">\u00a0STEVENS &amp; POUND <\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#Ascending\">Ascending<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#_FIVE_STAR_CHOICE\">***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! *****<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#CARA\">CARA<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#Our_Ship_is_Ready\">Our Ship is Ready<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#_FIVE_STAR_CHOICE-2\">***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! *****<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#APRIL_2026\">APRIL 2026<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#MICK8217S_QUICKS-2\">MICK&#8217;S QUICKS<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#MICK8217S_QUICKS-3\">MICK&#8217;S QUICKS<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#CATRIN_FINCH\">CATRIN FINCH <\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#Notes_to_Self\">Notes to Self<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#_FIVE_STAR_CHOICE-3\">***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! ****<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#MARCH_2026\">MARCH 2026<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#MICK8217S_QUICKS-4\">MICK&#8217;S QUICKS<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#SEAN_COONEY_with_ELIZA_CARTHY_SAM_CARTER_JENNIFER_REID\">SEAN COONEY with ELIZA CARTHY, SAM CARTER &amp; JENNIFER REID<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#Peters_Field_album_and_illustrated_book\">Peter\u2019s Field (album and illustrated book)<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#_FIVE_STAR_CHOICE-4\">***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! *****<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#FEBRUARY_2026\">FEBRUARY 2026<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#HAMISH_HEPBURN_JACK_HOUSTON\">HAMISH HEPBURN &amp; JACK HOUSTON<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#Afore_Ye_Go\">Afore Ye Go<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#_FIVE_STAR_CHOICE-5\">***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! *****<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#HOLLY_CLARKE\">HOLLY CLARKE<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#Wild_Feral_Fierce\">Wild Feral Fierce<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#_FIVE_STAR_CHOICE-6\">***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! *****<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#STEVE_TURNER\">STEVE TURNER <\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#A_Host_of_Furious_Fancies\">A Host of Furious Fancies<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#_FIVE_STAR_CHOICE-7\">***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! *****<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#JANUARY_2026\">JANUARY 2026<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#SUE_SKINNER\">SUE SKINNER<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#Love_Tokens\">Love Tokens<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#ANDY_M_STEWART\">ANDY M. STEWART <\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#Songs_of_Robert_Burns\">Songs of Robert Burns<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#DECEMBER_2025\">DECEMBER 2025<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#JOHN_KIRKPATRICK_SUE_HARRIS_WITH_BENJI_KIRKPATRICK\">JOHN KIRKPATRICK &amp; SUE HARRIS, WITH BENJI KIRKPATRICK<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#Live_at_The_Wyeside\">Live at The Wyeside<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#_FIVE_STAR_CHOICE-8\">***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! *****<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#THE_HAAR\">THE HAAR<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#The_Lost_Day\">The Lost Day<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#NOVEMBER_2025\">NOVEMBER 2025<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#TAMSIN_ELLIOTT\">TAMSIN ELLIOTT<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#The_Meeting_Tree\">The Meeting Tree<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#MICK8217S_QUICKS-5\">MICK&#8217;S QUICKS<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#MARTYN_JOSEPH\">MARTYN JOSEPH<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#Troubled_Horses\">Troubled Horses<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#_FIVE_STAR_CHOICE-9\">***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! *****<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#OCTOBER_2025\">OCTOBER 2025<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#JOAN_BAEZ\">JOAN BAEZ<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#Diamonds_Rust_1975_edition\">Diamonds &amp; Rust (1975 edition)<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#_FIVE_STAR_CHOICE-10\">***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! *****<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#MICK8217S_QUICKS-6\">MICK&#8217;S QUICKS<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#MICK8217S_QUICKS-7\">MICK&#8217;S QUICKS<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#SALT_HOUSE\">SALT HOUSE<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#Scarrow\">Scarrow<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#SEPTEMBER_2025\">SEPTEMBER 2025<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#MICK8217S_QUICKS-8\">MICK&#8217;S QUICKS<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#CERYS_HAFANA\">CERYS HAFANA \u00a0<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#Angel\">Angel<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#NINEBARROW\">NINEBARROW<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#The_Hour_of_the_Blackbird\">The Hour of the Blackbird<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#MICK8217S_QUICKS-9\">MICK&#8217;S QUICKS<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#METAGAMA_ENSEMBLE\">METAGAMA ENSEMBLE<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#Metagama_An_Atlantic_Odessey\">Metagama: An Atlantic Odessey<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#_FIVE_STAR_CHOICE-11\">***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! *****<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#AUGUST_2025\">AUGUST 2025<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#MICK8217S_QUICKS-10\">MICK&#8217;S QUICKS<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#EVE_GOODMAN_SERA\">EVE GOODMAN &amp; SERA<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#Natur\">Natur<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#JULY_2025\">JULY 2025<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#MICK8217S_QUICKS-11\">MICK&#8217;S QUICKS<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#NARAGONIA_QUARTET\">NARAGONIA QUARTET<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#Nehalennia\">Nehalennia<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#_FIVE_STAR_CHOICE-12\">***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! *****<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#HARTWIN\">HARTWIN<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#This_is_the_Place\">This is the Place<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#_FIVE_STAR_CHOICE-13\">***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! *****<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#MICK8217S_QUICKS-12\">MICK&#8217;S QUICKS<\/a><ul><li><ul><li><a href=\"#JUNE_2025\">JUNE 2025<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#MICK8217S_QUICKS-13\">MICK&#8217;S QUICKS<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#JIM_CAUSLEY\">JIM CAUSLEY<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#The_Georgic\">The Georgic<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#MICK8217S_QUICKS-14\">MICK&#8217;S QUICKS<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#ODETTE_MICHELL\">ODETTE MICHELL<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#The_Queen_of_the_Lowlands\">The Queen of the Lowlands<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#MICK8217S_QUICKS-15\">MICK&#8217;S QUICKS<\/a><ul><li><ul><li><a href=\"#MAY_2025\">MAY 2025<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#EILIDH_SHAW_ROSS_MARTIN\">EILIDH SHAW &amp; ROSS MARTIN<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#Stay_Here_All_Night\">Stay Here All Night<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#DONALD_WG_LINDSAY\">DONALD WG LINDSAY<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#Two_Boats_Under_The_Moon_double_disc\">Two Boats Under The Moon (double disc)<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#JOCELYN_PETTIT_ELLEN_GIRA\">JOCELYN PETTIT &amp; ELLEN GIRA \u00a0\u00a0<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#Here_to_Stay\">Here to Stay<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#_FIVE_STAR_CHOICE-14\">***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! *****<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#MICK8217S_QUICKS-16\">MICK&#8217;S QUICKS<\/a><ul><li><ul><li><a href=\"#APRIL_2025\">APRIL 2025<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#MICK8217S_QUICKS-17\">MICK&#8217;S QUICKS<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#CHRISTINA_ALDEN_ALEX_PATTERSON\">CHRISTINA ALDEN &amp; ALEX PATTERSON<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#Safe_Travels\">Safe Travels<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#IYATRAQUARTET\">IYATRAQUARTET<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#Wild_Green\">Wild Green<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#MARCH_2025\">MARCH 2025<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#SHEILA_K_CAMERON\">SHEILA K. CAMERON<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#On_Sanitys_Shore\">On Sanity\u2019s Shore<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#GIGSPANNER_BIG_BAND\">GIGSPANNER BIG BAND<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#Turnstone\">Turnstone<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#_FIVE_STAR_CHOICE-15\">***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! *****<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#MICK8217S_QUICKS-18\">MICK&#8217;S QUICKS<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#STEVE_TILSTON\">STEVE TILSTON <\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#Last_Call\">Last Call<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#HARTWIN-2\">HARTWIN<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#Unfolding\">Unfolding<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#STEVE_KNIGHTLEY\">STEVE KNIGHTLEY <\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#Positively_Folk_Street_Dylan_Carthy_Me\">Positively Folk Street: Dylan, Carthy &amp; Me<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#FLOOK\">FLOOK \u00a0<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#Sanju\">Sanju<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#_FIVE_STAR_CHOICE-16\">***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! *****<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#MICK8217S_QUICKS-19\">MICK&#8217;S QUICKS<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#DYLAN_MIKE_JAMES\">DYLAN &amp; MIKE JAMES<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#Dyma\">Dyma<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#FEBRUARY_2025\">FEBRUARY 2025<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#MICK8217S_QUICKS_Part_2\">MICK&#8217;S QUICKS (Part 2)<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#MICK8217S_QUICKS_Part_1\">MICK&#8217;S QUICKS (Part 1)<\/a><ul><li><ul><li><a href=\"#JANUARY_2025\">JANUARY 2025<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#BROES\">BROES<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#Belgica\">Belgica<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#_FIVE_STAR_CHOICE-17\">***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! *****<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#CYNEFIN\">CYNEFIN<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#Shimli\">Shimli<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#_FIVE_STAR_CHOICE-18\">***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! *****<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#MICK8217S_QUICKS-20\">MICK&#8217;S QUICKS<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#REG_MEUROSS\">REG MEUROSS<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#Fire_Dust_A_Woody_Guthrie_Story\">Fire &amp; Dust: A Woody Guthrie Story<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#_FIVE_STAR_CHOICE-19\">***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! *****<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#SUE_SKINNER-2\">SUE SKINNER<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#Rainbows_in_the_Road\">Rainbows in the Road<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n<h3><span id=\"MAY_2026\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">MAY 2026<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"MICK8217S_QUICKS\"><strong><span style=\"color: #008000;\">MICK&#8217;S QUICKS<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<p>\u25baSome very welcome news from <strong>Catrin Finch &amp; Aoife N\u00ed Bhriain<\/strong>; scintillating Welsh virtuoso and wonderful harpist Catrin and Irish fiddler Aoife have just completed their first album, which will be out in February next year; and they release their digital single \u2018Caerdroea an Ceol\u2019 (in translation, The Musical Labarinth; Bendigedig, catalogue number BENDI12-DS2), which is their own inspiring take on the first movement by the brilliant Italian baroque composer and violin virtuoso Pietro Locatelli (1695\u20131764), often referred to as \u201cthe Paganini of the 18th century\u201d; he was best known for his challenging caprices that have significantly influenced technical performance standards for the violin. This is no exception; Catrin and Aoife rise above the wonderful music and sensationally blossom. <strong><em>FolkWales Verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25baWhat a superbly tip-top album from celebrated country writer-performer and Appalachian renaissance man <strong>Ed Snodderly<\/strong>; his latest offering, <em>ES Pearl Presents Baggage Flies Free<\/em> (Majestic Records\/Need to Know Music, no catalogue number) is due to be released in June 19 this year, and it bulges with 13 tracks of seriously nourishing music of the mind; and all of these gem-songs are gold-plated. Session musicians line up for The Tractor Shed studio in Nashville, including West Virginia-born Tim O\u2019Brien (vocals and mandolin), Verlon Thompson (vocals and guitar) and fiddler Lisa Pattison; it\u2019s pretty hard to pick the quality song, but the standout winners have to be the opener \u2018Coming Down This Road\u2019, \u2018\u2019When Doc Watson Come to Johnson City\u2019, \u2018This Old Guitar\u2019 and the closing \u2018It\u2019s Christmas Again\u2019, for which Ed plays the Nordic whistle. <strong><em>FolkWales Verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba Vermont-born Kristina Stykos and Steve Mayonne, native of Brooklyn borough in New York City, are roots and Americana songwriters are who are also known as <strong>The Cousins Project<\/strong>; their newest offering, <em>Child of the Hills<\/em> (Thunder Ridge Records, no catalogue number, released on June 19, 2026) is 13 tracks of bleak and mysterious angst, where they walk a fine line between nu-folk and prowling rock. It\u2019s not pretty; it\u2019s addictively beautiful but angry and barren. Kristina and Steve share the writing, but Steve composes the serene opening instrumental, \u2018Green Mountain Moonrise\u2019; however, Kristina has the lion\u2019s share of solo song-making, and the album title track is hers alone. This is musical Marmite; some love it but others hate it. I\u2019ll go for the brown stuff! <strong><em>FolkWales Verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25baLove those swirling, singing fiddles! Finnish quartet <strong>Polenta<\/strong> (Finnish slang for Stomp) graduated from the prestigious Sibelius Academy in Helsinki; their last album, <em>Karkelo<\/em>, was awarded the Finnish Folk Music Album of the Year and received an Emma Gala nomination (the Finnish Grammy). Their just-released new offering, <em>Matkaaja<\/em> (The Traveller, Polenta Music Oy, POLCD007) turns Nordic folk tradition on its head and transforms it into a kaleidoscope of giddy colours; their music is rooted in traditional styles like the polska and schottis, and it\u2019s just impossible to stay still \u2013 let\u2019s dance! The band\u2019s voices burst forth in glorious but all-too-rare harmony; it\u2019s all instrumental, from the opening \u2018Sankaripolska\u2019 (Polska for Heroes) to the final \u2018Kynttil\u00e4\u2019 (The Candle). The 10 tracks are composed by Aino Kinnunen (violin), Veera Kuisma (five-string violin), Olli Sippola (five-string violin, mandolin) and Mikko Malmivaara (guitar), and they\u2019re touring in Scandinavia and the Orkney Folk Festival. <strong><em>FolkWales Verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25baHailing from Borrisokane in North Tipperary, Irish musician <strong>Keelan McGrath<\/strong> is widely regarded as one of the leading button accordion players of his generation. This All-Ireland Champion has won many awards in all age groups at Fleadh Cheoil Na h\u00c9ireann, including winning Senior Button Accordion in 2022 and accolades including the Bonn \u00d3ir Sean \u00d3 Riada. His wonderfully exciting digital album is called <em>The Reel Road<\/em> (Bandcamp), and it\u2019s bubbling over with 14 tracks of reels, jigs, hornpipes and even a solitary waltz. From the opening tune \u2018Caught in the Surf\u2019 to the closing \u2018Brendan McCann\u2019s Visit\u2019, this gay package is a helluva joy to hear and to dance to. Gearoid Macnamara accompanies Keelan on keyboards, with Simon Crehan on guitar and accordionist Ned Kelly on one reel. <strong><em>FolkWales Verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"STEVENS_POUND\"><strong><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><strong>STEVENS &amp; POUND <\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<h2><span id=\"Ascending\">Ascending<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Will-Pound-Delia-Stevens-Asgending-CD.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3340\" src=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Will-Pound-Delia-Stevens-Asgending-CD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Idiom Records IDMRC-0002<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"_FIVE_STAR_CHOICE\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! *****<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong>This amazing debut album emerged was forged from a session that erupted into dazzling musical fireworks, linking two complete opposites; Delia Stevens is a classically-trained percussionist who is fluent in notation, and Will Pound is a jaw-dropping harmonica and melodeon wizard steeped in the folk tradition, learning his trade entirely by ear. (I prefer \u2018diatonic accordion\u2019, but Will uses the term \u2018melodeon\u2019 \u2013 and who am I to question?) The catalyst was the respected and well-loved composer Ralph Vaughan Williams and his beautiful creation \u2018The Lark Ascending\u2019, music that Will and Delia had ever learned together. <em>Ascending<\/em> takes its inspiration from the Folk Revival of the early 20<sup>th<\/sup> century in which classical composers collected, transcribed and reimagined national folk music; and Delia and Will deconstructed other works, where folk tradition had an influence on Gustav Holst\u2019s <em>The Planets Suite<\/em> and <em>St Paul\u2019s Suite<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>However, Delia and Will write in the absorbing sleeve notes: \u201cFrom the outset, neither of us wished to create a project that placed classical and folk music side by side. Instead, we set out to forge a genuinely shared language built on mutual curiosity and trust.\u201d The outcome is a startling, vivid mind-bender of eye-popping sounds, where Delia and Will use as a steady anchor with Williams\u2019 and Holst\u2019s scores and completely launch themselves into the stratosphere; the opening track is \u2018Larking\u2019, a furious jig where Will\u2019s wild harmonica and Delia\u2019s quick-fire, masterful percussion absolutely rocket together in triumphant pride. Classical melodies rise up, then are completely blown away in \u2018The Lark Ascending\u2019 and the third track, \u2018Ascending\u2019; Delia skilfully employs a brain-boggling array of chimes, xylophones, massive bass drums and any object that she could inventively utilise or play against, and Will reaches for the sky with his harmonica and squeezebox and pumps out a breath-taking deluge of lightning notes. If you mistakenly think that all classical music is a little bit highbrow, then think again; Will and Delia playfully dance around snatches of \u00a0Williams\u2019 and Holst\u2019s well-known and well-loved pieces, then they go sparking and cartwheeling off into the misty blue yonder. It\u2019s deliciously addictive and deliriously dangerous, and woe betide any unthinking listener who gets in the way of the juggernaut duo who are bearing down at a hundred miles an hour.<\/p>\n<p>Will and Delia expertly reimagine Holst\u2019s \u2018The Planets: Jupiter\u2019, and then comes the monster \u2018Earth: The Silent Planet\u2019, which lasts over 14 minutes. Prize-winning author Robert Macfarlane narrates his poem in dramatic style, and Delia and Will excel themselves with grace, alacrity and exhilarating aplomb. They skim and soar over \u2018St Paul\u2019s Suite\u2019, making brilliant work of the quintet of pieces from the six-minute \u2018Jig\u2019 through \u2018Ostinato\u2019, \u2018Vivace\u2019, \u2018Intermezzo\u2019 and \u2018Finale\u2019. They even magically transform Lennon and McCartney\u2019s \u2018Norwegian Wood\u2019, and they end with a mischievous and strutting flourish on the closing track, the traditional \u2018The Sailor\u2019s Hornpipe\u2019 where Delia and Will go for broke in sensational attitude; a dizzying maelstrom of xylophones, squeezeboxes and anything that could be played are lining up for your delight and wonderment. No doubt about it \u2013 <em>Ascending<\/em> really is the dog\u2019s bollocks.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"CARA\"><strong>CARA<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<h2><span id=\"Our_Ship_is_Ready\">Our Ship is Ready<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Cara-Out-Ship-Is-Ready-CD.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3338\" src=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Cara-Out-Ship-Is-Ready-CD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Artes Records ARCD 6050<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"_FIVE_STAR_CHOICE-2\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! *****<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>A few moons ago I first encountered a most impressive album called <em>Conversations<\/em>, which was the marvelous work of English diatonic accordion god Andy Cutting and the astonishing German violinist-cum-intoxicating singer Gudrun Walther; I really loved the duo\u2019s joyous and inspiring atmosphere, and I gladly awarded them a magnificent five stars. Gudrun is also a fiddler and a diatonic accordionist of award-winning multi-national concert band Cara, who have headlined Irish festivals and brought adoring crowds to their feet in Scotland, England, the USA, Australia, Germany, Scotland, England, France, Holland, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland and Denmark \u2013 and the band have released their latest collection, which is something of a gorgeous stunner.<\/p>\n<p>The line-up on <em>Our Ship is Ready<\/em> consists of Gudrun, who shares songwriting and lead vocals with Kim Edgar, a musician who comes from Edinburgh; Kim\u2019s career as a solo artist, an outstanding composer and a refreshing pianist has earned her The Sunday Herald\u2019s hailing as \u201cScotland\u2019s very own Tori Amos\u201d. The third member is Simon Pfisterer, who plays uilleann pipes, flute and whistles; he studied uilleann pipes at the University of Limerick and graduated with a first-class honours degree in Irish Traditional Music and Dance. He currently lives half the time in Ireland and half in his native Bavaria. Number four is backing vocalist J\u00fcrgen Treyz, who plays an enticingly array of instruments which includes acoustic and electric guitar, dobro, lap steel guitar, electric bass, mandola, keyboards and harmonium. The live quartet hold a solid-gold reputation of forging and developing a clutch of exciting music to feed the enquiring minds, and this album contains 11 spellbinding creations that compel the worldwide audience to listen and revel again to a jaw-dropping rainbow of mesmeric sounds &#8211; not a precious track is wasted. Cara are a world-class band who proudly swoop and soar and jealously take precious care of their well-loved, age-old tradition; not only do they swoop and soar, but they\u2019re turning crazy cartwheels as they invent oh-so complicated and brilliant arrangements on their venerable heads.<\/p>\n<p>Guest musicians who lend a helping hand are the incredible bodhran master and percussionist Cormac Byrne, who wraps up a total of six tracks, Irish concertina player Susan Coleman, bassist Hendrik Mumm and flautist Klaus Steinfort. First up is the album title track, \u2018Our Ship is Ready\u2019, which homes in on the heartbreak of emigration and was beautifully constructed by Gudrun and J\u00fcrgen. This lovely song was inspired by Sarah Makem\u2019s 1952 rendering of \u2018Farewell My Love, Remember Me\u2019, and Cara rise as one with eye-popping musicianship of wild uilleann pipes, hypnotic piano, dobro guitar and singing fiddle; Gudrun and Kim weave and fashion the tale\u2019s conclusion with their passionate and powerful harmonious voices.<\/p>\n<p>The band plunge right in there with the second track \u2018Northbound\u2019, a quartet of bubbling sounds, written by Gudrun and J\u00fcrgen; the over-seven-minute fantasy morphs into gay reels, swaggering marches and a mind-boggling crazy theme which can only be designed for dancers with three feet.\u00a0 Kim and J\u00fcrgen wrote the appealing contemporary song \u2018Better Days\u2019, and Kim takes the vocal with her satisfying and warming piano; Spiral Earth magazine recently hailed her as \u201cprobably one of the best songwriters in Britain today\u201c \u2013 and so say all of us. It\u2019s profoundly true!<\/p>\n<p>Cara proudly nail their colours to the folk mast with an absolute sparking shower of originality and listen-again tradition. They doff their collective caps and Simon heralds the uilleann pipes with \u2018The Sunny Hills\u2019; the familiar Child ballad \u2018Lord Bateman\u2019 lasts just short of eight mesmerising and mind-nourishing minutes, and \u2018Celine\u2019s\u2019 is simply a trio of beautiful tunes to die for \u2013 full marks to composers Simon and Gudrun. The stark and pretty \u2018Where Sleepest Thou?\u2019 is a combination of <em>Seventy Scottish Songs<\/em>, a 1905 volume, with the words which had been translated from Gaelic; the strutting, prancing \u2018Jimmy\u2019s\u2019 is a wonderful creation of J\u00fcrgen and Simon, and \u2018The Sinking Ship\u2019 is a roaring crowd-belter which carries a lurid message of hope to guard against the ominous flood \u2013 either as a climate changer or the rise of Farage and his far-right dark forces. The final track is Kim\u2019s delicate and calming rendering of the absolutely serene \u2018I Will Not Say Goodbye\u2019; this musician can write for Europe, and how! Gudrun\u2019s voice breaks out in striking harmony, which brings to a gorgeous and totally perfect ending; this band are at the top of the tree and are really making such fabulous music \u2013 and I want to be first in the queue to cheer them on.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><span id=\"APRIL_2026\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">APRIL 2026<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"MICK8217S_QUICKS-2\"><strong><span style=\"color: #008000;\">MICK&#8217;S QUICKS<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<p>\u25baFollowing the acclaim of his debut album <em>Source<\/em>, Kentish melodeonist James Kerry returns with the <strong>James Kerry Trio<\/strong>; and their new 10-track instrumental offering <em>Tributaries<\/em> (independent release, JK2025CD) really is a little blinder. Known for his rhythmic, dance-inspired style and deep roots in the English tradition, James has recruited fiddle and mandolin player Tom Kitching, powerhouse of the folk scene, and wonderful guitarist Danny Tonks, whose percussive mastery binds the instruments together to create a full and resonant sound. Morris tunes are completely turned around with the opening \u2018Shooting\u2019 and the lazy \u2018The Lollipop Man\u2019, and James writes half the set with the memorable \u2018Draw Down\u2019, \u2018O\u00f9 le Fleuve Disparait\u2019, \u2018Riv\u00e9re en R\u00e9, the jig-time \u2018Once Was a Biscuit\u2019 and the strident closer \u2018Reel of the Rapids\u2019, whereas Tom pens the fiddle-crazy \u2018Concrete Life\u2019 and \u2018Fresh Coming Down\u2019 &#8211; exciting manna for the ears. <strong><em>FolkWales Verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25baAward-winning singer and songwriter <strong>Emily Portman<\/strong> has a strong passion for traditional songs; her simply wonderful 13-track collection <em>Dominion of Spells<\/em> (Hudson Records, HUD059CDBK) \u00a0invites you into a mysterious realm, in which she takes your hand and guides you to a mythical land where fairy queens, selkies and owl goddesses rule the roost and live for evermore. She steps into bold new territory with her fragile melody construction in contemporary alt-folk; violins and banjos meld and snuggle together with welcoming pianos, soft electric guitars and empathetic percussion, and Emily employs the musical brilliance of Martin Simpson, Lucy Farrell, Mary Hampton, Louis Campbell, Lucy Revis, Ben Nicholls, Sam Sweeney, Helen Bell, Neil McSweeney and Will Schrimshaw with care and compassion. Her butterfly voice floats and dances in shimmering and absolutely penetrating harmony, and she creates a soothing and comforting ambience which is matched by thoughtful and intelligent handiwork \u2013 it\u2019s all too magical and beautiful, and it\u2019s possibly the best that she has produced. <strong><em>FolkWales Verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25baOrcadian <strong>Kris Drever<\/strong> is an award-winning Scottish folk singer, guitarist, songwriter, producer and a member of Lau, with fiddler Aidan O\u2019Rourke and accordionist Martin Green; his latest offering, <em>Doing This for Love<\/em> (The North Sound, NOSOR001C) celebrates Scottish contemporary folk which is standing up proud and putting itself head and shoulders above any pop stars. He writes ten catchy, guitar-led and intensely hummable songs, from the opening album title track, the following \u2018Change\u2019 and the annoyingly simple earworm \u2018Pilot Whales\u2019 to the strident \u2018Still the Boy\u2019 and the beautifully-structured \u2018Catterline\u2019. A bevy of accompanying musicians are assisting, including guitarist Ian Carr, Euan Burton (bass, organ), Trent Freeman (fiddles), Sam Mabbett (accordion), Louis Abbott (percussion), Cahalen Morrison (banjo), Rachel Lightbody, Michelle Willis and Rachel Sermanni (vocals and other instruments). Kris is in the middle of his 18-date promotional Scottish and English tour, but unfortunately it doesn\u2019t touch Wales. <strong><em>FolkWales Verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25baCanadian alt-folk quartet <strong>The Fugitives<\/strong> release the seventh of their albums on May 29 (<em>The Fugitives<\/em>, Rhea Records RRCD00002), and they\u2019re performing a 10-date UK tour including Montgomery Town Hall, Powys (May 27) and Hermon Chapel Arts Centre, Oswestry (July 9). Famed for their slick four-part harmony vocals to really die for, the line-up is songwriters Adrian Glynn (guitars, balalaika, harmonica, bass) and founder Brendan McLeod (guitars, bass); Carly Frey plays the violin and Christopher Suen accompanies on the banjo). The foursome banned songs about life on the road; Brendan says: \u201cThe last thing the world needs is more folk songs about dingy hotel rooms and gas station sandwiches.\u201d However, this collection celebrates vast Canadian landscapes, from the Shield (the opening \u2018Wolf Road\u2019), the Fraser River (\u2018River Hymn\u2019) to East Vancouver (\u2018Caf\u00e9 Deux\u2019) and a Saskatoon parking lot (\u2018Under the Ice\u2019). With all the folk instruments bubbling and cooking, the band has triumphed with 11 bright and breezy classic songs laced with a hard-hitting conscience. <strong><em>FolkWales Verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25baBorn in the mountains of Western Colorado, <strong>Erik Stucky<\/strong> picked up his first mandolin at the age of eight; following the release of his debut album in 2017, he headed for Nashville. He\u2019s on a brief six-date tour with fellow acoustic musician and singer\/songwriter David Starr, and they\u2019re appearing at The Tin Shed, Treuddyn (May 10, 2pm), The Crown Inn, Trelawnyd (May 12) and Llangennith Village Hall, Gower (May 13). He\u2019s releasing a five-track EP on May 22, and it\u2019s called <em>Bag of Bones<\/em> (Mandolin Way Records, no catalogue number); the advertising blurb describes it as \u201cA captivating blend of progressive folk and Americana\u201d, but the Nashville lifestyle doesn\u2019t have a good influence on him. The opening title track gets swallowed up in commerciality, and his \u2018Night Train\u2019 and \u2018Jealous of the Wind\u2019 lyrics seem to be lost in the all-pervading big band production; \u2018Crying Side of You\u2019 sounds as though it\u2019s sheer pop \u2013 what a big shame. <strong><em>FolkWales Verdict: Thumbs down<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25baA dear friend introduced Canadian singer\/songwriter, folk and Americana artist <strong>Suzanne Jarvie<\/strong> to <em>Doctor Who<\/em> star and actor Peter Capaldi\u2019s definitive reading of <em>Watership Down<\/em>, \u201cwhich kept me going on many long drives through the past 18 months of making this record,\u201d she says. \u201cThis record\u201d refers to the lovely and uplifting nine-track <em>Mother\u2019s Day<\/em> (Continental Song City CSCD1214); Suzanne plays piano on the opening \u2018Honeycomb\u2019, the complicated \u2018Caterpillar\u2019 and the plunging, swooping \u2018Polonium\u2019; however, she takes up her acoustic guitar for the folky \u201840%\u2019,<\/p>\n<p>the memorable album title track and the pretty \u2018Charity\u2019. Her pure voice reaches out to the audience implores anybody to listen, rising above in beautiful harmony, and her philosophy is strongly maternal: \u201cThe Earth is a womb and I am the Earth\u201d. It\u2019s appealing nourishment for the mind, and how. <strong><em>FolkWales Verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"MICK8217S_QUICKS-3\"><strong><span style=\"color: #008000;\">MICK&#8217;S QUICKS<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<p>\u25baHugely popular East Anglian duo Lucy and Jon Hart have already been ten years on the road as wife and husband; performing as <strong>Honey and the Bear<\/strong>, they\u2019ve recorded three critically-acclaimed albums \u2013 and their fourth, <em>A Wish &amp; A Tide<\/em> (independently released, no catalogue number) is stunningly good. The pair have been gigging together in the UK and Europe in 2014 when they met at a songwriting workshop, and they\u2019ve been writing just wonderful pop-folk songs ever since. Lucy and John are strong multi-instrumentalists with amazing soaring harmonies, but it\u2019s Lucy\u2019s lovely and penetrating voice that is the one to die for. Ten must-hear tunes, from the proud jig-time \u2018Close to the Edge\u2019, through the haunting \u2018Cruel Mistress\u2019 to the closing life-affirming comforter \u2018Everything Will Be OK\u2019; and there\u2019s even another bonus track, \u2018Be Still\u2019. Folk comrades-in-arms accompany, with Archie Churchill-Moss (diatonic button accordion), Evan Carson (percussion, bodhr\u00e1n), Graham Coe (cello) and Toby Shaer (flutes, whistles, fiddle). They\u2019ve conjured up a completely uplifting, satisfying and absolutely faultless show. <strong><em>FolkWales Verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25baScotland\u2019s <strong>Firelight Trio<\/strong> celebrate their broad European influences, culture and travels with the much-anticipated second album <em>Midnight Followed<\/em> (Eachday Music, EDFLT02), nine tracks of self-penned exciting and mind-expanding Scottish, Celtic, French, Scandinavian, klezmer, jazz, classical and contemporary sounds which is designed to throw Farage and all of Reform UK into a spluttering rage. Fiddler Gavin Marwick, Ruth Morris on nyckelharpa and accordionist\/pianist Phil Alexander (from Moishe\u2019s Bagel) artfully lay down a crazy and delightful maelstrom of instrumental fireworks which contain 19 exciting reels, jigs, polkas and a wonderful bucketload of inspiring compositions. Gav starts off by writing the \u2018Dirty Euro\u2019 quartet of firecracker melodies, but Phil has the lion\u2019s share of constructing heartstopping tunes, from the \u2018Left Bank Reels\u2019, the \u2018Sunday Jig\u2019 set and \u2018The Boy and the Bear\u2019. However, Gav and Ruth have the final flourish by penning the \u2018Life on the Road\u2019 set \u2013 and Gav dreams up \u2018Midnight Followed\u2019, which became the album title track. This is a really fine collection. <strong><em>FolkWales Verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25baWarmest memories of the fabulous Gooik festival, hosted in the picturesque Belgian village which nestles close to the Walloon-speaking border; the exciting and energetic five-strong folk band which hatched out of the festival is called <strong>Warmoes<\/strong> (translated as Chard, a largely-forgotten leafy crop whose leaves or stalks are eaten as a vegetable) and the personnel are founder Milan Robberechts (piano), Laris D\u2019hose (bass guitar), Marieke D\u2019hose (accordion), Laurens Maris (percussion) and Arno Molenschot (tenor saxophone). The exhilarating <em>De Binnenbuiten<\/em> (Trad records, TRAD045) is a band-composed nine-track dance-music spectacular, ranging from snatches of sweet mazurkas and waltzes to peppered bourr\u00e9es; the instruments seem to fly, swoop and soar, taking the music to newer heights as it develops and blossoms, even branching out into jazz, pop and funk. It\u2019s sheer heaven. <strong><em>FolkWales Verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"CATRIN_FINCH\"><strong>CATRIN FINCH <\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<h2><span id=\"Notes_to_Self\">Notes to Self<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Catrin-Finch-Notes-to-Self-CD.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3333\" src=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Catrin-Finch-Notes-to-Self-CD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Bendigedig BENDI13<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"_FIVE_STAR_CHOICE-3\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! ****<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>As a 13-year-old girl, Catrin grew up in the Ceredigion coastal village of Llannon, which is bisected by the A487 Fishguard to Dolgellau road; she will tell you that her village is of the most beautiful places in the world, and she became known locally as Katy Finch, because her brother and sister decided it was a so much better name than the one she had been given \u2013 and there were already far too many Catrins in school, anyway. She writes: \u201cSince those childhood days in the family home in Llanon, where I was raised with so much care, fife has taken me on an incredible journey through unexpected waters and winding paths, filled with triumphs, trials and transformations. The one thing that has carried me through it all is my harp. It is my constant, my steadfast companion, and playing music is the way I know how to fluently communicate my very being. And so, these songs and accompanying letters which deeply reflect on my life so far, are written to my thirteen-year-old self.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Notes to Self<\/em> is 11 of the most moving, stark and absolutely beautiful pieces, all composed by the solo Catrin and all accompanied by letters which she has written to the teenage Katy, letters of good advice and loving, comforting experience; she has learned to roll on life\u2019s unexpected furrows and tribulations, and her eloquent and wise words are designed to arm her younger self. She calls her opening track \u201813\u2019, and she writes: \u201cYou are so loved\u2026 you are thirteen now. A number that\u2019s said to be unlucky, but things aren\u2019t always as they seem or what you are led to believe\u2026 for all the adversity you will face, love and happiness are always here.\u201d \u2018Adre\u2019 translates as \u2018Home\u2019, and Catrin says: \u201cThere is no place like home. Look around you and stay still a minute\u2026we came from our roots, and we will eventually return to them. Never forget them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Years ago, I can\u2019t forget the enthusiastic praise delivered by a colleague at the ending of a Catrin Finch concert in Cardiff\u2019s St David\u2019s Hall: \u201cIt was fantastic, really unbelievable \u2013 the audience just floated out.\u201d Wise words, indeed! The third piece, \u2018Kin\u2019, is Catrin\u2019s note to Katy: \u201cYes, you\u2019ll be a mother one day, and believe me when I say it\u2019\u2019ll be the most important thing you\u2019ll ever do. Two beautiful girls will burst out of your womb, and you will become wholly changed.\u201d In \u2018Black Holes\u2019, a reference to Catrin\u2019s cancer journey, she writes: \u201cYou know the dream? The one when you\u2019re falling into big black holes and you can\u2019t stop or get out? Well I\u2019ve figured it out, and it will be OK\u2026\u00a0 Most holes can be climbed out of.\u201d In \u2018Clear Sky (Acoustic)\u2019, the advice is: \u201cNever give up hope, and never stop trying. Because behind every grey cloud is a clear sky. When the clouds eventually lift or move on, peace comes and clarity reveals itself.\u201d In \u2018Who We Were\u2019: \u201cDon\u2019t be afraid of change, Katy, but rather, learn to accept it. As painful as it might be at the time, quietly allow the unexpected turbulences of life to flow right through you\u2026\u201d In \u2018Together Again\u2019: \u201cIt is all so lovely, Katy. Allow yourself to feel all of it, and wholeheartedly lean in to its beauty\u201d. \u2018M\u00f4r Arianrhod\u2019 is in praise of the moon goddess, the weaver of destiny who controls the mysterious silver wheel; in \u2018There\u2019s Always Time\u2019: \u201cThere is so much life ahead of you. It\u2019s there, twinkling in the distance, waiting for you to embrace and live every moment of it.\u201d In \u2018Be Gone, Begin\u2019: \u201cThere\u2019s light at the end of each tunnel, and for each ending, there\u2019s always a beautiful new beginning.\u201d And for the concluding \u2018Angels\u2019, an absolutely shimmering piece which lasts all of seven minutes: \u201cThis is my final letter to you, and it is written with so much tenderness\u2026 I hope one day, there will be an older version of me writing to the person I am now, with reflections of times I am yet to live. And when I pass, my story will live on, and you and I will become an ancestor, one of the angels. A star shining down on this beautiful Earth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>What a wonderful creation, and what a satisfying, stunning closer. There\u2019s an illustrated booklet, with some impressive images by Trigger Happy; the whole thing was recorded by Catrin, completely solo, at StudiOwz in Clarbeston, Pembrokeshire. Catrin was the producer, and Dilwyn Davies (Mwldan chief executive) and Chris Tomsett executive producers, with Tamsin Davies on marketing and design. Catrin and StudiOwz engineer and owner Owain Fleetwood Jenkins edited and mixed the 11 tracks. As I said, <em>Notes to Self<\/em> merits an admiring thumbs-up from me \u2013 what a brilliant and inspiring album.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><span id=\"MARCH_2026\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">MARCH 2026<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"MICK8217S_QUICKS-4\"><strong><span style=\"color: #008000;\">MICK&#8217;S QUICKS<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<p>\u25ba Now, this is a truly wonderful collection; it\u2019s the second compilation in the Stafell Sb\u00e2r Sain series, (in translation, Sain&#8217;s Spare Room), a collaborative project launched last year by the Sain record company and its studio-cum-headquarters, located near the village of Llandwrog in the Ll\u0177n Peninsula, a few miles south of Caernarfon. This new album features 12 tracks which have been curated by T\u0177 Gwerin, the annual folk stage at The National Eisteddfod of Wales, and features 12 prominent artists on the thriving Welsh folk scene today. <em>Stafell Sb\u00e2r Sain: T\u0177 Gwerin <\/em>(Sain SCD2867) proudly demonstrates the amazing <strong>Bob Delyn a\u2019r Ebillion<\/strong> (\u2018Y Gwynt\u2019), the emerging <strong>Elin a Carys<\/strong> (\u2018Y Gwylliad\u2019), <strong>The Gentle Good<\/strong> (\u2018Mwyar Duon\u2019), <strong>Lleuwen Steffan<\/strong> (\u2018Haleliwia Newydd\u2019), the crazy and exciting <strong>Taff Rapids<\/strong> (\u2018Moliannwn\/Monroe&#8217;s Hornpipe\u2019), <strong>Irfan Rais<\/strong> (\u2018Lliw Gwyn Rhosyn Yr Haf\u2019), the weird <strong>Peiriant<\/strong> (C\u00e2n Peredur) the superb and lovely <strong>Pedair <\/strong>(\u2018Blodau&#8217;r Cwm\u2019), <strong>Gwilym Bowen Rhys<\/strong> (\u2018Mi Fum yn Gweinio Tymor\u2019), the hypnotic guitarist and composer <strong>Gwenifer Raymond<\/strong> (\u2018Llef\u2019), <strong>Lo-fi Jones<\/strong> (\u2018Onnen\u2019) and the closing song by <strong>Georgia Ruth<\/strong> (\u2018Blodau\u2019r Flwyddyn\u2019). What a completely satisfying showcase; it\u2019s a celebration of T\u0177 Gwerin&#8217;s success and marks Sain&#8217;s commitment to invest in supporting our folk culture and heritage. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba Scottish guitarist, singer-songwriter and breathwork therapist <strong>John Paul Mason<\/strong> lives in Edinburgh but has been firmly rooted in the Perthshire village of Comrie for many years. His debut album <em>Overstory<\/em> (independent release, JPMCD001), which has taken three years to assemble, mixes a reverence to the natural world with pop-folk, angelic harmony and incisive storytelling and doffs the cap to the work of Boo Hewerdine and Findlay Napier; prominent session musicians include Aaron Catlow, Patsy Reid, Seonaid Aitken and Pete Harvey. His plaintive voice introduces ten likeable and hummable songs, from the opening \u2018Forest\u2019 and the follow-up \u2018Nightingale\u2019 to \u2018Carry Me\u2019 and the final album title track. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba Fond memories of Gilbert Sheldon\u2019s Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers cartoons and Freewheelin&#8217; Franklin\u2019s remarks: \u201cI just <em>love<\/em> that shitkickin\u2019 music!\u201d Now acclaimed acoustic musicians <strong>Andy Cohen, Eleanor Ellis and William Lee Ellis <\/strong>have put their proud American stamp on a magnificent tour-de-force of old-time blues, gospel, ballads, ragtime and country songs called <em>Whistling Past the Graveyard<\/em> on Andy\u2019s own Riverlark Music (RL-23). Andy (vocals, guitar, mandola, dolceola) Eleanor (vocals, guitar) and William (vocals, 21-string and slide guitars) storm through a load of fabulously authentic 1930s and contemporary self-written sounds, exploring with swaggering fingerpicked energy the wide-ranging repertoire of America\u2019s musical history past. It sizzles and bubbles, right through the rollicking opener \u2018Columbus Stockade\u2019 to \u2018Police Dog Blues\u2019 and \u2018Chicken\u2019, finishing up with \u2018Drunkard\u2019s Lament\u2019, a surprising \u2018Ye Banks and Braes\u2019 and \u2018I Am Born to Preach the Gospel\u2019 \u2013 a brilliant album, and one which is already brimming over with 21 tracks. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba Watch out for teenage nu-folk songwriter, singer, cl\u00e0rsach harp player pianist and shruti box player <strong>Anna McLuckie<\/strong>, who was born in her hometown of Edinburgh; her new album, <em>The Little Winters<\/em> (Hudson Records, HUD061CD) is released on April 24, and it\u2019s nine tracks of complete loveliness combined with peaceful but startling originality. She\u2019s joined by cellist Awen Blandford, double bassist George Burrage and banjoist Sean Rogan, and all three serve up some wonderful harmonies. From the opening \u2018Blackberry Love\u2019, the gayful and carefree \u2018Jay Bird\u2019, to the shruti-box drone of the haunting \u2018A Man With No Tide\u2019, Anna pays a respectful tribute to the closing \u2018The Dark Island\u2019; Hebridean Iain MacLachlan, who died in 1995, composed the celebrated song in 1958. The whole thing was recorded in Zac Gvi\u2019s Home Studio in North London. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba Scottish Gaelic-speaking accordionist <strong>Padruig Morrison<\/strong> has named his lovely and stunning debut album <em>Buin<\/em> (self-released, PM01), which means \u2018Home\u2019; it features completely original tunes and four written Gaelic songs, and he conveys the message: \u201cIt is important to understand and convey how Gaels have long been fighting both our right to land on which we can live and feed ourselves, and for the language to be spoken for those whoi come after us, just as it was by those who came before. This history is not sufficiently taught to us and I hope that this album might act as a reminder of, and an insight into, some of that history.\u201d Silver-voiced Mischa Macpherson and tenor Alasdair MacIlleBh\u00e0in add beautiful vocals, and a team of musicians, including pianist Rory Matheson, flautist and Highland piper Micheal Steele, fiddler Catriona Price, Ciorstaidh Beaton on cl\u00e0rsach and double bassist Euan Burton, contribute such entrancing and completely exciting airs and reels; this really is one to savour. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba Highly-impressive American singer-songwriter and acoustic guitarist <strong>Sam Lewis<\/strong> has recorded his seventh album <em>Everything\u2019s Fine<\/em> (Loversity Records, no catalogue number, released on March 6, 2026); he teamed up with engineer Joe McMarhan in his home studio in Nashville, and he recorded a really lovely and extremely sparse set of 11 tracks, including the lead song and the first single \u2018Chase the Moon\u2019, the album title song, \u2018Nothing Could Break Us Apart\u2019, \u2018I\u2019ll Never Be Enough For You\u2019 and the final solo \u2018Three County Highway\u2019. Here\u2019s one to really savour. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba Transatlantic folk duo <strong>A Different Thread<\/strong> came down to Llantrisant Folk Club recently; American Alicia Best and Brit-born Robert Jackson met while busking on the cobbled streets of Ireland, but US visa problems kept them apart. They finally made the move to North Carolina, and they release their third album, <em>Over Again<\/em> (Same Cloth Records, ADT-004) on May 1, 2026. Alicia\u2019s fetching voice and Robert\u2019s Birmingham vocals certainly drum up some marvelous harmonies, but their written material is all bog-standard pop-country americana \u2013 what a shame. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: thumbs down <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"SEAN_COONEY_with_ELIZA_CARTHY_SAM_CARTER_JENNIFER_REID\"><strong>SEAN COONEY with ELIZA CARTHY, SAM CARTER &amp; JENNIFER REID<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<h2><span id=\"Peters_Field_album_and_illustrated_book\">Peter\u2019s Field (album and illustrated book)<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Sean-Cooney-Peters-Field-CD.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3324\" src=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Sean-Cooney-Peters-Field-CD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"155\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Hudson Records (no catalogue number)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/hudsonrecords.co.uk\/product\/sean-cooney---peters-field\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.hudsonrecords.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"_FIVE_STAR_CHOICE-4\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! *****<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The Peterloo Massacre occurred in August 16, 1819, when drunken yeomanry and mounted hussars charged into 60,000 unarmed innocent people, who demanded parliamentary reform and the abolition of the Corn Laws, which kept the price of bread painfully high. This unspeakable act was kept very quiet; the awful news had been suppressed for nigh on 200 years, and the public was never told about the women of Peterloo. But years ago for the first time in a back room of a Stockton on Tees pub, the inspired teenager Sean Cooney heard the late, great singer Geoff Higginbottom performing Harvey Kershaw\u2019s song \u2018Peterloo\u2019: <em>\u201cSalute once more these men of yore \/ Who were to conscience true \/ And gave their blood for common good \/ On the plains of Peterloo<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>On that fateful day, 18 victims were killed and 400 to 700 souls were reportedly injured on St Peter\u2019s Field, Manchester. Men and women walked miles from Lancashire and beyond and dressed in their best clothes to hear the famous radical speaker Henry \u2018Orator\u2019 Hunt, thinking that this was a gala day; they even brought their children with them. But the Tory Government under Lord Liverpool, the magistrates and the Establishment had decided to teach them a lesson. Women were deliberately targeted by the military; one woman had her breasts cut off by the sword-brandishing soldiers. The event was first labelled \u2018the Peterloo Massacre\u2019 by the Manchester Observer newspaper in a bitterly ironic reference to the bloody Battle of Waterloo, which had taken place four years earlier.<\/p>\n<p>Throughout history, those with power and wealth have always ruled the poor masses with an iron rod; the final verse of Sean\u2019s song, \u2018Radical Rags\u2019, is a paraphrase of Richard II\u2019s speech to the common people in the aftermath of the Peasants\u2019 Revolt of 1381: \u201cRustics you were and rustics you are still; you will remain in bondage, not as before, but incomparably harsher. For as long as we live we will strive to suppress you, and your misery will be an example in the eyes of posterity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Over the last 20 years with his band The Young\u2019uns, Sean had written and sung about the struggles of working people throughout British history; and a call came through in 2018, asking him if he would like to be involved in a project to mark the 200<sup>th<\/sup> anniversary of the Peterloo Massacre. Sean couldn\u2019t say no, but he had his doubts. He had lived in Manchester for three years, but he felt like an outsider: \u201cI\u2019d seen old men crying when people sang about it in pubs. It felt like Peterloo wasn\u2019t far away from living memory.\u201d But what drew him to the project that became <em>Rising Up: Peterloo 2019<\/em> was the idea to tell the story of the Peterloo Massacre in the context of democracy in 2019. It was an opportunity to write about events that were happening in the 21<sup>st<\/sup> century; for example, the rise of the Far Right, the climate crisis and the resurgence of misogyny. Sean wrote 13 songs, arranged by Jim Molineux who performed them alongside Lucy Farrell and Sam Carter; the show premiered in October 2019 in Manchester Folk Festival and was also performed in Gateshead, Bristol, London and Liverpool. From then on, a myriad of events just happened; the Young\u2019uns were patrons of Suffolk\u2019s FolkEast Festival, and Sean asked the organisers if he could do something to mark the anniversary of Peterloo. He wrote another four songs &#8211; and the rest is history.<\/p>\n<p>All in all, an amazing avalanche of 26 tracks trace the musical story of<em> Peter\u2019s Field, <\/em>which is a joint production by Alimentation and Hudson Records. Sean, one of the most respected musicians on the English folk scene, is the lead singer, composer and writer; Eliza Carthy lends her considerable talents with voice, fiddle and percussion, and Sam Carter arranges the whole score with voice and guitar. The brilliant Jennifer Reid is the narrator and Ben Nicholls adds bass, banjo, percussion and harmonium. The album was produced by Sean\u2019s dear friend Andy Bell, owner of Hudson Records, with recordings around Rochdale, Middleton and Manchester, including trams recorded late at night by the Peterloo memorial on the site of the Massacre.<\/p>\n<p>Sean delivers all the immaculately-written songs with a hypnotic passion; \u2018M.P.\u2019 describes the whole rotten boroughs, \u2018Prinny\u2019 was the contemptuous name for the Prince Regent, \u2018The Road to Peter\u2019s Field\u2019 is a rallying cry and \u2018Magistrates\u2019 becomes an eloquent target for his barbed derision. Eliza, Sam and Jennifer proudly rise to the occasion; not a single piece is wasted, and all 26 must-hear tracks are totally addictive. It is an utter triumph.<\/p>\n<p>Sean focusses on Mary Fildes, Irish-born president of the Manchester Female Reform Society, whose two-year-old son William was killed by the drunken soldiers, hacking their way to arrest Hunt; and John Lees, the Battle of Waterloo veteran who was cruelly slashed by the soldiers\u2019 sabres, walked back to Oldham and died; an inquest into his death was shut down. Sam Bamford was witness to the deaths of so many colleagues; he was arrested and sent to Lincoln Jail, and though he lived to the ripe old age of 84, he never got to vote.\u00a0\u00a0 The soldier and bloody swordsman Thomas Shelmerdine is last in line. The crowd, of course, were heavily inspired by tenant farmer Thomas Paine, born in Norfolk in 1737 who\u00a0 sailed to Philadelphia, became an American Founding Father, campaigned for American independence from Great Britain and died in 1809. Paine denounced religion in general and Christian doctrine in particular. In <em>The Age of Reason<\/em>, he wrote: \u201cI do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish church, by the Roman church, by the Greek church, by the Turkish church, by the Protestant church, nor by any church that I know of. My own mind is my own church.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Peter\u2019s Field<\/em> has left a lasting impression on me; my admiration for Sean\u2019s mesmerising voice and his flowing, incisive writing is boundless. He delves into historical fact and comes up with an accurate and vitally important musical benchmark, a memorial that should be emblazoned on everyone\u2019s minds. Remember the Peterloo Massacre; it\u2019s really, really worth it.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><span id=\"FEBRUARY_2026\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">FEBRUARY 2026<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"HAMISH_HEPBURN_JACK_HOUSTON\"><strong>HAMISH HEPBURN &amp; JACK HOUSTON<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<h2><span id=\"Afore_Ye_Go\">Afore Ye Go<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Hamish-Hepburn-Jack-Houston-Afore-Ye-Go-CD.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3321\" src=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Hamish-Hepburn-Jack-Houston-Afore-Ye-Go-CD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Cowan Street Records, REELSING01<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.jackceol.bandcamp.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.jackceol.bandcamp.com<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"_FIVE_STAR_CHOICE-5\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! *****<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>This is a remarkable collection from Highland piper and flautist Hamish and Donegal\u00a0 fiddler Jack, former flatmates in Glasgow in the late 2010s; the two Celtic cultures stretched over a few hundred miles, Hamish in his family home in Mallaig and Jack in his northernmost Irish county \u2013 even more, Hamish emigrated halfway around the world to Christchurch, New Zealand, where he won the NZ Silver Chanter single-handedly. He and Jack belatedly started recording some music in 2025, while Hamish was on flying visits home from Christchurch; Jack\u2019s mother joked that they should call the album <em>Afore Ye Go<\/em>, which seemed eminently sensible. At its heart, this is an album about friendship, musical conversations and traditions both musical and familial, connections between Donegal and Scotland, far-flung friends and generations.<\/p>\n<p>However in the same year, Jack lost his grandmother Kathleen, and Hamish lost his grandfather James, a Mallaig box player who had a tremendous influence on him. The opening tune on the album, \u2018James Hepburn\u2019s 91<sup>st<\/sup>\u2019, was written by Hamish in honour of his grandfather\u2019s 91<sup>st<\/sup> birthday. It was released in time to hear it on James\u2019 favourite radio station at home in Mallaig; it\u2019s preceded by a short clip of James\u2019 wife Jessie singing a dainty cottish Gaelic melody \u2018Mo R\u00f9n Geal Dileas\u2019. The second tune, \u2018Nia\u2019s Barndance\u2019, was chosen by Jack; it was written by a fellow Buhullion townland native, button accordionist Dermot Byrne and father of Nia, who is an excellent fiddler herself.<\/p>\n<p><em>Afore Ye Go<\/em> is bubbling over with a full clutch of absolutely beautiful and totally exhilarating Irish and songs and tunes, all expertly melded together with astounding and completely jaw-dropping musicianship and inspiring composition. The following track is trio of jigs, written by Jack, Hamish and the late County Donegal fiddler and Bothy Band member Tommy Peoples, \u2018T\u00e1\u2019n Fear F\u00e9as\u00f3gach a\u2019 Teacht\u2019, \u2018The Candle Queen\u2019 and \u2018The Stepping Stones\u2019; both Jack and Hamish rise together with blissful flute and fiddle, and the storming trio of Irish reels (\u2018David Lavery\u2019s Reel\u2019, \u2018The Evening Comes Early\u2019 and \u2018\u0116iri na Gr\u00e9ine\u2019) is a superb showcase for these two deft musicians; the first reel was written by Jack as a tribute to a great man, the second reel was made by guitarist, singer and composer John Doyle as an acknowledgement, particularly when we lose friends too early, and the third tune is a traditional Donegal reel -translated as \u2018The Rising of the Sun\u2019 &#8211; is a rollicking joy of hope and strength.<\/p>\n<p>The entrancing \u2018Mull Wedding\u2019, traditional Donegal dance tunes influenced by Scottish Highland Strathspeys and the feircely prancing reel which Hamish wrote shortly after moving to New Zealand are meat and drink to these musicians. The album ends with Jack haunting voice singing the popular song \u2018Mo Shean Inis Eoghain\u2019, an adaptation of \u2018Dark Inishowen\u2019, accompanied by Highland bagpipes and fiddle; Jack\u2019s grandmother, Kathleen Holmes, who passed away this year, always said that he should sing more.<\/p>\n<p>Hamish and Jack recorded their brilliant Scottish and Donegal project at Brookwood Recording in Glasgow and at MacRuari Studio at Culdaff, County Donegal; Hamish played flute, whistles and pipes, and Jack sang and performed with fiddle, viola and mandolin. Jack McRobbie and the wonderful Miguel Gir\u00e4o were guitarists, Ella McGrory played piano and Callum Edwards was the percussionist.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"HOLLY_CLARKE\"><strong>HOLLY CLARKE<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<h2><span id=\"Wild_Feral_Fierce\">Wild Feral Fierce<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Holly-Clarke-Wild-Feral-Fierce-CD.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3317\" src=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Holly-Clarke-Wild-Feral-Fierce-CD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Independent release, HC95WFF<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"_FIVE_STAR_CHOICE-6\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! *****<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Watch out for Holly Clarke! The first time that I listened to this traditional musician and songwriter\u2019s debut album, it brought on a rush of inspiration; I was pretty stunned, elated and enthused by her hypnotic, strong singing and her mesmerising performance. In her album launch tour, Holly will be appearing in just one single gig; the concert is on Thursday, March 5 at St Teilo\u2019s Church in Merthyrmawr Road, Bridgend, and starts at 7pm.<\/p>\n<p>Holly grew up surrounded by folk music in Coniston, Cumbria, the debated lands between England and Scotland which lie next to Northumberland, and she emphatically says: \u201cI am Cumbrian through and through\u201d. The old population spoke Cumbric, which was a form of the old Welsh; the Welsh called the country Y Hen Ogledd, translated as the Far North. Holly was influenced by her family&#8217;s music background; she studied traditional music at Newcastle University, where she honed her skills and gained recognition in the folk community. Highlights included her residency at Gateshead\u2019s Sage arts centre; initiating the concert series <em>Folk is Queer<\/em> to support LGBTQ+ folk musicians in the North East; collaborating with artists such as Nancy Kerr and James Fagan, Daoiri Farrell and George Sansome of Granny\u2019s Attic and Queer Folk; and she featured in various festivals and venues, including the Glasshouse Centre for International Music, Bromyard Folk Festival and Tiree Music Festival. She\u2019s also a composer, and her music has been performed by artists like Norwegian Hardanger fiddle player Annbj\u00f8rg Lien and Shetland fiddler Catriona Macdonald.<\/p>\n<p><em>Wild Feral Fierce<\/em> is a really stark and beautiful collection, with an atmospheric body of work exploring the deeply-rooted folklore found in traditional ballads and song. The ten tracks on this album summon visions of the mysterious and the macabre, the supernatural and the iconic figures from the dark world of folklore and myth from Britain, Europe and Scandinavia \u2013 in fact, her album title song is taken from Sarah Hall\u2019s short story <em>Mrs Fox<\/em>, a tale about a painful journey from a woman to a fox; Holly\u2019s message is that although painful transitional stages are hard, the fox-woman will emerge and be liberated with joy.<\/p>\n<p>Holly and the insistent, driving music explode with the opening track, \u2018The Spectral Stag\u2019, a legend of the Rhine; when a baron overstays his welcome hunting in the forest, nature calls upon the stag to punish him. The album was produced by Pete Ord and Holly at the Studio at Sunbeams in Penrith; she performs with an infectious energy and passion for traditional song, and plays impressive acoustic guitar and mandola, Anna Hughes (from Salt House and Watersmeet) plays fiddle and viola and sings, Amy Thatcher (of Kathryn Tickell &amp; The Darkening and The Shee) is on accordion, synth, shaky egg and vocals and John Pope (of Archipelago and MeLostMe) is double bassist. Pete is electric guitarist and does additional guitars and percussion, and Jacob Stoney plays synths, soundscapes and toy piano. Kathryn Tickell and her Northumbrian pipes is involved in two tracks; first, a collaborative wild-and-spacey creation between Holly, Anna, Amy, John and Kathryn herself entitled \u2018The North\u2019, and lastly Holly\u2019s closing and memorable song called \u2018Home\u2019. Holly now lives in the big city, Newcastle upon Tyne, and says: \u201cI yearn for my home county and for all that I love about it. This is my love song to Cumbria.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She dearly loves folksong, but she turns tradition inside out with her polished and accomplished style \u2013 in fact the whole album is just sizzling and spitting fire. She\u2019s learnt from the traditional singers, from the ancient hymn in praise of beer, \u2018John Barleycorn\u2019, through Martin Carthy\u2019s soldier tale \u2018Bonnie Woodhall\u2019, Nancy Kerr\u2019s macabre murder ballad \u2018Strawberry Town\u2019, the near-psychedelic fantasy-vision from Nick Dow\u2019s repertoire, \u2018Burd Margaret\u2019; and lastly, the Danish version known in the UK as \u2018Sweet William\u2019s Ghost\u2019, called \u2018Sir Aage and Lady Elselil\u2019. Holly fashions these tracks into an amazing and entertaining phalanx which is relevant, immediate and importantly vital \u2013 more power to her elbow and to her really fabulous voice.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"STEVE_TURNER\"><strong>STEVE TURNER <\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<h2><span id=\"A_Host_of_Furious_Fancies\">A Host of Furious Fancies<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Steve-Turner-A-Host-of-Furious-Fancies-CD.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3310\" src=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Steve-Turner-A-Host-of-Furious-Fancies-CD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The Tradition Bearers LTCD1108<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thetradtionbearers.co.uk\">www.thetradtionbearers.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"_FIVE_STAR_CHOICE-7\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! *****<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Steve Turner comes from Manchester and was one of those artists who had been the backbone of British folk scene; however, he disappeared from everyday or everynight gigging as a professional musician for many years. Just recently, he was tempted back \u2013 but as he admits: \u201cFolk music seems to get into your blood!\u201d He started performing a few bookings again, easing himself into the wonderful world of folk clubs \u2013 which is very great news from all his fans, who fondly remember his inspirational singing and jaw-dropping English system concertina playing. I\u2019m personally looking forward to his future appearance at Llantrisant Folk Club on Wednesday, April 8; it\u2019s reported to me that Steve is even better live than that of his acclaimed albums.<\/p>\n<p>His tenth album is released on The Tradition Bearers label and, basically, it\u2019s impossible to put it down; eleven really stunning and very hypnotic tracks in which Steve employs his special and mysterious magical powers to hold you close and make you listen. His passionate and strong voice draws many audiences and paints vivid pictures of completely valid folk music, from traveller songs, Dorset tradition, Newfoundland and New England repertoire &#8211; and even Bob Dylan\u2019s Top Ten hit.<\/p>\n<p>Steve opens with \u2018Erin\u2019s Green Shore\u2019, an entrancing song in the repertoire of gypsy George Finney, who was camping with the gypsies at Castle Donnington in Leicestershire and was collected and recorded by Nick Dow; Dow and Steve Gardham also collated some lesser-known songs from the Hammond and Gardiner archive, and this 1905 version of the well-known \u2018Adieu My Lovely Nancy\u2019 came from Dorsetshire farm labourer Joseph Elliot. In contrast, \u2018The North Sea Tug\u2019 was the first song that the late Harry Robertson wrote when he was serving in the Royal Navy after the Second World War; he worked on the deep-sea tugs, towing floating docks in the Scottish North Sea Coast, and Steve drives home the heartfelt chorus: \u201cIt\u2019s bloody cold!\u201d \u2018The Navigator\u2019s Song\u2019 is from a long-lost <em>The Dave and Toni Arthur Song Book<\/em> which Steve had only discovered recently; the navigators, or navvies, built the canal system in the 18<sup>th<\/sup> century and the railways in the 19<sup>th<\/sup>. \u2018The Blooming Bright Star of Belle Isle\u2019 comes from Newfoundland; in a 40-year attempt to get the song right, Steve ended up changing the tune and revamping the words. He comments: \u201cA piano accompaniment seemed more appropriate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Van Diemen\u2019s Land\u2019 comes from what Steve calls \u201cMy great musical heroines\u201d, Marina Russell; one of his solid-gold reputations is that he chooses and selects songs with the greatest of care, and he polishes and preens Dylan\u2019s \u2018Love Minus Zero No Limit\u2019 until the words and the tune are absolutely flying. Steve learned Gordon Bok\u2019s true and tragic story \u2018Mr Ineas\u2019 from his friend, the late John Roberts, who emigrated to America and was a legend in the New England scene; \u2018The Outside Track\u2019 was written by the Australian bush poet Henry Lawson, and Australian folk singer Jerry Hallom composed what Steve describes as a \u201ckiller\u201d tune. \u2018The Mountain Streams Where the Moorcocks Crow\u2019 is an intriguing song found in the North of Ireland and also sung by Scottish travellers; and the last track, the 16th century \u2018Tom a Bedlam\u2019s Song\u2019 was heard by Steve at Cheltenham Folk Club, which was recorded from The Songwainers\u2019 1971 album. The 1659 tune is in a Drexel manuscript, now in New York public library.<\/p>\n<p><em>A Host of Furious Fancies<\/em> was recorded, mixed and mastered by Rob van Sante at Falcon Visual Arts in Whitby, and produced by Rob and Steve. Rob played guitar, baritone guitar and bass, and Chris Parkinson played keyboards. The Tradition Bearers director is Pete Heywood, who gives this parting shot: \u201cIn terms of song accompaniment, Steve Turner is the foremost concertina player of this generation \u2013 The Master!\u201d<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><span id=\"JANUARY_2026\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">JANUARY 2026<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"SUE_SKINNER\"><strong>SUE SKINNER<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<h2><span id=\"Love_Tokens\">Love Tokens<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Sue-Skinner-Love-Tokens-CD.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3305\" src=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Sue-Skinner-Love-Tokens-CD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Independent release; no catalogue number<\/p>\n<p>Chepstow-based songwriter, acoustic guitarist and lovely singer Sue Skinner says that she\u2019s been beavering away over the past year and working on a follow-up album to her last collection, <em>Rainbows in the Road<\/em>; however, she needn\u2019t have worried. Sue went into Shabbey Road Studios, the Caerphilly cooperative for musicians and songwriters, and recorded the impressive <em>Love Tokens<\/em>, this 14-track bunch of wonderful penned songs, plus two traditional items, \u2018Katy Cruel\u2019 and \u2018Lovely Molly\u2019. The album\u2019s title song, \u2018Love Tokens\u2019, was co-written with Al Steele, the musician and songwriter who set up the 27-year-long project; Al recorded, mixed and mastered the whole shebang and accompanies Sue on guitars, piano, bass, keyboards, mandolin and vocals.<\/p>\n<p>Why <em>Love Tokens<\/em>? Sue wanted it to be released on St Valentine\u2019s Day, February 14, and says: \u201cI have crafted, developed and imbued each song with my love of music and the tradition of passing down songs and tunes through the generations \u2013 of telling stories through songs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mysterious opener \u2018River of Light\u2019, a tale about a selkie seal who transforms into a mermaid, flavours her set with an addictive taste; Sue follows up and hooks the listener with Dreamland Arcade\u2019 \u2018Shine\u2019 is not the massive Take That hit, but it\u2019s Sue\u2019s love story to the coming of blossoming Spring; and \u2018Lavender Blue\u2019 is her skilful combining of her words and a traditional song. Al plays soaring electric guitar in \u2018Hidden Secrets\u2019 and \u2018Motherland\u2019, and \u2018Littledean Hall\u2019 is a true account of her grandmother, who worked as a kitchen maid in the said hall and the ghostly goings-on. \u2018Long Time Coming\u2019 is about a sweetheart\u2019s agonisingly long wait for her soldier coming home from Flanders fields and the Western Front, and \u2018Winter Fire\u2019 is a really satisfying finisher.<\/p>\n<p>Eve Nurdin shines prominently with striking harmonies, and session musicians are violinist Richard Mainwaring, cellist Claudine Cassidy and James Mainwaring on recorders. As with <em>Rainbows<\/em>, Sue will be donating part of the proceeds of her album sales to the charity Missing People, following the disappearance of her brother-in-law in 2022.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"ANDY_M_STEWART\"><strong>ANDY M. STEWART <\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<h2><span id=\"Songs_of_Robert_Burns\">Songs of Robert Burns<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Andy-M.-Stewart-Songs-of-Robert-Burns-CD.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3302\" src=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Andy-M.-Stewart-Songs-of-Robert-Burns-CD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Birnam Records BCD625<\/p>\n<p>Andy McGregor Stewart was one of Celtic music\u2019s most gifted singers and arguably the best songwriter in the entire folk tradition. He was formerly the frontman of wonderful 1970s Edinburgh band Silly Wizard; not only he did sing, but he played tenor banjo, mandolin and tin whistles as well. He was born on September 8, 1952 in the town of Alyth, Perth and Kinross-shire, to a family of Scottish travellers which included his great-aunt Belle Stewart and Sheila Stewart. He learned the song \u2018If I Were a Blackbird\u2019 from Belle.<\/p>\n<p>Andy toured with Silly Wizard until the band broke up in 1988. After this, he recorded four solo albums, as well as three with guitarist and bouzouki player M\u00e1nus Lunny, respected member of the seminal Scottish band Capercaillie. Several of his songs became well-known within the folk community, including \u2018The Ramblin&#8217; Rover\u2019, \u2018Golden, Golden\u2019, \u2018The Queen of Argyll\u2019 and \u2018The Valley of Strathmore\u2019; However, he recorded <em>Songs of Robert Burns<\/em> which featured 11 poems from Scotland\u2019s national bard, accompanied by three Capercaillie members \u2013 M\u00e1nus, accordionist and keyboard maestro Donald Shaw and fiddler Charlie McKerron.<\/p>\n<p>However, failed spinal surgery in 2012 left Andy paralysed from the chest down. He died from a stroke on December 27, 2015; he was only 63. The album was originally released in 1989 and had been unavailable for many years; now, under the guidance of Andy\u2019s son Donald, the 11-track collection has been re-mastered, re-packaged and re-released for a worldwide audience.<\/p>\n<p>Andy takes charge and leads this exquisite trio with his passionate and thoroughly addictive solo voice, from Burns\u2019 popular \u2018Rantin\u2019 Rovin Robin\u2019 to the final finisher \u2018To The Weaver\u2019s Gin Ye Go\u2019. He expertly polishes the second song, \u2018Ca\u2019 The Yowes To The Knowes\u2019, and \u2018Is There For Honest Poverty (For A\u2019 That)\u2019, and enhances the beautiful \u2018Green Grow The Rashes\u2019, the lovely \u2018Ae Fond Kiss\u2019 and the stirring \u2018It Was A\u2019 For Our Rightfu\u2019 King\u2019. The classic \u2018The Lea-Rig\u2019 and \u2018A Red, Red Rose\u2019 are absolutely stunning. This was, and still is, Andy\u2019s finest hour; it\u2019s a marvellous tribute to a great artist who sadly left us too early. If there\u2019s any justice in this cruel world, Andy McGregor Stewart will be fondly remembered and saluted.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><span id=\"DECEMBER_2025\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>DECEMBER 2025<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"JOHN_KIRKPATRICK_SUE_HARRIS_WITH_BENJI_KIRKPATRICK\"><strong>JOHN KIRKPATRICK &amp; SUE HARRIS, WITH BENJI KIRKPATRICK<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<h2><span id=\"Live_at_The_Wyeside\">Live at The Wyeside<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/John-and-Sue-Live-at-the-Wyeside-CD.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3296\" src=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/John-and-Sue-Live-at-the-Wyeside-CD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"118\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Squeezer Records, SQZ126<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.johnkirkpatrick.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.johnkirkpatrick.co.uk<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.benjikirkpatrick.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.benjikirkpatrick.com<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"_FIVE_STAR_CHOICE-8\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! *****<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>It was the kind of special and magical concert that no one will ever forget \u2013 and it was captured right here in Wales, at the Wyeside Theatre in Builth Wells. John Kirkpatrick and Sue Harris met in 1970, married in 1971 and began to make the most wonderful music as a duo; they moved to Shropshire in 1973 and went on to produce four sons, five albums, two Morris teams, and spent some time in Dingle\u2019s Chillybom Band, The Albion Country Band, Umps &amp; Dumps and The Richard Thompson Band. They provided music, song and dance for many theatre and radio plays, but gradually worked together less and less until a final appearance in 1992. However, the great news is that 32 years later, John and Sue have reunited for the occasional gig \u2013 usually with second son Benji, who has been performing solo and as a member of 10-musician juggernaut Bellowhead, Faustus and The Seth Lakeman Band.<\/p>\n<p>Huge congratulations must go to Susie Stockton-Link, local resident of Builth Wells and Rapscallion member, who booked the theatre and organised the concert with a band of willing volunteers. The atmosphere in the crowded theatre was simply electric; not content on resting on their laurels, John and Sue sprang right in with two gay and proud polkas, Sue\u2019s written pieces named \u2018Wilbur\u2019s Wonder\u2019 and \u2018In the Nick of Time\u2019; Sue\u2019s hammered dulcimer and John\u2019s button accordion connected and clicked together just perfectly. They followed on with two traditional songs from Shropshire and Staffordshire\u00a0 gypsies, \u2018The Gypsy Laddie\u2019 and fiddler John Locke\u2019s \u2018I Wish, I Wish\u2019. John sang \u2018The Old Miner\u2019, a song which was collected from an old miner at Haunchwood pit in Nuneaton; then hammered dulcimer and button accordion just exploded in two exciting hornpipes, \u2018The Cheshire Rounds\u2019 and \u2018The Old Lancashire Hornpipe\u2019.<\/p>\n<p><em>Live at The Wyeside<\/em> is filled to the brim with 16 gorgeous tracks. \u2018A Shropshire Lad\u2019 was written by John Betjeman and accompanied in the album <em>Betjeman\u2019s Banana Blush<\/em> by Jim Parker\u2019s wonderful arrangement; John and Sue say that they have had more requests than anything in their repertoire. Sue sings the lovely song \u2018If I Were a Blackbird\u2019, collected from May Bradley, a gypsy singer who had settled in the town of Ludlow; a little-known fact was that May was born in Chepstow, Monmouthshire and was fluent in the Welsh language as well. Benji makes a welcome appearance also, singing J R Robertson\u2019s \u2018The Moon Struck One\u2019, from his 2008 album <em>Boomerang<\/em>; and John wrote the amazing song \u2018Locrian Lockdown\u2019, written in the difficult Locrian mode. The country dance tune \u2018Kettle Drum\u2019 goes together with \u2018The Gas Almost Works\u2019, John\u2019s written concoction in sizzling 5\/4 time; and Sue sings \u2018The Dark Town Strutters \u00a0Ball\u2019, a 1917 song written by the Canadian-born composer and lyricist Shelton Brooks \u2013 the sheet music of this song sold over three million copies.<\/p>\n<p>John\u2019s song \u2018The Handling of Your Sword\u2019 and the traditional melody \u2018Dennis Crowther\u2019s Tunes\u2019 complete a very fine and totally memorable concert and album; John, Sue and Benji rise above the swirling, heady notes and just smash it. As the music dies away, the audience shows its appreciation by whooping, cheering and baying for an encore \u2013 it was a pretty wonderful night, and who\u2019s to predict that all three might reform in the future?<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"THE_HAAR\"><strong>THE HAAR<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<h2><span id=\"The_Lost_Day\">The Lost Day<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/The-Haar-The-Lost-Day-CD.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3293\" src=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/The-Haar-The-Lost-Day-CD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Under The Eaves Records, UTE012<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thehaar.ie\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.the haar.ie<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Anglo-Irish quartet The Haar are a fascinating enigma; for example, they cherrypick all the well-loved and familiar musical chestnuts and spectacularly up-end the old songs on their stately heads, creating and moulding dizzying, dazzling works of art &#8211; as this, their third album, demonstrates so well. Flame-haired Irish siren Molly Donnery takes the stage and totally entraps you with her chameleon-like vocals, forever deliciously demure and suddenly cartwheeling into an angry, hard-as-steel voice; brilliant accordionist Murray Grainger and astonishing fiddle-and-viola virtuoso Adam Summerhayes weave mind-bending folk improvisations; and Waterford-born Cormac Byrne colours the elegant sound with inspired and refreshing bodhr\u00e1n work. <em>The Lost Day<\/em> is set for release on Friday, December 5.<\/p>\n<p>Molly, Murray, Adam and Cormac select eight tracks, from the opening emigration song \u2018Spancil Hill\u2019, with Murray sounding the solo staccato accordion notes as a starter for the audience\u2019s journey, to the final chorus-belter, \u2018The Galway Shawl\u2019. The Haar kick off and take flight with the following Gaelic anthem, \u2018\u00d3r\u00f3 S\u00e9 Do Bheatha Bhaile\u2019, which means \u2018You are welcome home\u2019; The Dubliners recorded the song, and it came to be known as a rebel rouser in the 20<sup>th<\/sup> century; it was often sung by the Irish Volunteers during the 1916 Easter Rising. The Haar have developed and shaped it into a slinky, six-and-a-half-minute reggae arrangement, with Murray exploring the heights and Adam breaking all records in jaw-dropping violin mastery; Molly\u2019s strong voice holds it all together, and Cormac\u2019s percussion interplay is totally mesmerising.<\/p>\n<p>Molly reins her volume just a little bit for \u2018The Lakes of Ponchartrain\u2019, an American song which originated in the southern states in the 19<sup>th<\/sup> century and which was recorded by the legendary Planxty. Cormac performs some stunning bodhr\u00e1n magic for \u2018The Star of the County Down\u2019; his solo fireworks and Molly\u2019s smokey and sultry vocals provide a strong platform for the instruments for the popular Dublin song \u2018Madam I\u2019m a Darling\u2019, and the whole band interpret the sad north-eastern Scottish ballad \u2018Anachie Gordon\u2019, sung by the wonderful Mary Black. (Here\u2019s an interesting point; the ballad was discovered and recorded by English singer Nic Jones, who painstakingly fashioned the verses out of their heavy dialect.) However, The Haar attempt the impossible \u2013 the slip-jig \u2018The Rocky Road to Dublin\u2019, overlaid with a maze of time signatures. Molly just makes it, but she conquers the song triumphantly.<\/p>\n<p>Everyone knows and loves the chorus of \u2018The Galway Shawl\u2019, and it\u2019s The Haar\u2019s final goodbye on this album. It develops into a solo Molly, and then Adam, Murray and Cormac wave farewell and join in with some really beautiful and desolate orchestration. I\u2019ve been playing <em>The Lost Day<\/em> so many times, and it seems as if I can never get tired of it. No dou<u>bt a<\/u>bout it &#8211; The Haar certainly grows on you!<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><span id=\"NOVEMBER_2025\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>NOVEMBER 2025<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"TAMSIN_ELLIOTT\"><strong>TAMSIN ELLIOTT<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<h2><span id=\"The_Meeting_Tree\">The Meeting Tree<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Tamsin-Elliott-The-Meeting-Tree-CD.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3289\" src=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Tamsin-Elliott-The-Meeting-Tree-CD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Penny Fiddle Records, PFR2504CD<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.tamsinelliott.co.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.tamsinelliott.co.uk\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Tamsin Elliott is an acclaimed folk musician, composer and film-maker who is based in Bristol. Only recently, she was in the heart of Wales when she performed in The Tabernacle arts centre in the town of Machynlleth; she was on a 12-date tour of Wales, Cornwall and England, promoting her second and very lovely instrumental album, <em>The Meeting Tree<\/em>, with cittern player Sid Goldsmith and five-string fiddler Rowan Elliott. Sid and Rowan are playing on this album as well. <em>The Meeting Tree<\/em> is a fine showcase for Tamsin, who makes good use of her piano accordion, lever harp, wooden flute and whistle; the liner notes say that it\u2019s \u201ca collection of small social tunes, celebrating connections, dance, nature and the joy of sharing music with friends\u201d \u2013 and who could agree with those sentiments?<\/p>\n<p><em>The Meeting Tree<\/em> was produced by Tamsin and Penny Fiddle owner Holly Harman; it was recorded by Theo Passingham at The Roost in Bristol and Tom Moore in the FolkEast Festival in Suffolk. The album is a nine-track compendium of Tamsin\u2019s original melodies, with the exception of \u2018Minuett\u2019, found in Thomas Bray\u2019s Country Dances, published in 1699. Rowan and Sid\u2019s accompaniment is considering, caring and very empathetic; both musicians possess a magic sixth sense which allows her to soar and fly fabulously. Tamsin always writes those beautiful filmic compositions which are the basis of her very soul; she creates wonderful sounds, with snatches of Middle Eastern culture drifting in. Her interests extend to European music, but her fascination is British dance.<\/p>\n<p>The opening track is \u2018Lonely Jig\u2019, a mysterious ambient sound which heralds her solo harp, dancing delicately through the mix. The Arabic-flavoured \u2018Night of the Owl\u2019 follows, Tamsin\u2019s accordion weaving seductively in and out; \u2018Over the Black Mountain\u2019 is a delightful rainbow of notes, while \u2018My Nan Jan\u2019, melded with \u2018The Original Squirrel\u2019, radiates a really happy feeling. The lazy \u2018Mazurka\u2019 burrows itself into the mind, while the stately \u2018The Guildhall\u2019 is a showcase for her harp. The live \u2018Turning of the Year\u2019 and the album title \u2018The Meeting Tree\u2019, recorded in the FolkEast Festival, are appetising nourishment for the packed audience. The final coda is called \u2018In Hopeless Hope\u2019, and it\u2019s Tamsin performing on the serene and desolate single harp; it\u2019s a hypnotic, satisfying album, and Tamsin delicately stamps her feminine touch upon it. <em>The Meeting Tree<\/em> takes you by the hand and invites you to stay awhile; and you really can\u2019t let go.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"MICK8217S_QUICKS-5\"><strong><span style=\"color: #008000;\">MICK&#8217;S QUICKS<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<p>\u25ba Now, this is really something! Coleraine\u2019s <strong>Damien O\u2019Kane &amp; Ron Block<\/strong> from California have recorded an absolute 12-track stormer on their fabulous banjos called \u00a0\u00a0<em>Banjovial<\/em> (Pure Records, PRCD90); following on from their first two innovative albums, <em>Banjophony<\/em> and <em>Banjophonics<\/em>, this third collaborative masterpiece takes their genre-defying fusion of Irish tenor and bluegrass five-string banjo to dazzling new heights. A\u00a0 a world-class band accompanies, including Scotland&#8217;s leading bassist and Moog player Duncan Lyall and Ireland&#8217;s multi-talented guitarist and percussionist Steven Byrnes; there\u2019s some incredible guests, including Irish button accordion legend Sharon Shannon and bluegrass heroes Aubrey Haynie and Tim Crouch on fiddles and mandolin. Damien is the husband of wonderful singer and artist Kate Rusby, and he and Ron salute her with \u2018Rusby\u2019; the whole collection is a bubbling cauldron of some really happy, carefree and completely stunning music, from the very tasty opener \u2018Anton\u2019s Slide\/I Asked for a Hamster\u2019 to the beautiful melody \u2018Alba see you soon\u2019. What a brilliant collection. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba Watch out for <strong>Hella<\/strong>, the stunning young all-female a cappella quartet from the Belgian city of Ghent, who were awarded the Flanders Folk Award for Most Promising Band. Sisters Ahanna and Kalinka Verschraegen founded Hella in 2022 and recruited Eline De Coninck and Lotte Pauwels. Their debut album, <em>Meeremin<\/em> (by Home Records, a musicians\u2019 cooperative based in the city of Li\u00e8ge) is now released; it\u2019s a ten-track absolute dream of inspiring vocals and mind-bending harmonies, a joyous package of polyphonic tales that highlight both the strength and vulnerability of the female voice. Hella were moved by songs of women from age-old generations and reimagined old melodies; the opening \u2018Verdwenen Vrouw\u2019 is a really delightful arrangement that corresponds closely with \u2018The Skye Boat Song\u2019, while the finale arrangement of \u2018XXXI\u2019 is an absolute ripper. Mark my words: these girls will go far, maybe to the highest peaks. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba Six-strong Highland Celtic rockers <strong>Torridon<\/strong> roar into their brand-new album, <em>Polaroid<\/em> (Daddy Records, DRCD005); the band are Glyn Evans (bass), Michael Macmillan (keyboard, accordion and lead vocals), Kenny Lyall (drums), Grant Milne (Highland bagpipes, whistle and border pipes), Kenny Smith (guitar, vocals) and Paul Elliott (lead guitar), and for all their sizzling and blaringly loud guitars and shuddering percussion, they stamp their proud Scottish tradition quite firmly, thank you! The opening track is \u2018The Whitey\u2019, and as soon as you hear the solo landmark bagpipes the music comes crashing in; Torridon punch through all the ten numbers as if there was no tomorrow, from the opener \u2018I Wanna Know\u2019 to the finishing \u2018Took My Heart\u2019. Wow! <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong>\u25ba On the subject of Scottish rock bands who brandish their proud culture: <strong>The Revellers <\/strong>are the result of what happens when you take seven Shetland Isles musicians steeped in the rich influence of their traditional scene and bring them up on a diet of alternative rock, punk and metal; a seven-headed juggernaut that combines fiddle, tenor banjo and mandolin with superloud fuzz guitar, screaming vocals and an earthquake drumkit in the ten-track album <em>Reactors<\/em> (independent release, REV03CD); the ten tracks have been recorded in a variety of spaces, including a disused church, a record store and a pelagic fishing boat. \u00a0They tone down a bit for \u2018Where the Olives Grow\u2019 and Rhoda Butler\u2019s poem \u2018Clearances (Prelude)\u2019, but the few traditional snatches are all too fleeting \u2013 in other words, what some may describe as \u2018Heavy Folk Music\u2019 has overwhelmed and smothered the meaning. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs down<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>\u25ba Singer-songwriter <strong>Jackie Conn<\/strong> was born in 1960 in a terraced house in Horden, a mining village in Durham\u2019s east coast; she collaborated with spectacular songwriting artist Boo Hewerdine for her debut digital album, <em>Baking Day<\/em> (bandcamp) to record ten really lovely and deeply relatable songs. Dan Whitehouse produced it, with award-winning fingerstyle guitarist Chris Cleverly and pianist David O\u2019Brien accompanying. Jackie\u2019s family had a wealth of stories; \u2018Richard\u2019s Song\u2019 concerned her great-grandfather, who followed his father and brothers and went down the mine at nine years old, \u2018Baking Day \u2018Make Believe Mondays\u2019 described the northern dance-hall craze and \u2018Ghosts of Christmas Past\u2019 is Jackie\u2019s sad December memories of losing her father at a young age. \u2018Let Your Light Shine\u2019 is her encouraging message to her god-daughters in these uncertain times \u2013 not one of those precious tracks is wasted. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba Talking Elephant Records have recaptured and revived the 1970s BBC tapes made by legendary guitarist and traditional music interpreter <strong>Dick Gaughan<\/strong>; entitled <em>Live at the BBC 1972-79, <\/em>the digital album was released in November, and the physical CD sells at \u00a311.99. Dick\u2019s magic starts from the very first track, \u2018Floo\u2019ers o\u2019 the Forest\u2019; \u2018Rigs o\u2019 Rye\u2019 and \u2018Farewell to Whisky\u2019 follow on, with the famous and impenetrable Scots dialect song \u2018Freedom Come All Ye\u2019, written by Hamish Henderson in 1960. (The tune is an adaptation of a pipe march, \u2018The Bloody Fields of Flanders\u2019; Henderson wrote three verses after discussions with Pennsylvania University researcher Kenny Goldstein.) The BBC recorded a clutch of live tracks, including \u2018Raglan Road\u2019 and \u2018Fair Flower o&#8217; Northumberland\u2019, with the audience hanging on every word; he was professionally active from 1970 to 2016, retiring on health grounds and now living quietly in Edinburgh. It marked, for the artist himself, the end of an era. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"MARTYN_JOSEPH\"><strong>MARTYN JOSEPH<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<h2><span id=\"Troubled_Horses\">Troubled Horses<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Martyn-Joseph-Troubled-Horses-CD.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3285\" src=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Martyn-Joseph-Troubled-Horses-CD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Pipe Records PRCD042\/PRLP042<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.martynjoseph.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.martynjoseph.net\/<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"_FIVE_STAR_CHOICE-9\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! *****<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Magnificent, stunning, mind-blowing\u2026 In the words of Martyn Joseph: \u201cI wanted to create a recording that felt intimate to the listener &#8211; it\u2019s a dry and present space where a person can feel like they\u2019re with me in a small room. I\u2019m singing and playing these songs about the bad and the beautiful just for them. Solo performance is my bread and butter, anyway, so why change that up? Through the years I feel like I\u2019ve struggled to make records that reflect the impact of what happens at my live shows, but I think the essence of that has been captured here. I don\u2019t ever recall being as satisfied with my opus as I am on the <em>Troubled Horses <\/em>album.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Martyn\u2019s latest offering is an intense, immediate and totally stripped bare collection of 11 songs, which will be released on November 7, 2025; carrying nothing but his solo Lowden acoustic guitar and his harmonica, he went into his recording studio in South Wales determined to really connect with the single individual and fashion an imaginary cosy fireside kitchen for him or her. He produced, engineered, mixed and penned all the material, with the exception of three songs which he co-wrote; his poetry is direct and vitally relevant, choosing words or phrases that impact and affect everybody: \u201cI wanted to create a record that felt up-close and personal \u2013 songs that are sitting right next to you, on the edge of too close for comfort.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Maybe it\u2019s those troubled times when the world is plunging into uncertain far-right madness, where the misogynist dictator reigns supreme just over the pond and the raging snake-oil salesman is on the ascendant; however, inspired by the example of Jason Isbel, who went into a New York studio holding his guitar and came out after five days with a complete album, Martin had set himself a crazy challenge to write and record an entire collection of songs in days rather than months \u2013 and it works brilliantly. He jumps in with the strong opener and heartfelt plea \u2018Let Me Hear Your Voice\u2019, and quickly follows up with \u2018My Song and My Psalm\u2019; his words resound: \u201cI\u2019m not looking for a song to outlast me \/ That speaks in a thousand years \/ I\u2019m looking for a song that luminates now \/ Some lines that will meet you right here\u201d. And then: \u201cI\u2019m not looking for a song that says it\u2019s all o.k. \/ That it\u2019s gonna work out fine \/ Just a song that will cry out in the darkest of days \/ That love will show up in time.\u201d \u2018Troubled Horses\u2019, the album title track, mirrors the violent summer riots that sheer right-wing hatred fanned the flames. Martyn wrote of the police: \u201cThey were carefree once, throwing frisbees in a field \/ Now they\u2019re fending bricks and debris from beyond their riot shields.\u201d And the rioters? \u201cThey were youngsters once, knocking back bravado beers \/ They\u2019re guilty now, sentenced to three years \/ Rioters now, howling rage in a coked-up blur \/ There\u2019s no country to \u2018want back\u2019, if we\u2019ve all come from elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps the strongest rhymes come from him, as he laments the sad story that the greatest country on earth has lost its way: \u201cNow you don\u2019t board Paul Simon\u2019s Pittsburgh Greyhound anymore \/ Or take the Tom Waits Springsteen ride down to the Jersey shore \/ Or walk with sweet Gram Parsons down \u2018The Streets of Baltimore\u2019 \/ Today I lost America, the country of before.\u201d He takes the stand: \u201cCome back home, America, withstand that bird of prey \/ Who seethes in mocking opulence, inciting disarray \/ Come back to each other, a new Independence Day \/ Come back home America \u2013 before everything gives way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Martyn inevitably knows that he\u2019s not a young man anymore; he writes in \u2018Getting Older\u2019: \u201cYes, I\u2019m getting older \/ I feel the pain \/ I try to seize the day \/ but it\u2019s not quite the same\u2026\u201d He fends off uncertainty, casting doubts: \u201cI was just a kid once, with a guitar in my hand \/ Tried to spread the love but it all got out of hand \/ And I wonder, I wonder I do.\u201d In the last and final track, where nothing is quite sure: \u201cLet\u2019s take care of us, babe, in the storms and charades \/ When the light is uneasy, and the MOT fails \/ When everything else seems to hold us in time \/ Let\u2019s take care of us darling, all yours and all mine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m sitting now with Martyn, one on one; it seems that he is speaking to me, and nobody else but me. As I said: <em>Troubled Horses<\/em> works stupendously.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><span id=\"OCTOBER_2025\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">OCTOBER 2025<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"JOAN_BAEZ\"><strong>JOAN BAEZ<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<h2><span id=\"Diamonds_Rust_1975_edition\">Diamonds &amp; Rust (1975 edition)<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Joan-Baez-Diamonds-and-Rust-LP.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3281\" src=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Joan-Baez-Diamonds-and-Rust-LP.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"128\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>A&amp;M Records UMCLP075<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.joanbaez.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.joanbaez.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"_FIVE_STAR_CHOICE-10\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! *****<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Reissued records are normally treated as short paragraphs on the \u2018Mick\u2019s Quicks\u2019 page, but this is important and significantly different \u2013 after all, the FolkWales Editor gives a thumbs-up! Kent-based Proper Records, in collaboration with Universal Music Recordings, are to release the sixteenth studio album from the legendary singer-songwriter and activist Joan Baez on November 21, 2025. Originally issued on A&amp;M Records in April 1975, <em>Diamonds &amp; Rust<\/em> marked a change in direction for Joan, who was born in the Staten Island borough of New York City on January 9, 1941; it gave her songs of the heart and politics an unashamedly commercial veneer, returning her to the US Top Twenty for the first time in four years. To mark the album\u2019s 50th anniversary, <em>Diamonds &amp; Rust<\/em> is shown with scrupulous attention to the detail of its original UK first pressing and is available with an audiophile LP.<\/p>\n<p>Joan is generally regarded as a brilliant folk singer who was possessed with a wonderful unique voice; however, her music has completely diversified since the counterculture era of the 1960s and encompasses genres such as folk-rock, pop, country and gospel music. She began her recording career in 1960 and achieved immediate success; her first three albums &#8211; <em>Joan Baez<\/em>, <em>Joan Baez Vol. 2<\/em> and <em>Joan Baez in Concert<\/em> &#8211; all achieved gold record status. Although a songwriter herself, Joan interprets other artists\u2019 work, recording many traditional songs and tracks written by extremely diverse musicians like the Allman Brothers Band, the Beatles, Jackson Browne, Leonard Cohen, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, Bob Marley and many others. She was the first major artist to record Bob Dylan\u2019s songs in the early 1960s; Joan was already an internationally celebrated artist and did much to popularise his early songwriting efforts. Her tumultuous relationship with Dylan later became the subject of songs by each of them and generated much public speculation; Joan wrote the stunning and beautiful \u2018Diamonds &amp; Rust\u2019, which became the landmark album\u2019s title song. Dylan said in 2009: \u201cI love that song \u2018Diamonds &amp; Rust\u2019. I mean, to be included in something that Joan had written &#8211; whew, I mean, to this day it still impresses me\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Joan\u2019s lyrics were crisp, intelligent and poetic, and they cut through the melody like sharp daggers: \u201cWell, I\u2019ll be damned; here comes your ghost again \/ But that\u2019s not unusual, it\u2019s just that the moon is full \/ And you happened to call \/ And here I sit, and on the telephone \/ Hearing a voice I\u2019d known, a couple of light years ago \/ Heading straight for a fall\u2026\u201d She wrote \u2018Diamonds &amp; Rust\u2019 in November 1974; it was the beginning of a new musical direction and awareness for Joan, who understood what this song meant long before anyone else could imagine where it would lead her; it was also the first track laid down at the recording sessions. Joan sang lead and played acoustic guitar, Moog and ARP synthesisers, and David Paich played electric harpsichord; Wilton Felder was the bassist, Big Jim Gordon was on drums, Larry Gordon and Dean Parks played electric guitars and Joe Sample was the pianist. Other musicians accompanied, but none could believe they were at a Joan Baez session. They had freedom and an opportunity to express their own art \u2013 but the album had got off the ground.<\/p>\n<p>If people were unaware of the significance of Joan to western culture, her portrayal in the Bob Dylan biopic <em>A Complete Unknown<\/em> &#8211; played by Monica Barbaro &#8211; underlines how central she was to the popularisation of folk music in the early 1960s. However, it is her decade-previous relationship with Dylan that hovers joyously over <em>Diamonds &amp; Rust<\/em>; the title track is about a thinly-disguised ex-lover who calls up out of the blue, and it remains one of her most loved songs in a 65-year-career. There\u2019s a playful cover of \u2018Simple Twist of Fate\u2019 from Dylan\u2019s then just-released album <em>Blood on the Tracks<\/em>, complete with impersonation in a later verse; and \u2018Winds of the Old Days\u2019, written in response to Dylan touring again after a lengthy hiatus.<\/p>\n<p><em>Diamonds &amp; Rust<\/em> is a perfect, sunshine-drenched album of West Coast folk-tinged rock, full of star session players. It could almost have been a signal to all the recent comers on her patch \u2013 many of them friends and colleagues, Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Maria Muldaur \u2013 that Joan was here first and was sweetly reasserting her authority. Listen to her mastery on \u2018Children and All That Jazz\u2019, her cover of Stevie Wonder\u2019s \u2018Never Thought You\u2019d Leave in Summer\u2019 and the piano-accompanied closing medley of \u2018I Dream Of Jeannie\u2019 (written by \u201cthe father of American music\u201d, Stephen Foster), and \u2018Danny Boy\u2019, written by prolific songwriter and radio entertainer Fred E. Weatherly.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"MICK8217S_QUICKS-6\"><strong><span style=\"color: #008000;\">MICK&#8217;S QUICKS<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<p>\u25ba Heartiest congratulations! The prestigious Mercury Prize, which took place at the Utilita Arena in Newcastle on October 16 this year, included celebrated folk icon and legend <strong>Martin Carthy<\/strong>\u2018s latest Topic album <em>Transform Me Then Into a Fish<\/em> on its 2025 shortlist. The 84-year-old musician holds the record as the oldest artist ever nominated for this award and also the first to have had a wife, the late Norma Waterson, and daughter, Eliza Carthy, previously nominated. Eliza, who has been shortlisted twice, also co-produced it with Ben Seal and also plays powerful fiddle for accompaniment. Martin is a tireless crusader for traditional music; he doesn\u2019t preserve it in a dusty museum but constantly drives it forward. His voice may be aged and worn, but his crystal-clear vocals still brightly rings and his unique guitar mastery is very subtle and careful; the 11 songs he has chosen get lovingly polished into sparkling life by his magical and commanding presence and relevance. This is vintage Carthy, starting with \u2018The Trees They Do Grow High\u2019 and \u2018Ye Mariners All\u2019 (the words of which are the album title). \u2018A Begging I Will Go\u2019 is a new attack on the homeless crisis, \u2018The Famous Flower of Serving Men\u2019 is a spoken ballad which works beautifully, while Martin taught \u2018Scarborough Fair\u2019 to the young Paul Simon; and lastly, \u2018The Ballad of Springhill\u2019 is a rare mining lament from Nova Scotia. No doubt about it: Carthy is God. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba The lovely songwriter and absolutely smashing performer <strong>Charlie Dore <\/strong>has just released <em>Still Curious <\/em>(Black Ink Records, BICD10), an EP featuring three never previously recorded songs which includes the first ever recording of a long-lost Elvis Costello song, and a collaboration with Michele Stodart of The Magic Numbers; in 1976 on the London pub circuit, Charlie and her bluegrass band crossed paths with Elvis, and she salted away a cassette which contained a stunning song called \u2018Mercury Wings\u2019, which he had never recorded. Nearly 50 years on, Charlie has given the song its long-awaited debut with Elvis\u2019s blessing. Alongside it sit two completely new originals: \u2018Overdrawn at the Sleep Bank\u2019, a wry yet poignant meditation on sleepless nights, and \u2018Slow Reveal\u2019, written with Michele, which mirrors the painful ways we come to recognise ourselves. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba Hot on the heels of <em>Jamland<\/em>, his wonderful collaboration with stunning guitarist and melodeon player Tim Edey, Manchester-born flute-and-whistle virtuoso <strong>Michael McGoldrick<\/strong> has released the inspirational and very educational digital album <em>50 Original Tunes and Chords by Michael McGoldrick<\/em> on the Bandcamp platform; backed with empathetic piano and bodhr\u00e1n, he demonstrates his self-composed jigs, reels, fast waltzes and simply beautiful airs to tune names ranging from \u2018James Brown&#8217;s March\u2019, \u2018Donnellan&#8217;s Smokey Chimney Reel\u2019 and \u2018Farewell to Whalley Range Slip Jig\u2019 to delights like \u2018Fisherman in the Wardrobe\u2019 and \u2018Trip to Nova Scotia\u2019. All the tunes are quite short; Michael doesn\u2019t hang about when he wants you to hear his 50 items. A co-founder of Flook and L\u00fanasa and a linchpin of Capercaillie\u2019s line-up since 1998, he\u2019s performed in recent years around the globe in ex-Dire Straits legend Mark Knopfler\u2019s band; so you know what he\u2019s talking about! <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"MICK8217S_QUICKS-7\"><strong><span style=\"color: #008000;\">MICK&#8217;S QUICKS<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<p>\u25ba Well, well! Ian A. Anderson, editor of the now-closed and sadly lamented fRoots magazine, has alerted me to the new <strong>Robert Plant<\/strong>\/<em>Saving Grace<\/em> album, released on September 26 by Nonesuch Records, ten tracks which display a reverent doff-of-the-cap to the folk and roots tradition; Ian says that this album is not only extremely good, but it gives Roud numbers for the traditional songs mentioned and has a half-page explaining what the Roud Folk Song Index is and many references to earlier collected versions. <em>Saving Grace<\/em> was named after the rock band Plant had been performing with for over six years; the personnel is singer Suzi Dian (which duets with Plant), drummer Oli Jefferson, guitarist Tony Kelsey, banjo and string player Matt Worley and cellist Barney Morse-Brown. It includes a Blind Willie Johnson song that Bob Copper previously recorded and was sung by Shirley Collins and Linda Thompson at Bobstock. Try it! <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba Anyone would have thought that <strong>KB Bayley<\/strong> was a great American songwriter, an impressive fingerstyle acoustic guitarist and an exciting lap steel player, but no \u2013 he was born a Geordie in the north-east coast of England, grew up in the south-east, listening to English folk, American blues and the Laurel Canyon era, and now spends a lot of time in the east coast: \u201cI am equally moved by a traditional folk tune, a Kelly Joe Phelps lick or a John Moreland lyric.\u201d His second self-released album, <em>East Side Confessions<\/em> (no catalogue number) comes out in November 28 this year; it\u2019s ten marvelous, incisive and intelligent songs from the album title track, the swampy \u2018Don\u2019t Let the Rain Fall on My Face\u2019 to the final \u2018That Kind of Lonely\u2019. Guest musicians add a dash of colour, with Sarah Carter\u2019s lovely harmony standing out. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba UK-based Gambian griot and mighty kora artist <strong>Suntou Susso<\/strong>, son of legendary star kora player Mamuduo Susso, is making an impressive mark on the global music scene with a stunning new ten-track album produced with 24 musicians from 10 countries (including Scottish fiddler Ross Grant.) Released on November 7, <em>Jaliya Silokang &#8211; The Path of a Griot<\/em> (FAKOLI25CD \/ FAKOLI25LP) is a deeply personal exploration of identity, heritage and cultural legacy; sung in Mandinka, his mother tongue, he transends the boundaries of folk, soul, jazz, funk and traditional kora music, and his fetching clear voice and amazing instrument works wonders. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba <strong>Blue Rose Code<\/strong> is the band headed by alt-folk contemporary singer-songwriter Ross Wilson, who was raised by his grandmother in a council high-rise on the east side of Edinburgh; in the digital album and CD <em>Sold Out, Live in LDN \u2013 DDL<\/em> (Bandcamp), the stripped-back Blue Rose Code consists of guitarist Lyle and Ross performing a generous 16 tracks in a Camden club in North London, cheered on by the crowd. The twin acoustic guitars are a dizzy dream, and his amazing voice soars, swoops and flies; he creates a welter of songs from the bold opener \u2018Love a Little\u2019, \u2018Riverstown\u2019 tacked onto \u2018The Wild Atlantic Way\u2019 and the tender and passionate \u2018Bluebell\u2019. Ross covers a song by Jackson Browne, Bob Dylan and Van Morrison, and overturns the traditional \u2018Wild Mountain Thyme\u2019 on its head. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"SALT_HOUSE\"><strong>SALT HOUSE<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<h2><span id=\"Scarrow\">Scarrow<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Salt-House-Scarrow-CD.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3275\" src=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Salt-House-Scarrow-CD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Hudson Records HUD055CD<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.salthousemusic.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Salt House Band<\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Scarrow<\/em> is an ancient Scottish noun for a faint light, a reflection, the shadow of a crow on a hill, the faint light from a wall \u2013 or something gleaming intermittently or indistinctly. Salt House return with their fifth album, recorded and produced with award-winning Andy Bell in Sheffield\u2019s Hudson Studios; new member, fiddler, viola player and tenor guitarist Anna Hughes, has joined guitarist and percussionist Ewan MacPherson and pianist, guitarist, harmonium and dulcimer musician Jenny Sturgeon for twelve very beautiful and incredibly peaceful harmonies which are about reflection, renewal and really connecting in a world craving all three. Anna, Ewan and Jenny describe <em>Scarrow<\/em> as: \u201ca collection which talks of hope, community and sharing light. More than ever we feel the need for connection and heartening experiences that people make together.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This album is a testament Salt House\u2019s developing and evolving sound, which is deeply rooted in tradition but is ever fresh and forward-looking. Their gloriously poetic and elegantly fragile music is ever moulded by the landscapes they call home \u2014 Ewan was born in Liverpool, was brought up in the mountains of North Wales and Cader Idris and \u2013 as he describes himself &#8211; \u201cis now lost in the Scottish Highlands\u201d; Jenny is a Shetland Islander and Anna hails from the wild hills of Northumberland. Andy Bell\u2019s synth, Magnus Lundmark\u2019s percussion and Ben Nicholls\u2019 electric and double bass blend smoothly in and are almost imperceptible.<\/p>\n<p>The opening track, Violet Jacob\u2019s \u2018Autumn on the Run\u2019, is a poem adapted by Jenny; her single harmonium heralds the songs, and Ewan and Anna join in the voices. Anna\u2019s song, \u2018Take This Day\u2019, is about living and enjoying just for now; and Ewan\u2019s wonderful composition, \u2018Cut Him Out in Little Stars\u2019, is a life-affirming anthem, layered by a trio of breathtaking harmonies. \u2018Fathoms\u2019, a lament for a drowned lover, is Jenny\u2019s adaptation by the Rev A. Stewart, translated from the Scottish Gaelic; and Anna\u2019s lovely wake-up call, \u2018Headed Our Way\u2019, is a pretty melody which comes from birdsong. Jenny\u2019s \u2018Snow Walking\u2019 is a celebration of the longest winter nights, and Ewan\u2019s \u2018Horizons\u2019 create a triptych of brilliant and weird vocals. Anna\u2019s adaptation, \u2018I Met at Eve\u2019, are <u>verses<\/u> from Walter de la Mare, an English poet, short story writer and novelist who was born in 1873 and died in 1956; and Ewan excels himself and the two girls with \u2018Underwing\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>Jenny\u2019s \u2018Blackbird\u2019 is a love song for the nature on everybody\u2019s doorstep, and Anna\u2019s \u2018Waiting for Summer\u2019 is the anticipation for the arrival of a friend\u2019s baby. Ewan\u2019s entrancing and final song, \u2018Share the Light\u2019, basically sums all of Salt House\u2019s attitude: \u201cI love it when the fire is glowing \/ And brought the moonlight on the wall \/ I love it when the music\u2019s flowing \/ And later when the talk is low.\u201d Yes \u2013 <em>Scarrow<\/em> is a calming, soothing album which talks and sings of future hope.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><span id=\"SEPTEMBER_2025\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>SEPTEMBER 2025<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"MICK8217S_QUICKS-8\"><strong><span style=\"color: #008000;\">MICK&#8217;S QUICKS<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<p>\u25ba Contemporary songwriters and folk musicians <strong>Hannah Sanders &amp; Ben Savage <\/strong>have released their new album <em>The Strangers\u2019 Share<\/em> (Sungrazing Records, SGR011), ten impressive and imposing guitar-led songs bursting with soaring, spacy harmonies, well-known traditional and written material and the doff of the cap to Bob Dylan (\u2018North Country Blues\u2019), the wonderful Lal Waterson (\u2018Fine Horseman\u2019) and jazz pianist Richard M. Jones (Trouble In Mind). The title track is Kevin Crossley-Holland\u2019s retelling of the East Anglian supernatural folk tale, and their beautiful \u2018Morning Stands on Tiptoe\u2019 has already been released as a single. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25baTraditional fiddler, composer and totally weird songwriter <strong>Mikey Kenney<\/strong> comes from North-West England; he\u2019s performing upstairs at the Art Shop and Chapel in Cross Street, Abergavenny on Friday, October 3. Following his latest offering <em>Reverie Road<\/em>, which met with great acclaim from fRoots Magazine and many folk pundits, Mikey\u2019s tremolo-high-tenor voice has released his new album <em>Tiny Little Light<\/em> (Penny Fiddle Records, PFR2502CD), ten tracks of strange and wonderful drumkit-led material, starting with the opener \u2018Scarecrow Festival\u2019; highlights are \u2018The Doing of the Bee\u2019, \u2018Cornish Journey\u2019, \u2018Dandelion\u2019, the CD title song and the closing minutes-long stunner \u2018The Dish and the Drain\u2019. He plays viola, melodeon, electric guitar, bass guitar, piano and banjo, and a bevy of musicians help out \u2013 including Penny Fiddle owner Holly Harman on vocals. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba Now this is incredibly soothing, extremely creative and totally lovely! The Belgian duo <strong>Thalas<\/strong> is the new project formed by diatonic accordionist Guus Herremans and acoustic guitarist and Trad Records producer Ward Dhoore, two longtime friends whose musical paths have intertwined for over a decade in Belgium\u2019s vibrant folk scene. After years of collaborating in various bands, they\u2019ve now formed a vacant space that\u2019s entirely their own work. <em>As It Comes<\/em> (Trad Records, TRAD043) is a ten-track instrumental wonder; for starters, chattering and dancing squeezebox collaborates with eloquent and elegant guitar in \u2018We\u2019re Off\u2019, an unforgettable melody that acts as a welcome signpost for \u2018Tideframe\u2019, \u2018In Good Company\u2019, \u2018La Vie Saucy\u2019 and the stunning finisher \u2018Hideout\u2019. Ward adds an extra mandola, mandolin, piano, synths, soundscapes and a touch of real class; it\u2019s just perfect. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba Sudanese-Italian singer-writer and amazing vocalist <strong>Amira Kheir<\/strong> releases her captivating fourth album <em>Black Diamonds<\/em> (Sterns Music, STDC1132) on October 10, and it\u2019s her heartfelt ode to her Sudanese and African ancestry; she sings in English, Arabic and Italian but her Global music homes in on Sudanese folk, soul and jazz. Nominated as a Best Artist in the Songlines Music Awards, BBC News dubbed her \u201cThe diva of the Sudanese Desert\u201d, she opens with the satisfying \u2018River\u2019, immediately plunging into \u2018Mowdi Aljamal\u2019 (In a Place of Beauty) and \u2018Sudanl\u2019 (My Sudan). She takes the listener on a magic carpet ride before winding up with the last album title track; what an uplifting ten-song collection. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba Glaswegian singer-songwriter <strong>Michael McGovern<\/strong> is a very fluent fingerpicker on his guitar, a fine and melodic songwriter and a smart arranger, but he does fall into the trap of blindly following the rock star attitude. His unclear diction leaves a lot to be desired, and I can\u2019t understand his meaning at all; maybe a voice coach will put him on the right road. His second ten-track album, <em>Thin White Road <\/em>(Cauldron Music, CMCD\/LP006, release date November 7), was recorded at Black Bay Studios in the Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, varies wildly between in-your-face rock-band material and simply beautiful composing; however, his opaque and fuzzy performing leaves the listener wondering what these songs are about.<\/p>\n<p>\u25ba Oregon-based amazing singer, acoustic guitarist and hard-hitting prolific songwriter <strong>Alice DiMicele<\/strong> advertises her musical wares as \u201cfolk, Americana and acoustic soul\u201d. Her latest nine-track album, a staggering 18th so far, is called <em>Reverse the Flow<\/em> (Alice Otter Music, AO\/118) and she\u2019s like Joni Mitchell tuned up to 11; she\u2019s joined by her super-tight band, Force of Nature, and her vibrant voice plunges so low that you\u2019d swear your speakers were vibrating. Her organic work speaks to the audience, and highlights are \u2018Falling Through the Cracks\u2019, the anti-war \u2018Oh Humanity\u2019, the story-ballad \u2018The Ghost of Alice\u2019 and the album title track; it\u2019s nine songs of sheer heaven. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"CERYS_HAFANA\"><strong>CERYS HAFANA \u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<h2><span id=\"Angel\">Angel<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Cerys-Hafana-Angel-CD.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3268\" src=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Cerys-Hafana-Angel-CD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>tak:til \/ Glitterbeat (GBCD\/LP 178)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ceryshafana.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.ceryshafana.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Acclaimed Welsh composer, singer and accomplished multi-instrumentalist Cerys Hafana comes from Machynlleth in Powys, is a member of AVANC (the Youth Ensemble of Wales) and in their own words, \u201cmangles, mutates and transforms traditional music\u201d. Hafana\u2019s fourth album, <em>Angel<\/em>, will be released on Friday, September 26, and it\u2019s a nine-track deep exploration of stunning minimalism, traditional and progressive folk music surrounding Hafana\u2019s principal instrument, the Welsh triple harp. Hafana\u2019s last EP, <em>The Bitter<\/em> &#8211; which has completely sold out &#8211; was a five-track interpretation of traditional folk songs and ballads from these islands, including \u2018The Bitter Withy\u2019 and \u2018The Wife of Usher\u2019s Well\u2019; however, <em>Angel<\/em> alternates between Welsh-language songs and instrumentals, often sympathetically accompanied by a trio of fine musicians, double-bassist Ursula Harrison, Amie Huckstep on alto saxophone and percussionist Lisa Martin. Hafana credits producer Owain Fleetwood Jenkins for the intimate quality of the sound. Recorded in his Pembrokeshire studio, the sessions were captured live with just a few takes. Hafana had not worked with any of the trio before but had very specific ideas about who and what was needed to capture the atmosphere they wanted.<\/p>\n<p>Hafana\u2019s music is totally immersed in Welsh harp traditions but also embraces minimalism, jazz, the avant-garde and Breton folk styles; Hafana explains that the way the voice and saxophone together respond is a close approximation of the traditional Breton <em>kan ha diskan<\/em> singing style, where the singers alternate lines to maintain a steady rhythm for <em>fest-noz<\/em> dancing, and says that the Breton style \u201chas wormed its way into my brain and heart.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The triple harp has three parallel rows of strings instead of the more common single row; the \u2018accidentals\u2019 are set into the middle row. Hafana is a trans person who says they\u2019re not fitting into the gender binary, uses the pronouns \u2018they\u2019 or \u2019them\u2019 and prefers the surname; Hafana has also appeared at many major festivals across Europe, including Green Man in the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, Between the Trees in Merthyr Mawr, South Wales, Trans Musicales (performing at the Conservatoire de Rennes auditorium in Eastern Brittany), Reeperbahn in Hamburg, Germany, Sesiwn Fawr Dolgellau, Theatr Mwldan\u2019s Other Voices in Cardigan and WOMAD; Hafana was also the featured guest in an hour-long BBC Wales TV St David\u2019s Day special marking the mighty Calan\u2019s fond farewell, broadcasting from the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff Bay.<\/p>\n<p>The spellbinding music of <em>Angel<\/em> is rich with atmosphere and heart, and stubbornly resistant to genre boxes and easy classification. The album is centered on a folk tale about an old man lulled into a centuries-long sleep by an angel\u2019s song; Hafana found this through a database of ballads in the Welsh National Library\u2019s online archive, and says is an amazing resource.<\/p>\n<p>Although Hafana says that the piano is their main instrument, their triple harp mastery has gained them a reputation as an innovative and powerful musician. The triple harp has a distinct <em>timbre<\/em>; Hafana had the idea of damping the strings using Blu-tac to produce a woody, muted sound, after hearing about other traditional harpists threading strips of paper and other material to create a \u2018buzzy\u2019 effect. <em>Angel<\/em> starts off with a flourish; the five-minute \u2018Helynt Rhyfeddol\u2019 (An Incredible Ordeal) hypnotises the listener as Hafana tells a beguiling story. Next up is thr hypnotic \u2018O\u2019r Coed\u2019 (To the Wood) and \u2018Drexelius\u2019; \u00a0Hafana\u2019s plaintive vocals colour the traditional spring carol \u2018Carol Mynyddog\u2019, and the final track is the insistent instrumental \u2018Atsain\u2019 (Echo) \u2013 where Hafana takes a last curtain call.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"NINEBARROW\"><strong>NINEBARROW<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<h2><span id=\"The_Hour_of_the_Blackbird\">The Hour of the Blackbird<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Ninebarrow-The-Hour-of-the-Blackbird-CD.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3265\" src=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Ninebarrow-The-Hour-of-the-Blackbird-CD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Independently released, catalogue no. 9BTH0TB<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ninebarrow.co.uk\/mind\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.ninebarrow.co.uk\/mind<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Over the course of twelve years and five studio albums, Dorset duo Ninebarrow have earned themselves a quality reputation for their engaging and empathetic writing, their imaginative reworkings of traditional songs, their deft musicianship their exquisite vocal harmonies; now Jon Whitley\u2019s and Jay LaBouchardiere\u2019s harmonies have been enriched and fused by more than 40 other voices from Hampshire\u2019s Hart Voices, based in Fleet, and Surrey\u2019s Chantry Singers, from Guildford to create this wonderful album, which sees 13 of Ninebarrow\u2019s finest back catalogue songs renewed and enhanced by the soaring vocals of sopranos, altos, tenors and basses under the energetic musical directorship and ingenious arrangements of Roy Rashbrook, himself a member of the choir of St Paul\u2019s Cathedral. It was nearly a decade ago, at the lovely little house concert in Farnborough, when Jon and Jay were very lucky to meet Roy; but, as they said in the sleeve notes: \u201cLittle did we know at the time, but that chance encounter would spark one of the most creative and exciting collaborations of our careers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>The Hour of the Blackbird<\/em> was produced Mark Tucker in his Devon Studio, as well as Arc Studios in Eynsham in West Oxfordshire and Gavin Hall at Lord Wandsworth College in Long Sutton, Hampshire; it will be released on Friday, October 3, revisiting songs which were recorded on Ninebarrow\u2019s earlier albums, including <em>Where the Blackthorn Burns<\/em> (2014), <em>Releasing the Leaves<\/em> (2015), <em>The Waters &amp; The Wild<\/em> (2019) and <em>A Pocketful of Acorns<\/em> (2020). Jon and Jay\u2019s absolutely beautiful vocals combine with the swelling voices of the two choirs, and their older repertoire is taking on new lease of sparkling life.<\/p>\n<p>First up is \u2018Names in the Sky\u2019, followed by \u2018Come January\u2019 and the album title track, \u2018The Hour of the Blackbird\u2019; Jon, Jay and choirs weave complete peace, tranquility and really relaxing bonhomie, which makes the listener feel really refreshed, happy and determined to face this crazy world again. Most of all, it\u2019s \u2018Under the Fence\u2019 which has to be the favourite standout. The closing track is the satisfying \u2018Farewell Shanty\u2019, and Ninebarrow join in with the angel descants; what a stunning, mind-blowing and totally joyful collection.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"MICK8217S_QUICKS-9\"><strong><span style=\"color: #008000;\">MICK&#8217;S QUICKS<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<p>\u25ba Luxuriously white-bearded musical veterans <strong>Ian Bruce &amp; Kev Green<\/strong> release their rough-and-ready debut album <em>Believe Me, I\u2019m Lying<\/em> (Ruglen Record Company, LUMSCD0118); two old friends have come on totally different spheres, singer-songwriter Ian from a mostly sitting and listening audience and Kev from raucous fun-filled pubs and venues of his local Kent in the 1980s. They record 15 tracks in The Row Studio in the village of Letham, Fife; there are quite a few blips and warts, but what the hell \u2013 let\u2019s rock! They write a majority of songs; highlights are \u2018Fire on Board\u2019 (Ian\u2019s solo composition) and \u2018The Slave\u2019s Lament\u2019 (Robert Burns, melody by Ian.) They cover three songs by Neil Young, Bad Company\u2019s Paul Rodgers and the wonderful Sandy Denny, but the only niggle is the unsmiling faces on the CD sleeve \u2013 cheer up, lads, or else someone may nick-name you grumpy old men! <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25baProlific Liverpudlian storyteller and singer-songwriter <strong>Alun Parry <\/strong>has churned out an amazing score and more of hard-hitting, socially-conscious albums with his folk-pop material, which he has become compared to \u201cthe UK\u2019s Woody Guthrie\u201d; in his album <em>Invisible People<\/em> (self released, no catalogue number), he powers his way through ten intelligent, persuasive and very catchy songs, including the opener \u2018Meet Me at the Bombed Out Church\u2019, \u2018The Devil is a Debt Collector\u2019 and the satisfying closer \u2018A Better Metaphor\u2019. Highlight is the brilliant \u2018A Drinking Man\u2019, which lasts five minutes and more; he surely can hold his head up as the most articulative wordsmith and conjuror of addictive earworms in these islands today. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25baFirebrand, fearless singer-songwriter and totally commanding guitarist <strong>Jon Wilks<\/strong> grew up listening to Nick Drake, Pentangle, Paul Simon, Martin Carthy and other folk luminaries; his fifth offering, <em>Needless Alley<\/em> (Swordfish Records), is the song and the title track which relate to a street in Birmingham, his home city, on which he used to busk as a teenager. He\u2019s backed by his regular band The Grizzly Folk, and the nine-track album also brings guests from across the folk spectrum, including Jackie Oates, Ellie Gowers, Nick Hart and Tamsin Elliott; it was produced by Jon and Joe Sartin, and it considerably raises the bar with exciting material from the opener \u2018Could You Be the One\u2019 to the closing \u2018Mine is the Sun\u2019. \u2018Montagu Whaler\u2019 sounds like a traditional song, but it was written in the late 20th century by Nigel \u201cBernie\u201d Bruen, a Birmingham-based sailor serving in the Falklands; Jon first discovered the song in the Roy Palmer folk archives. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"METAGAMA_ENSEMBLE\"><strong>METAGAMA ENSEMBLE<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<h2><span id=\"Metagama_An_Atlantic_Odessey\">Metagama: An Atlantic Odessey<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Metagama-Ensemble-Atlantic-Odyssey-CD.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3261\" src=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Metagama-Ensemble-Atlantic-Odyssey-CD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Wee Studio Records: WSMETA001<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.birnamcd.com\/birnam-pr\/metagama\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.birnamcd.com\/birnam-pr\/metagama<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"_FIVE_STAR_CHOICE-11\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! *****<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>When the SS Metagama left Stornoway in the early evening of Saturday, April 21, 1923, she had 307 Canada-bound young Hebrideans on board as part of the Assisted Passage Scheme; the emigrants\u2019 average age was just 22 and would go into arranged jobs, mainly in Ontario agriculture. Less than 20 were women, most of whom went into service as domestic servants and children\u2019s nannies with wealthy Toronto families. The Metagama was not the first ship to collect island emigrants; from the 18<sup>th<\/sup> and 19<sup>th<\/sup> century Clearances onwards, vessels had transported thousands of the Inner and Outer Hebrides to many corners of the world.\u00a0 Earlier on April 15, 1923, the SS Marloch had already picked up 280 people from Lochboisdale in South Uist, which were destined for Red Deer, Alberta, including families from Barra, Vatersay, Eriskay, South Uist and Benbecula; the mass emigration would have a devastating and lasting impact on the islands. Many of the emigrants journeyed south to the USA, where they found work in the construction and automobile industries. Tweve Gaelic-speaking men from Lewis alone worked on the iconic Fisher Building skyscraper in Detroit.<\/p>\n<p>The Metagama Ensemble comprises nine acclaimed musicians and singers who are touring around Scotland this autumn, starting at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh (October 31) and ending at Tollbooth, Stirling on November 13 \u2013 sadly, Wales (and England) misses out. The personnel are writer and poet Donald S. Murray, pianist and singer-songwriter Liza Mullholland, Gaelic actor and 7.84 Theatre Company co-founding performer Dolina MacLennan, master fiddler and composer Charlie Mackerron of Capercaillie and Scottish supergroup Session A9, singer-songwriter Willie Campbell, Gaelic singer and piper Calum Alex Macmillan and cellist Christine Hanson.<\/p>\n<p>A legacy of their live show of the same name, marking and commemorating the centenary of the mass emigration from the Hebrides to Canada in 1923 and 1924, this album is filled with an amazing 36 tracks, including 19 superb traditional Gaelic and new songs in English, written by the Ensemble, and all new instrumental pieces, interspersed with narration by Dolina and David; the total running time is a whopping 76 minutes. The show tells of the heartache of homesickness and separation to the lively fun of ceilidh tunes on the dance floors of North America; this album gives voice to experiences to those who left and those who stayed behind, narrating the account of an important but little-known period of Hebridean history \u2013 the cruel blow of which is still being felt in the islands today.<\/p>\n<p>Since the Metagama Ensemble premiered their show in a Creative Scotland-supported tour of the Highlands and Islands their project grown exponentially with capacity audiences, followed by a sold-out show at Glasgow\u2019s Celtic Connections festival in 2024. Following many requests, <em>An Atlantic Odessey<\/em>\u00a0 was recorded in Black Bay Studio on Great Bernara and in The Wee Studio in Ness, Isle of Lewis; it was produced by the Matagama Ensemble and Pete Fletcher of Black Bay Studio. In addition to Creative Scotland, the album has been supported by Harris Tweed Hebrides, Charles Macleod Butchers and Crowdfunder sponsors. If you haven\u2019t listened to <em>An Atlantic Odessey<\/em>, it really is worth it \u2013 and perhaps you\u2019ll take a long trip just to see the show completely live. As I said: it\u2019s worth it in shedloads.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><span id=\"AUGUST_2025\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>AUGUST 2025<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"MICK8217S_QUICKS-10\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>MICK&#8217;S QUICKS<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<p>\u25baWonderful bagpiper, whistler, pipe player and composer <strong>John Dew<\/strong> comes from Perthshire and graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with a First Class Honours degree in traditional music in 2020; as a musician, he has performed in all the major festivals, including Celtic Connections, and as a competitive piper and member of the three-time winning Inveraray and District Pipe Band, he has travelled around the globe. His third album, <em>An Caismeachdan <\/em>(independent release, JDEWCOMP7CD3, in translation: <em>The Parades<\/em>) is a stirring and beautiful ten-track cauldron of his self-written marches, jigs and airs; the brilliant pianist Michael Biggins and a string quartet is a welcome accompaniment. The bonus track is John on the solo bagpipe, fading away in the distance; it\u2019s a huge chunk of the Scottish tradition that deliciously echoes for a long time. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25baWelsh-born acoustic guitarist and striking composer <strong>Gwenifer Raymond <\/strong>graduated from Cardiff University with a PhD. in Astrophysics, moved to Brighton and became an AI and video game programmer; her follow-up 2020 album, <em>Strange Lights Over Garth Mountain,<\/em> considerably raised her reputation and her third completely solo offering, <em>Last Night I Heard the Dog Star Bark <\/em>\u00a0(which is released on September 5) is a dark and instrumentally magnificent ten-track hybrid of the ancient and futuristic, infused with occult folk-horror. Influenced by John Fahey, Steffan Grossman, Captain Beefheart and Bob Dylan, she creates a singular new sound, which she dubs \u201cWelsh Primitive\u201d. The album is heavily inspired by her love of science fiction; the second track, \u2018Jack Parsons Blues\u2019, mirrors a Californian rocket scientist who was a friend of Scientology founder L Ron Hubbard and follower of English occultist Aleister Crowley. Listen and be impressed &#8211; and be very afraid! <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba Chrysalis Global, a new imprint of Chrysalis Records, will bring out its first album release on September 26, 2025 &#8211; the instrumental <em>Guitari Baro<\/em> (Guitar Conversations), featuring three outstanding and renowned Mande griot hereditary musicians, master balafonist <strong>Lassana Diabat\u00e9, Gaoussou Kouyat\u00e9 and Kerfala Diabat\u00e9<\/strong> (both on acoustic guitars). The trio, which will be touring the UK and Europe from spring 2026, explore the relationship between the thousand-year-old wooden-keyed balafon and the guitar, an instrument to arrive in Africa in the 1930s. Griots are traditionally keepers of the African cultural flame with the sacred duty to preserve and inspire. Through the album, which was co-produced by Lucy Duran, the trio honour the past and shape the future with incredible musical artistry and sizzling synergy. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"EVE_GOODMAN_SERA\"><strong>EVE GOODMAN &amp; SERA<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<p><strong> <a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Eve-Goodman-SERA-Natur-CD.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3253\" src=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Eve-Goodman-SERA-Natur-CD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Natur\">Natur<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>(GEG Records, no catalogue number)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.serasongs.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.serasongs.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.evegoodman.co.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.evegoodman.co.uk\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p>A six-year collaboration of Eve Goodman and SERA (Sarah Zyborski) \u2013 plus other landmark events, such as the terrible covid lockdown and the release of the <em>Spell Songs <\/em>project \u2013 has finally matured into the album <em>Natur<\/em>, ten self-written songs celebrating women and the imposing North Wales landscape \u2013 and it\u2019s flowing over with warmth, scintillating harmony and absolutely sparkling life.<\/p>\n<p>Eve and Sarah are contemporary folk singers and songwriters who were growing up in the Gwynedd town of Caernarfon, and the seeds of <em>Natur<\/em> were planted way back in 2019; having been selected for the BBC Horizons Artist development along with Serah\u2019s label, CEG Records, the duo decided to spend a songwriting day together. This quickly turned into a Welsh language folk project inspired by the <em>Spell Songs<\/em> album, a musical <em>tour de force<\/em> and evolution of both <em>The Lost Words<\/em> and <em>The Lost Spells<\/em> books by acclaimed British author and writer Robert Macfarlane, Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and illustrator Jackie Morris; it was a wonderful experience that intersected music, literature, language and art as a call to reawaken the public\u2019s love of the wild, spectacularly delivered by the Spell Singers: Karine Polwart, Julie Fowlis, Seckou Keita, Kris Drever, Rachel Newton, Beth Porter and Jim Molyneux.<\/p>\n<p>Then came the covid lockdown, which put everybody on stop \u2013 and Sarah, who had just become a mother, re-emerged from a long hibernation. Now she is back, and she is pretty excited with <em>Natur<\/em>. Both she and Eve found common ground in their connection to and curiosity around nature; surrounded by the beautiful North Wales landscape that is such an important part of their lives, they began to explore the Welsh names for birds, trees, flowers and the more-than-human world. The song tendrils soon grew to touch upon the cyclical element of both nature and women. Soon enough a body of work was growing, each song a hymn of praise to both; Sarah says the project is:\u00a0\u201cNature-themed songs about womanhood and about freedom, about trusting your instincts and connecting with the land.\u201d For a completely rural atmosphere, the duo went to record with Colin Bass &#8211; Camel, 3 Mustaphas 3 musician and record producer &#8211; at his Wild End Studio way up in the hills near Llanrwst, surrounded by chickens and donkeys.<\/p>\n<p>This album is truly lovely and very peaceful, starting off with \u2018Bendith\u2019, a Celtic blessing that sing of reverence for the land, \u2018Anian\u2019, a catchy song about burnout and modern life, to \u2018Blodyn Gwyllt\u2019, (Wildflower), a guitar-laden West Coast-inspired celebration of womanhood and the natural scenery, and closing with &#8216;Gaeafgwsg&#8217; (Hibernation) and the desolately serene last track \u2018Wead y We\u2019. <em>Natur<\/em> took a long time being hatched, but it\u2019s worth it in absolute shed-fulls.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><span id=\"JULY_2025\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>JULY 2025<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"MICK8217S_QUICKS-11\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>MICK&#8217;S QUICKS<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<p>\u25baLondon guitarist Tony Randle tells a really weird tale; he was walking in the Lake District one spring day when he bumped into and recognised American megastar Taylor Swift, incognito, out strolling with her current boyfriend. It was only a chance meeting, but Swift begged him not give the game away to her adoring fans &#8211; and then she was gone. Tony recalls the true story in his opening song \u2018In Ambleside\u2019 on his debut album, <em>Somewhere, Not Here<\/em> (independent release, TR2025CD1); he plays a custom classical guitar, electric and bass guitars, keyboards and percussion by himself, vocalist Alice Williams assisting, but unfortunately he\u2019s not the best singer and songwriter in the entire galaxy; harsh guitar solos and reverberated, indistinct voices just turn the album into simple pop. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs down <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba Master songwriter, acoustic guitarist and rich-and-raw-voiced <strong>Tim Grimm<\/strong> is a storytelling balladeer in the tradition of Woody Guthrie, John Prine and Bob Dylan; <em>Bones of Trees<\/em> (Cavalier Recordings CR255636) is a hard-hitting 11-track album reflecting his eloquent anguish over the Trump administration and far-right politics in general. Tim, born in Columbus, Ohio and grew up in southern Indiana, surrounds himself with a bevy of fine musicians, including superb playing from Sergio Webb (guitars, dobro, mandolin), Scottish vocalist Beth Malcolm and ex-Battlefield Band member Dougie Pincock on bagpipe, flute, whistle and bodhr\u00e1n in \u2018Mists of Ennistymon\u2019. All the songs are winners, but the favorites are opener \u2018Up in the Attic\u2019, the folk protest \u2018Broken Truth\u2019 and \u2018Woody\u2019s Landlord Revisited\u2019. Tim credits Susan Werner\u2019s \u2018Barbed Wire Boys\u2019 and John McCutcheon\u2019s \u2018Christmas in the Trenches\u2019 \u2013 it\u2019s all highly listenable nourishment for the mind. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba Talking about <strong>John Prine<\/strong>, American singer-songwriter of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Country_folk\">country-folk music<\/a> who was born in 1946, died on April 7, 2020 and is widely cited as one of the most influential songsmiths of his generation: three decades after its debut, Oh Boy Records will release a vinyl album plus a digital 20-track deluxe edition of <em>Lost Dogs &amp; Mixed Blessings<\/em> on September 12. This expanded version includes five previously unreleased demos and alternate takes, as well as the never-before-heard last track \u2018Hey Ah Nothin\u2019, a hidden gem sure to resonate with Prine\u2019s fans and new listeners alike. It offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at the album\u2019s creation, capturing the spontaneity and creative spark that defined the sessions. From \u2018New Train\u2019, through the acoustic \u2018Lake Marie\u2019 and \u2018Humidity Build the Snowman\u2019 to the penultimate \u2018Quit Hollerin\u2019 at Me\u2019, this is history in the making. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba Liverpool-based Americana artists <strong>Robert Vincent &amp; Anna Corcoran<\/strong> have just returned from a stint on the road in Europe as special guests of Led Zeppelin legend Robert Plant, and they\u2019re releasing the digital EP <em>On the Road<\/em> (Thirty Tigers label), four tracks covering seminal songs written by Nick Lowe \u2018(What\u2019s So Funny \u2018Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding\u2019), Neil Finn of Crowded House (\u2018Don\u2019t Dream It\u2019s Over\u2019), Jackson Browne (\u2018These Days\u2019) and Fleetwood Mac\u2019s Lindsey Buckingham (\u2018Go Your Own Way\u2019). However, the material has been entirely stripped back, slowed and quietened down with just an acoustic guitar, beautiful piano and gorgeous harmonies; some more, please. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba Now for something completely different: award-winning composer <strong>Mhairi Hall and David de la Haye<\/strong>, renowned field recordist, invite you to dive into a unique underwater sonic journey of a selection of lochs from the Scottish Highlands. <em>Underwater Cairngorms<\/em> (Hudson Records) combines the mysterious underwater soundscapes of freshwater lochs with beautiful and peaceful piano and harmonium; over the course of a year, Mhairi and David researched the seasonal effects on the underwater soundscapes and visited Loch Garten, River Feshie, Loch Morlich, An Lochan Uaine, An Lochan Uath and Loch Mallachie. Hudson owner and engineer Andy Bell successfully captured the mood; the whole project was made possible by the funding of Creative Scotland and the support of Buglife, NatureScot and Cairngorms National Park Authority. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"NARAGONIA_QUARTET\"><strong>NARAGONIA QUARTET<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<p><strong> <a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Naragonia-Quartet-Hehalennia-CD.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3249\" src=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Naragonia-Quartet-Hehalennia-CD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"112\" \/><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Nehalennia\">Nehalennia<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Trad Records TRAD041<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.naragonia.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.naragonia.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"_FIVE_STAR_CHOICE-12\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! *****<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>After 21 years of touring Europe, fabulous Belgian diatonic accordionist duo Naragonia have become an established and well-loved name on the international folk scene. Since they came together in 2003, composer and multi-instrumentalist Toon Van Mierlo and Pascale Rubens &#8211; who also plays violin &#8211; have recorded an amazing total of ten widely-acclaimed albums, including three with the Naragonia Quartet, which came together in 2006; the Quartet\u2019s personnel is guitarist and mandola player Maarten Decombel and violinist and bagpiper Luc Pilartz. Maarten is also a member of such inspiring bands as Snaarmaarwaar, Mandolinman, Tondo (with hurdy-gurdy master Gilles Chabenat, born in 1963 in Ligni\u00e8res, Central France) and a duo with Jim Boyes, bass singer who emigrated to Belgium and sang with Swan Arcade, Coope, Boyes and Simpson and Blue Murder. Luc founded the famous Waloon band Panta Rhei, Trio Trad and the expanded Ensemble Luc Pilartz.<\/p>\n<p>Toon and Pascale have collaborated with many remarkable musicians and theatre productions, including fellow diatonic accordion wizard Andy Cutting, Gregory Jolivet, Gilles Chabenat, Guy Swinnen and the legendary Welsh band Fernhill. In fact, Andy is full of praises for them: \u201cNaragonia are the Holy Grail. They have achieved that very elusive thing; a brilliant dance and concert band who have the perfect ingredients, brilliant melodies, tasteful arrangements and glorious musicianship.\u201d What choice compliments\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Naragonia Quartet\u2019s 11<sup>th<\/sup> album, which will be released on November 7, 2025, is called <em>Nehalennia<\/em>. Toon \u2013 what an appropriate name for a very prolific writer \u2013 composed all ten tracks, including the album title track of the same name. Nehalennia was a fertility and protective goddess who was worshipped in the second and third centuries by travellers, sailors and traders; her many temples stood in what is now the Dutch province of Zeeland in Domburg and Ganventa, a Roman settlement near to the town of Colijnsplaat, situated on the southern shore in the mouths of the River Scheldt.<\/p>\n<p>The yellow sleeve cover of <em>Nehalennia<\/em> shows a stark blue damselfly, curtesy of Jordi Strijdhorst\u2019s camera; right from the very start, Toon and Pascale waste no time in producing yet another knockout session. From the opening track, \u2018Limosa\u2019, Maarten and Luc apply themselves with some urgent accompaniment with violin and guitar, and straight onwards, the lovely diatonic accordions just fill the room with no-nonsense, swaggering and completely joyous sounds, building up and up even more. The serene \u2018Nehalennia\u2019 follows on and sets the mood with quiet and peaceful anticipation; Toon\u2019s bagpipe and guest Geregory Jolivet\u2019s hurdy-gurdy perform dances together in \u2018Heppiestep\u2019, and an recording of birds chirping heralds the pretty minor-key \u2018The Mistle Thrush\u2019. The gay and strident \u2018Howjef\u2019 keeps the atmosphere bubbling; guest Gregory has a field day on that, and Toon and Pascale tribute the wonderful notes of a certain Mr Cutting with \u2018We All Steal from Andy and We Love It\u2019. Wild bagpipes, guitar and diatonic accordion cook up a frenzied maelstrom in \u2018Desman\u2019, and the mood just quietens down for the graceful waltz in \u2018Dr Sue\u2019. Paddy\u2019s New Hair\u2019 is a proud and prancing jig, and the Naragonia Quartet sign out with a flourish with the jaw-dropping \u2018Vanellus\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>No doubt it: Toon, Pascale, Maarten and Luc have really excelled themselves with <em>Nehalennia<\/em>. Toon and Pascale\u2019s sheer mastery on the diatonic accordions just cannot be beaten, and I find myself listening to them over and over again. I keep on discovering fantastic arrangements that I didn\u2019t know was there; Toon\u2019s unbelievable proficiency on the bagpipes, saxophone and whistles is a work of art. Five stars!<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"HARTWIN\"><strong>HARTWIN<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<p><strong> <a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Hartwin-This-is-the-Place-CD.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3247\" src=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Hartwin-This-is-the-Place-CD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"117\" \/><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"This_is_the_Place\">This is the Place<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Trad Records TRAD039<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"_FIVE_STAR_CHOICE-13\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! *****<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Hartwin Dhoore, one of the three brothers who made up the fascinating Belgian globetrotters Trio Dhoore, continues to compose some inspiring and simply wonderful mastery. In the summer of 2023, the diatonic accordionist met up with violinist Pavel Souvandjiev and cellist Flavia Escartin; the three were playing around a bonfire in the middle of the Italian mountains at Zap-fest, which is, as Hartwin says in the sleeve notes, \u201cA small festival where time stands still and beautiful people celebrate life by making music and dancing under the stars.\u201d Hartwin, Pavel and Flavia felt so deeply connected by the fantastic atmosphere that they decided to form a trio; they toured throughout Europe and met so many kind souls, who were inspired by the sounds on this album.<\/p>\n<p>And what an album this is! Hartwin, who decided long ago to abolish his surname, has composed all nine absolutely moving and incredibly beautiful instrumental tracks \u2013 and the two classical musicians reach out to him and involve him in a heart-stopping dance of one cerebral mind. All three have been blessed with a strangely wonderful sixth sense; you couldn\u2019t fit a paper sheet between their extremely tight performance.<\/p>\n<p>The opening piece, \u2018In the Mountains\u2019, is Hartwin\u2019s tribute of how they got together; it\u2019s a dazzling and colourful display of violin, cello and diatonic accordion, with strong classical hints to boot, Hartwin coming to the fore and tumbling down again and Pavel and Flavia on a bright whirlwind of glittering notes. \u2018Eagle Feather\u2019 follows on, and you can almost taste the high, fresh air; and the alluring rhythm of \u2018Ronda\u2019 will keep the restless feet moving. \u2018Lighthouse Pt. 2\u2019 and \u2018A Bit Lost\u2019 have hypnotic stories to tell, while the compelling \u2018Liberi Danzatori\u2019 persuades and cajoles everybody to get in line and <em>move<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>The closing track and the album title, \u2018This is the Place\u2019, is a lesson on how to build up such stunning arrangements; Hartwin has left it to the last word: \u201cEven though we are very different characters. We noticed that the moment we start playing together, an alignment comes into place which makes us travel inwards and understand that this is the place where our lights shine the brightest, no matter in which country we find ourselves. This is the place where we are at ease and find peace where we feel seen and valued, and where we celebrate life.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"MICK8217S_QUICKS-12\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>MICK&#8217;S QUICKS<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<p>\u25ba Some years ago, golden-voiced Scottish Indian harpist, songwriter and Pembrokeshire-based <strong>Chloe Matharu<\/strong> came down to Llantrisant Folk Club, accompanied by guitarist Mike Chant; however, she moved to Scotland and trained as a Merchant Navy navigational officer, sailing around the globe. Chloe lives in Wemyss Bay on the Clyde Coast, and she\u2019s released the wonderful and haunting streamed single \u2018A Sailor\u2019s Prayer\u2019 (catalogue number CM202501); she plays her Punjabi grandfather\u2019s hand-held harmonium, gifted to her by her father\u2019s sister. Her original song is a prayer for countless sailors who were lost at sea, long before Samuel Plimsoll campaigned for load lines to be raised and callous owners deliberately scuttled many ships to claim insurance; in modern days, sailors still work the rocky coasts and deep oceans for a dangerous living. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba Edinburgh-based raw-energy folk instrumental quartet <strong>\u00c0irdan<\/strong> are fiddler Paul Sinclair, guitarist David Lennon, female drummer Ewa Adamiec and accordionist Coll Williamson; they have brought out their extremely impressive debut album, <em>Cosmic<\/em> (independent release, AIRCOS001) and all ten tracks contain three sizzling traditional tunes (including the beautiful Northern Swedish waltz \u2018Senpolska fr\u00e5n Torp\u2019) and 14 composed stunning melodies, mainly from the inspiring pens of Paul and Coll. \u00c0irdan possess a striking and unique sound, where fiddle and accordion scale the highest breathtaking peaks; all four formidable musicians create a fresh and vibrant atmosphere that is deeply rooted in Scottish tradition and boldly adventurous, from Paul and Colls\u2019 \u2018Cosmic Joe\u2019, through Coll\u2019s fiery medley \u2018Dug\u2019s Lugs\u2019, to the absolute finisher \u2018Last Drop\u2019. Produced by the acclaimed Anna Massie, <em>Cosmic<\/em> was recorded and mixed at the Gran\u2019s House Studio in the Southern Uplands by the River Clyde by Angus Lyon and Chris Waite; this really is a band to watch. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba Scottish cl\u00e0rsach performer, composer and ethnologist <strong>Grace Stewart-Skinner<\/strong> was born in the little Black Isle village of Avoch, located on the coast of the Moray Firth and a few miles north of Inverness; now she\u2019s living and working in Glasgow. Her debut album is <em>Auchies Spikkin\u2019 Auchie<\/em> (independent release, GSS001), a musical tribute marking its proud and special heritage. Avoch was once one of the oldest fishing communities with its own unique lingual and cultural heritage; but recent decades have given way to a drastic decrease in its fishing industry, mirrored by a fading away of Avochie, a broad Scots dialect with clear links to Gaelic. The rediscovery of an old recording with Grace\u2019s Boba (grandad) prompted her to investigate, but she was shocked to find there was no trace in the archives. She decided to make her own field recording; five Avochie villagers are captured with Grace making creating new music, accompanied by fiddler Rose Logan, double bassist Rhona MacDonald and \u00c0irdan member Ewa Adamiec on percussion and fiddle. The nine tracks include \u2018Th\u2019 Herrin\u2019 Must\u2019ve Taken Fricht\u2019, \u2018Womun\u2019, \u2018G\u2019 in th\u2019 Harbour fir a Dram\u2019 and \u2018Whit\u2019s \u2019ad Lochie?\u2019 Just listen! <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba After a lifetime of playing piano primarily for his own amusement, <strong>Jim Borrows<\/strong> realises a long-held ambition in his debut album, <em>Carry Me Back to My Old Front Door<\/em> (independently released, JB202401); and this time he\u2019s accompanied by world-class bassist, mandolin player and guitarist Dave Pegg from Fairport Convention and experienced multi-instrumentalist and highly talented producer James Wood as well. It\u2019s an entertaining mixture of 15 tracks, with Jim performing seven of his own imaginative and very fine barrelhouse songs, a healthy chunk of well-loved Dylan and Neil Young material and the beautiful closer written by the late Sandy Denny, the classic \u2018Who Knows Where the Time Goes?\u2019 Top favourite is Jim\u2019s \u2018The Water\u2019s as Sweet as Wine\u2019, a gleeful tale of his night of passion being scuppered by a glass of malt whisky \u2013 it\u2019s all good, clean fun! Fairport fiddler Ric Sanders, featured guest on Dylan\u2019s \u2018Seven Days\u2019, soars to wondrous heights on his electric violin. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba Senegalese kora virtuoso and singer-songwriter <strong>Kadialy Kouyat\u00e9 <\/strong>and his wonderful band have released the stunning album <em>To\u00f1a<\/em> (ARC Music, EUCD2977), his impressive ninth so far. Translating as \u2018Truth\u2019, he explores the concept that understanding and reflecting on the past allows us to fully embrace future opportunities and our experiences and shape our beliefs, values and decisions; by revisiting past events with honesty and introspection, we gain insight into behaviour, learn from previous mistakes and acknowledge the lessons that brought us growth. From the exciting opening \u2018Kana Cumbo\u2019 to the finale \u2018\u00c7a Ira\u2019, his kora erupts with brilliant fireworks of breathtaking notes; it\u2019s truly a moving and visionary performance. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba Reknowned Irish traditional flautist <strong>Catherine McEvoy<\/strong>, based in County Meath and\u00a0 considered one of the best exponents of the Sligo-Roscommon style of flute playing, has brought out her third album, <em>Down the Crushen Road<\/em> (independent release, no catalogue number) \u2013 14 absolutely lovely tracks of reels, jigs, hornpipes, airs and waltzes, performed with grace, depth and clarity. She\u2019s accompanied on the piano by her nephew, Paddy McEvoy, and Ruairi McGorman on Greek bouzouki. Born to Irish parents, she grew up surrounded by music in an Irish emigrant community in Birmingham in the English Midlands; in an act of solidarity, she donates all of her album\u2019s profits to Medical Aid for Palestine and Ireland Aid for Palestine. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><span id=\"JUNE_2025\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">JUNE 2025<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"MICK8217S_QUICKS-13\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>MICK&#8217;S QUICKS<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<p>\u25ba Wonderful S\u00e1mi singer and artist <strong>Sara Ajnnak <\/strong>and stunning improvisational folk duo <strong>The Ciderhouse Rebellion<\/strong> (cracking fiddler Adam Summerhayes and highly inventive accordionist Murray Grainger) are just in the middle of a year-long musical journey, \u2018Landscape of the Spirits\u2019, which invites listeners to delve into S\u00e1mi culture and language combined with a deeply human dialogue between land, spirit, ancestry and sound. They completed <em>Part One: Ge\u00e4rkakame \u2013 Cradle,<\/em> the beginning of life, music, and relationship to land, on February 14 this year, and they are releasing the penetratingly complex four-track <em>Part Two: G\u00e1rr\u00e1nis &#8211; Raven<\/em> (SE496, catalogue number #002) on June 21, which tells of the shadow, the messenger, the link between the seen and unseen. <em>Part Three: H\u00e1lluo &#8211; Desire<\/em> and <em>Part Four: Min\u014b\u014bemus &#8211; Ending<\/em> will be released on August 29 and October 31 respectively. Sara lives in the region of S\u00e1pmi in the far north of Finland, which hugs the Norwegian border; her intoxicating and hypnotic voice snugly nestles in with Adam and Murray, who excel themselves with some really visionary performances. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba Edinburgh-based trio <strong>Curmudgeon<\/strong> &#8211; made up of Lawrie Brett (lead vocals, guitar), Donald Gorman (fiddle, mandola, backing vocals) and Andrew Macintyre (Scottish small pipes, lead vocals) \u2013 have brought out their ten-track debut album, <em>Travelling North<\/em> (independent release, CURM001), a heartfelt and finely-crafted batch of traditional tunes and written songs. The fine musicianship never falters, from the opening medley of traditional Shetland melodies and the Scottish writer-singer Kenny Brill\u2019s \u2018To Hunt the Whale\u2019 to the late Bill Caddick\u2019s \u2018Unicorns\u2019 and Richard Thompson\u2019s classic \u2018Beeswing\u2019. The band tribute Archie Webster\u2019s \u2018The Last o\u2019 the Clydesdales\u2019 and Davy Steele\u2019s \u2018The Last Trip Home\u2019; all in all, it\u2019s an outstanding quality collection. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba African-American gay songwriter and pianist <strong>Kemp Harris<\/strong> focusses sharply on the unending and continual race problems in the USA in his hard-hitting ten-track album <em>The America Chronicles<\/em> (self released, no catalogue number), with a lot of help from legendary bassist Freebo, AKA Daniel Friedberg. He\u2019s an artist that defies categorisation; a master weaver of American musical styles, actor, activist, author and storyteller and an award-winning educator who taught elementary school students for more than 40 years. From the opener \u2018Ruthie\u2019s\u2019 to the finale \u2018Goodnight America\u2019, he drives home what it\u2019s like to be a black gay man; he even pokes merciless fun at the Trump administration with \u2018This is America Right\u2019. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"JIM_CAUSLEY\"><strong>JIM CAUSLEY<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<h2><span id=\"The_Georgic\">The Georgic<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Jim-Causley-The-Georgic-CD.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3237\" src=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Jim-Causley-The-Georgic-CD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Hr\u00f5c Music HROC10<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.jimcausley.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.jimcausley.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n<p>2025 marks 20 years since the release of Jim Causley\u2019s debut album <em>Fruits of the Earth<\/em> on Doug Bailey\u2019s WildGoose label, which gained him his first BBC Radio 2 Folk Award nomination: the Horizon Award for Best Newcomer \u2013 it also marks 22 years of Jim\u2019s career as a performer on the national folk scene. <em>The Georgic<\/em> is Jim\u2019s second CD of his own self-penned songs, the follow-up to 2016\u2019s <em>Forgotten Kingdom<\/em> and his twelfth solo studio album; and the catalyst for this new collection of songs was born about his involvement in artist Simon Pope\u2019s <em>Here\u2019s to Thee<\/em> project, which set out to create a brand new wassail ceremony to honour the \u2018unseen\u2019 elements of traditional cider-making.<\/p>\n<p><em>The Georgic<\/em> is a proud celebration of Devon cider industry and Devon\u2019s sturdiest and strongest traditions; Jim first composed \u2018The Halstow Wassail\u2019 for this new custom, held on Halstow Farm in Mid-Devon where the Gray family have been brewing traditional farmhouse cider for over 400 years. However, the 2021 covid lockdowns delayed the wassail being held in the traditional month of January \u2013 so Jim composed another piece, \u2018The Blossail Song\u2019, a combination of wassailing and maying customs. He went on to write two more seasonal songs for the cider-making year on the farm, for rogation or beating-the-bounds (\u2018Rogation Day\u2019) and another for the apple harvest in the autumn; these songs were recorded live on the farm, and Jim and the wassailers have an absolute field day. Jim sings \u2018The Halstow Wassail\u2019 in three different farm locations, which are in the orchard, in the Pound House and in the cider cellar, and he comes up with different winning lyrics every time.<\/p>\n<p>Jim\u2019s album is totally crammed with a very generous 18 tracks; the opening \u2018Old Cider\u2019 sounds like a field recording featuring the Whimple Wassail processional tune with sundry wassailers roaring out the chorus, while Jim writes the imposing \u2018Elegy for Geraint\u2019 \u2013 believed to have been the last king of seventh-century Dumnonia, what is now become modern Devon. Jim weaves in the beautiful Welsh melody \u2018Ddiniwed\u2019, the inspiration coming from the ancient Black Book of Carmarthen. \u2018The Voice of the People\u2019 was a commission for the Devon Voice Group as a new anthem for Devon people who are passionate about local culture, dialect and accents; Anne Edwardson wrote the lyrics and Jim composed the tune. On another tack, Tim Verbeek and Jim composed \u2018Denkend aan Stenen\u2019 for their community theatre project of the same name; the project came about through their shared love of each other\u2019s neolithic landscapes, namely the stone-rows of Dartmoor and the Drenthe hunebedden in the Netherlands.<\/p>\n<p>The rest of <em>The Georgic<\/em> is made up of his own songs about the trials and tribulations of contemporary rural life as told through the folk idiom; from the hardship of farming in the 20<sup>th<\/sup> century and the loss of native species to the housing crisis affecting rural working class people. Some are inspired by traditional songs while others are completely original. The album ends with a live show, and Jim sets the audience laughing with his own comedy song \u2018Volks Roun\u2019 Yur\u2019. It\u2019s a really lovely collection &#8211; and Jim dedicates it to the memory of his father Ross Causley, who was born in 1939 and passed away in 2024.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"MICK8217S_QUICKS-14\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>MICK&#8217;S QUICKS<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<p>\u25ba Californian fiddler, guitarist and wonderfully fine singer <strong>Suzy Thompson <\/strong>tributes ten glittering gems by 1970s songwriter Paul Siebel in <em>Suzy<\/em> <em>Sings Seibel<\/em><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>(self-released, no catalogue number). Siebel recorded two Elektra albums, but suffered debilitating stage fright and his songwriting dried up; he retired and disappeared. Suzy formed a friendship with him, and he loved her singing his songs. He was in his 80s and living in rural Maryland, and he died on April 5, 2022. Familiar folk session musicians include Cindy Cashdollar (lap steel and dobro), John Sebastian, banjoist Bill Evans, Kate Brislin and Jody Stecher, who produced the tracks and also played mandolin and guitar. Release date is August 15. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba A long time ago, Vermont-based <strong>Steve Gillette<\/strong> and Cindy Mangsen came down to Llantrisant Folk Club on their transatlantic tour singing his penetrating and completely beautiful songs, and we loved every precious minute of it. Many famous artists, from Linda Ronstadt and John Denver to Nanci Griffith and Iain Matthews, former member of Fairport Convention and Matthews&#8217; Southern Comfort,\u00a0 have performed his wonderful material; so Steve decided to record twelve of his favourite \u2018hits\u2019 in his album <em>Steve Gillette: Best of<\/em> (Compass Rose Music), tracing the best songs that he has been involved with over the years, and some new ones as well. There\u2019s a stellar dream team of top Nashville studio musicians accompanying him, and the album crams a spectacular bunch of the strongest songs from his catalogue. Steve and Cindy declare: \u201cWe&#8217;ve retired from touring, but not from making music!\u201d <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba Classically trained at the Royal Academy of Music, flautist Emily Andrews and acoustic guitarist David Massey were both raised in families where singing folk music and songs were entwined in everyday life. The <strong>Andrews Massey Duo<\/strong> album, <em>from the roots\u2026new branches <\/em>(self-released, AMD006) contains 13 well-known and very familiar instrumental chestnuts, including \u2018The Skye Boat Song\u2019, \u2018Molly Malone\u2019, \u2018Loch Lomond\u2019 and the shanty medley \u2018Drunken Sailor\/Wellerman\u2019 &#8211; there\u2019s some pretty impressive banjo on \u2018Wayfaring Stranger\u2019, though. Not an album for discerning folkies, but a friendly guide for those who are just discovering the wonderful world of tradition and want to find out more<u>.<\/u> \u00a0<strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"ODETTE_MICHELL\"><strong>ODETTE MICHELL<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<h2><span id=\"The_Queen_of_the_Lowlands\">The Queen of the Lowlands<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Odette-Michell-Queen-of-the-Lowlands-CD.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3231\" src=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Odette-Michell-Queen-of-the-Lowlands-CD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Talking Elephant Records, no catalogue number<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.odettemichell.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.odettemichell.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Watch out for entrancingly-voiced Odette Michell, a captivating singer and songwriter who is based in the East Anglian city of Cambridge. Yorkshire-born with an Irish heritage, Odette has been hotly tipped since releasing her debut offering <em>The Wildest Rose<\/em>, dubbed by fRoots Magazine as \u201cOne of the stand-out albums of 2019\u201d. Five years on comes the award-winning performer\u2019s second studio collection, <em>The Queen of the Lowlands<\/em> &#8211; ten evocative, self-penned tracks weaving together personal and historical stories, songs of the sea and extraordinary true people. These are refreshingly new material, but Odette blurs the lines so expertly that the listeners could easily believe that the songs come straight from the traditional canon. She says: \u201cMy approach to songwriting is to try to be as authentic as possible while keeping a foothold in the folk tradition &#8211; it\u2019s a balancing act, but every song is personal to me at some level.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Megson member Stu Hanna is the expert producer, and he plays mandolin, fiddle, bass and percussion on the release, which boasts an enviable line-up of guest musicians &#8211; star fiddlers Phil Beer and Fairport Convention member Chris Leslie, the Ninebarrow duo Jon Whitley and Jay LaBouchardiere, Daria Kulesh, Scottish folk singer Calum Gilligan, double bassist Lukas Drinkwater and Vicki Swan on Scottish smallpipes.<\/p>\n<p>Odette thoroughly raises the bar with an incredibly beautiful opener, \u2018The Woodlark and the Fieldfare\u2019, Jon and Jay\u2019s high harmonies sounding enthrallingly angelic. Her songwriting craft has become more sophisticated and polished; \u2018Hourglass\u2019, which has Odette duetting with Calum, is a melodic, moving song and is her loving tribute to her father. The magnificent album title track brings to life the little-known story of the heroic Dutch passenger steamship SS Koningen der Nederlanden, named after Queen Wilhelmina; converted into a World War One troopship, she transported American expeditionary forces to France and later repatriated more than 10,000 war-weary troops to U.S. ports. \u2018St Helen\u2019s\u2019 is a family-inspired song involving Odette\u2019s 19<sup>th<\/sup> century ancestor Mary Quinn; she fled from Ireland and endured a dangerous sea crossing to Liverpool, where she became the central character in a true Merseyside love story \u2013 and the great Scottish novelist and poet Bobert Louis Stevenson, who died aged just 44, is the inspiration for the poignant \u2018Requiem\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>Odette and Daria co-wrote the murder ballad \u2018Flowers\u2019, and the upbeat \u2018Lady Constance\u2019 involves the rebel Anglo-Irish countess, suffragist and political activist Constance Markevicz, who died penniless after giving away the last of her wealth.<\/p>\n<p>The haunting \u2018Waterline\u2019 must be the standout song; Odette paints a vivid picture of rusting trawlers at Fleetwood on Lancashire\u2019s Fylde coast, boats destroyed by their owners\u2019 own hands in return for cash handouts from Brussels, wrecking a once flourishing fishing community. \u2018My Love is Like The Rondelet\u2019 is a bitter true tale of a failed long-distance relationship, and the final fine song is the jaunty \u2018All the Bonny Ships\u2019, an optimistic true story about her father\u2019s Polish parents, separated for seven years during the Second World War and reunited in England in 1946.<\/p>\n<p><em>The Queen of the Lowlands<\/em> is a truly great album; Odette is a wonderful musician and an enticing singer, and I humbly bow and doff my cap to her unique songwriting art. Beside the likes of Jez Lowe, Richard Thompson, Dougie MacLean and Boo Hewerdine, she\u2019s certainly taken her rightful place in the Songwriters\u2019 gallery.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"MICK8217S_QUICKS-15\"><strong><span style=\"color: #008000;\">MICK&#8217;S QUICKS<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<p>\u25ba Glasgow, in Scottish Gaelic Glaschu, translates as The Green Place; <strong>M\u00e0iri MacMillan<\/strong> was born in South Uist, Outer Hebrides, but has lived in her beloved city for 30 years. In 2024, she participated in Glasgow Life\u2019s GUIR project, writing nine new Gaelic songs which were inspired by Glasgow, the place of Gaelic within the city and Glasgow\u2019s many green spaces. She worked with Haitian musician and composer Germa Adan, who plays guitar, violins and piano; pianist Rory Matheson and saxophonist Matt Carmichael accompanied. The album <em>Glaschu: Songs to a City<\/em> (Independent release, MMM2CD) captures the exciting spirit of this gateway to the West Coast Highlands. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>\u25ba Now, this is a bit of all right! Belgian musician <strong>Ward Doore<\/strong>, one of the three brothers Trio Doore and spearheads the go-ahead Belgian label Trad Records, composes and arranges ten wonderful, dreamy and totally relaxing instrumental tunes on piano, harmonium, synths and soundscapes in his album <em>It Was All Heart<\/em> (Trad Records, TRAD037). Tuba player and trumpeter Daniel Herskedal co-wrote two tracks, and Ward invites him and Esther Coorevits (viola), Louis Favre (Drums, percussion), Oscar Beerten (violin, Hardanger fiddle) and cellist Seraphine Stragier to join in with the session. Some albums really tire you out, but this one is invigorating, refreshing and life-confirming. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba London singer and songwriter <strong>Holly Holden<\/strong> has embarked on a long love affair with Latin America, and although her roots are English, her heart belongs to Columbia and the Caribbean countries. She releases an exciting eight-track album, <em>Al Andar<\/em> (independent label, no catalogue number) on July 7; it translates as \u201cOn our way\u201d, \u201cwhile walking\u201d or \u201cin motion\u201d, and it\u2019s a voyage of self-discovery. Her amazing voice is incredibly fluent in Spanish or in English; she plays cuatro and producer Greg Sanders is efficient on many instruments, including the cavaquinho. Definitely bright, sunny, happy world music! <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba Chicago singer-songwriter <strong>Chrissy Johnson<\/strong> just scrapes through the FolkWales OM\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 reviews page, which filters out suspect pop or rock fodder that is really far wide of our ambit; she walks a very fine line between in-your-face commercial Americana (dreaded coined word!) and her acoustic-guitar repertoire. Her 12-track album, <em>Shake When You\u2019re Steady<\/em> (Self-released, no catalogue number) contains a surfeit of catchy and hummable numbers, but unfortunately her lyrics are almost drowned out by horns, electric guitars and percussion. Highlights are \u2018Runaway Love\u2019, \u2018Only Now\u2019 and \u2018Soldier of Reverie\u2019. <strong>(FolkWales verdict: Thumbs wavering\u2026)<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><span id=\"MAY_2025\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">MAY 2025<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"EILIDH_SHAW_ROSS_MARTIN\"><strong>EILIDH SHAW &amp; ROSS MARTIN<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<h2><span id=\"Stay_Here_All_Night\">Stay Here All Night<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Eilidh-Shaw-and-Ross-Martin-Stay-Here-All-Night-CD.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3225\" src=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Eilidh-Shaw-and-Ross-Martin-Stay-Here-All-Night-CD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"115\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Rhubana Records: RRCD02<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.eilidhshawrossmartin.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.eilidhshawrossmartin.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Born out of the long musical winter of lockdowns and cancelled gigs, the obvious choice faced by many couples was to either order another case of wine or build a home studio. Celebrated Scottish musicians Eilidh and Ross did both of these things &#8211; and the resulting second offering is a festival of creativity, brim-full of the flair and style for which that the duo have become known. In short, it\u2019s a lovely, refreshing album.<\/p>\n<p>Eilidh and Ross \u2013 also known as Birl-esque \u2013 are current members of the all-female band The Poozies and Gaelic supergroup Daimh. They have recorded many albums, and <em>Stay Here All Night<\/em> is simply gorgeous; it\u2019s an eleven-track inspirational session which will snare and trap you and beg you to listen. Eilidh\u2019s gutsy, dancing fiddles and Ross\u2019s consummate guitar arrangements magically blend together. Her instruments take the lead on her new and colourful compositions; the delightfully complicated opener \u2018Jen &amp; Arnaud\u2019s\u2019 and the catchy gaiety of \u2018Swimmy Tunes\u2019 snuggle up alongside old Highland classics like \u2018Thief of Lochaber\u2019 and \u2018Paddy\u2019s Waltzes\u2019, a medley of Gaelic waltzes taken from her father\u2019s home-made music book. Her pretty song \u2018Stay Here All Night\u2019 is strongly reminiscent of a dreamy country tune, enhanced by Ross\u2019s pedal steel guitar &#8211; and Julia Darling and Tim Dalling\u2019s original song \u2018Two Lighthouses\u2019 is simply a gorgeous creation, boosted by session guest Willie MacAskill\u2019s high harmony.<\/p>\n<p>The album is built on an impressive list of guest musicians that happened to be either passing the couple\u2019s Highland home in the village of Morar or had made the same decision during the dark days of covid and contributed their share from their own home studios \u2013 the illustrious Donald Shaw and Capercaillie member, for instance, who plays the accordion on \u2018Paddy\u2019s Waltzes\u2019. Other friends include Kenny Knowles (drums and percussion), Sarah Macfadyen (banjo), Chris Greive ( trombone and tuba), Casey Driessen (fiddles), while Daimh colleague Angus Mackenzie records pipes and whistles and Calum Mackenzie adds drones. Eilidh and Ross tribute Willie\u2019s song \u2018Better Off Dead\u2019, and doff the cap on Sandy Wright\u2019s gleeful musings, \u2018Stoned Again\u2019. Dougie Hunter\u2019s beautiful melody \u2018Sileas\u2019 perfectly ends a completely satisfying and thoroughly addictive collection. More, please!<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"DONALD_WG_LINDSAY\"><strong>DONALD WG LINDSAY<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<h2><span id=\"Two_Boats_Under_The_Moon_double_disc\">Two Boats Under The Moon (double disc)<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Donald-WG-Lindsay-Two-Boats-Under-The-Moon-CD.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3219\" src=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Donald-WG-Lindsay-Two-Boats-Under-The-Moon-CD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Independent release; DL001<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.donaldwglindsay.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.donaldwglindsay.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>This fascinating and dreamy double disc is the impressive solo song debut of Scottish \u00a0musician and instrument inventor-cum-builder Donald WG Lindsay; it\u2019s a lovely and peaceful collection of 14 live-in-the-studio recordings, made during December 2024 at Watercolour Music in Ardgour in the beautiful West Highlands. The producer is Nick Turner, husband of spectacular vocalist and broadcaster Mary Ann Kennedy; Donald sings with his marvelous voice, plays guitar and performs on his own \u2018Lindsay System\u2019 Scottish smallpipes. BBC Musician of the Year finalist Roo Geddes, born and raised by a highly musical family in Glasgow and graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with first-class honours, performs breath-taking violin and piano in a duo with him.<\/p>\n<p>Disc One is themed as a volume of original songs, including his own serene five-minute \u2018Casuarina\u2019, the Hugh Caldwell poem \u2018Johnnie Blues Well\u2019 (a seven-and-a-half-minute track which Donald made the tune a few years ago) and the album title song \u2018Two Boats Under the Moon\u2019, which he wrote during his three-year stay on Ascension Island on the South Atlantic. Allan Ramsay\u2019s \u2018An Thou Were My Ain Thing\u2019 finishes the first half; it lasts for more than 11-and-a-half minutes, Donald\u2019s vocals deliciously stringing it out.<\/p>\n<p>The second disc concentrates on mainly traditional Scots repertoire; from the toned-down beauties of \u2018Wild Rover\u2019, through Robert Burns\u2019 \u2018Guidwife, Count the Lawin\u2019, James \u2018Besom Johnnie\u2019 Henderson\u2019s classic \u2018Tramps and Hawkers\u2019 to the finishing blockbuster \u2018Hind Horn\u2019, which lasts for shy on 15 minutes, this fine album oozes respect, love and sheer confidence. Above all, Donald\u2019s smallpipes rise above the songs like the lark in the morning with a trio of tunes, namely \u2018The Grinder\u2019, \u2018Hardiman the Fiddler\u2019 and \u2018Fy Let Us Tae the Bridal\u2019 \u2013 what a satisfying album, which surely grows and grows on the listener.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"JOCELYN_PETTIT_ELLEN_GIRA\"><strong>JOCELYN PETTIT &amp; ELLEN GIRA \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<h2><span id=\"Here_to_Stay\">Here to Stay<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Joceyn-and-Ellen-Here-to-Stay-CD.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3216\" src=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Joceyn-and-Ellen-Here-to-Stay-CD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Independent Release; no catalogue number<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.jocelynpettit.com\/home\">www.jocelynpettit.com\/home<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"_FIVE_STAR_CHOICE-14\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! *****<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Wonderful fiddler, composer and step-dancer Jocelyn and classical cellist Ellen will be off on tour in Wales and the UK once again, crossing the wild Atlantic from their distant homes in the Canadian West Coast of British Columbia and the state of Maryland, USA, and promoting this really fabulous follow-up album, which will be released on June 3, 2025. <em>Here to Stay<\/em> is brim-full of amazing traditional and self-written tunes and songs, furious Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois reels, wild strathspeys and beautiful waltzes; it celebrates home and travel, with 11 carefully-crafted tracks inspired by Jocelyn and Ellen\u2019s roots and where their passions have taken them. Since their first meeting in the Scottish city of Glasgow in 2018, they have both returned to their North American homes &#8211; much like the journey of the Common Loon or Great Northern Diver, as depicted in artist Roberta Landreth\u2019s striking design on the front cover. They write: \u201cThe Loon symbolises tranquility, serenity and the reawakening of hopes and dreams. We are grateful to make our dream a reality, helping keep traditional music alive and celebrating this \u2018living tradition\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I awarded five stars to Jocelyn and Ellen\u2019s debut album, <em>All It Brings<\/em>, but <em>Here to Stay<\/em> is equally as marvelous \u2013 and better. This album was put together by Alex Penny in Monarch Studios in Vancouver and Noah Sullivan and Ois\u00edn Hannigan at Banjaxed Records, Montr\u00e9al in the province of Qu\u00e9bec; Jocelyn and Ellen are joined on several tracks by Montr\u00e9al-based guest guitarist Everest Witman and one final track by Ois\u00edn on bodhr\u00e1n.<\/p>\n<p>The opener \u2018Bellechasse\u2019 just explodes into three French Canadian step-dance reels, one traditional (\u2018Reel de Bellechasse\u2019), one composed by the late accordionist Philippe Bruneau (\u2018Hommage aux Fr\u00e8res Pigeon\u2019) and one Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois tune (\u2018Reel Beaulieu\u2019). All of a sudden, they change styles with \u2018Passport to Mettabee\u2019, with Jocelyn\u2019s quiet and lovely jig (\u2018Mettebee Hill\u2019) followed by a favourite Danish tune, Harald Haugaard\u2019s switchback \u2018Passport Ljubljana\u2019. Jocelyn and Ellen possess a magical sixth sense of musicians\u2019 interplay, weaving around each other\u2019s instruments; they dive into really complicated and appealing harmonies, and the gyrating fiddle and cello, coupled with their sparkling voices, definitely seals their own special and unique sound.<\/p>\n<p>They play a fierce Scottish strathspey &#8211; reputedly Robert Burns\u2019 favourite &#8211; that crossed the Atlantic and became an Appalachian tune, while in \u2018Midnight\u2019, Ellen and Jocelyn compose both melodies; \u2018The Final Stretch\u2019 was written as Ellen wrapped up the final stretch of her PhD, while Jocelyn wrote \u2018Midnight Ceilidh\u2019, inspired by the welcoming hosts they meet along their musical journey and the late night kitchen parties shared.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Blow Ye Winds\u2019 is a traditional Child ballad, and Jocelyn and Ellen found this in <em>Folk Songs of Old New England<\/em>; they paired Jocelyn\u2019s tune \u2018Mother of the Wind\u2019 in honour of her home town Squamish, which translates to \u2018mother of the wind\u2019 in the Coast Salish language.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Return\u2019 is two fantastic tunes \u2013 Ian Stevenson\u2019s \u2018Return to Helsinki\u2019 and Annlaug B\u00f8rsheim\u2019s \u2018Da Lounge Bar\u2019 \u2013 that Jocelyn and Ellen always associate with transatlantic travels, starry nights and Nordic sessions; and Ellen\u2019s wistful song, \u2018Going Home\u2019, was inspired by her move from Glasgow back to her native Maryland. \u2018Road Trip to Cape Breton\u2019 is a fine blast of tunes, with Jocelyn and Ellen\u2019s fond memories of road tripping to Cape Breton in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia to perform at the Celtic Colours International Festival; \u2018Maurice Lennon\u2019s Tribute to Larry Reynolds\u2019 was written by Irish fiddler and composer Lennon, who played in the 1980s band Stockton\u2019s Wing, and \u2018Reel for Carl\u2019 was composed by the late fiddler and step dancer Jerry Holland, born in the state of Massachusetts to a New Brunswick father and a Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois mother. He moved permanently to Cape Breton Island in 1975 and died in 2009, aged just 54.<\/p>\n<p>Jocelyn and Ellen wrote the proud march \u2018Mona\u2019s\u2019, tributing Mona MacIsaac and all her family, and Ellen composed the pretty \u2018Catherine\u2019s Waltz\u2019, written in loving memory of her grandmother, Dr Catherine Gira. The last track, and arguably the best, is Jocelyn\u2019s\u2019\u00a0 gay jig \u2018Here to Stay\u2019, a song about coming together for strength and happiness, even in times of hardship; the ear-worm chorus goes: \u201cAnd we will sing out loud, dance the night away \/ even in the darkness our love is here to stay\u2026\u201d Jocelyn wove \u2018Mary-Jane\u2019s Jig\u2019 into the hummable tune, written in honour of her dear cousin whose bright spirit lives on.<\/p>\n<p>What can I say? I\u2019m looking forward very much to seeing Jocelyn and Ellen live, and this album has definitely whetted my appetite in shedloads. \u2018Nuff said!<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"MICK8217S_QUICKS-16\"><strong><span style=\"color: #008000;\">MICK&#8217;S QUICKS<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<p>\u25baOne of Folk Music\u2019s most respected and enduring artists in the UK and US, <strong>Peggy Seeger<\/strong>, embarks on her final 90<sup>th<\/sup> Birthday Farewell Tour in Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland from May 14 to June 24; she appears with her sons Neill and Calum MacColl in Pontardawe Arts Centre (May 30) and Rhosygilwen Mansion, Pembrokeshire (May 30). Her 25th and final album, <em>Teleology<\/em> (Red Grape Music, RGPSCD5, produced by Calum), is an 11-track compendium of songs, including the opener \u2018Sing About These Hard Times\u2019, \u2018I Want To Meet Paul Simon\u2019, \u2018Slow\u2019 (which she wrote with Calum) and the classic \u2018The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face\u2019, written for her by her late husband Ewan MacColl, which she beautifully interprets, playing solo piano. Farewell, Peggy \u2013 you\u2019re one in the million. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25baIt\u2019s fiddle fever! The <strong>Scottish Fiddle Orchestra <\/strong>has been bringing the best of Scotland\u2019s traditional and written music to audiences across the globe from nigh on 45 years; their groundbreaking blend of instruments and arrangements combining strings, wind, accordions, percussion and pipes have become a template for a host of contemporary groups. Their latest recording, <em>Sleeping Warrior<\/em> (SFOCD1001), engineered by David Donaldson and produced by Kobus Frick in Glasgow\u2019s Clockwork Sessions Studio, is a 14-track celebration of Scotland\u2019s timeless beauty and musical heritage, from the opening \u2018William Kydd\u2019s Welcome to Orkney\u2019, the rugged silhouette of the Isles of Arran, where the sleeping warrior rests in his eternal watch, to the favourite \u2018Skye Boat Song\u2019. There are too many names to list here, but conductor Blair Packham, leader Yla Steven and the Orchestra invite the listener on a journey that evokes the true spirit of the land. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba After a warmly-received launch show at the Muziekclub \u2018t Ey and a sold-out Handelsbeurs in the Belgian city of Ghent, the five-strong <strong>Ghent Folk Violin Project<\/strong> have released their third stunning album <em>OGOPOGO <\/em>(Homerecords, no catalogue number). has been released. GFVP\u2019s amazing repertoire consists of a maelstrom of folk, classical, world music and jazz genres, and the musicians are violinists Wouter Vandenabeele, Lotte Remmen (voice), Anouk Sanczuk (violin and mandolin, a member of the Belgian band Broes), Naomi Vercauteren and guitarist Jeroen Knapen (voice). The 11-track album is made up of a handful of lovely traditional melodies and jaw-dropping original tunes, written by Wouter, Anouk and the members of the band. In short, extremely impressive. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25baCanadian roots artists and solo songwriters <strong>Gordie Tentrees &amp; Jaxon Haldane <\/strong>recorded the ten-track album <em>Double Takes<\/em> (Self-released, no catalogue number) on a whirlwind trip to Nashville, Tennessee, where they managed to corral some of the Music City\u2019s top players and vocalists. The result is a hugely enjoyable hoedown, with electric and acoustic guitars, banjo, mandolin, lap steel, fiddle-saw, harmonica and resonator all chiming in. Favourite songs are \u2018Bygone Days\u2019, \u2018Arcata\u2019, \u2018Tinkering\u2019 and \u2018Gratitude\u2019 \u2013 nice! <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><span id=\"APRIL_2025\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">APRIL 2025<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"MICK8217S_QUICKS-17\"><strong><span style=\"color: #008000;\">MICK&#8217;S QUICKS<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<p>\u25baSinger-songwriter <strong>Nigel Stonier<\/strong> is an acoustic guitarist, pianist and record producer who has collaborated with many folk luminaries such as Fairport Convention, Chris Leslie, Chris While, Rod Clements and Kathryn Tickell; he also joined Thea Gilmore on a project commissioned by Island Records to create completed songs from unfinished manuscripts left by the late Sandy Denny. His new album, <em>Wolf Notes<\/em> (APM Records APMR024, released on May 2) is filled with exhilarating and uplifting words and music, with many strong sounds of fiddles, banjos and uilleann pipes and an all-pervading beat. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25baNewcastle University folk course graduates and award-winning husband-and-wife duo <strong>Will Finn and Rosie Calvert<\/strong> perform really impressive traditional American material and British contemporary folk music with jaw-dropping harmonies, piano, steel pan, ukulele and a stage presence that is both joyful and warmly magnetic. Their second digital bandcamp album, <em>Fallow Alchemy<\/em>, is brimming over with 14 tracks of rare and amazing songs, kicking off with Loudon Wainright lll\u2019s singalong \u2018Swimming Song\u2019, the acapella \u2018Mariah\u2019s Gone\u2019, the hypnotic \u2018Leatherwing Bat\u2019 and the concluding showstopper \u2018Lady What Do You Do All Day?\u2019 \u2013 a tongue-twisting tornado where Rosie lists all the innumerable thankless wifely tasks and demands: \u201cWhere the hell are my wages?\u201d What an absolute bargain for \u00a312, and here\u2019s very good news: they\u2019re coming to Llantrisant Folk Club on November 12. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25baBelgian diatonic accordionist and English violinist <strong>Hartwin &amp; Ross Grant<\/strong> have just completed their busy <em>New Beginnings<\/em> launch tour, which took them around Belgium and England; both of them are wonderful composers and are known as two outstanding innovators within their own country\u2019s traditional music culture. The five-track digital EP of the same name (Trad Records, TRAD040) is just sublime; they offer a fascinating blend of traditional English and Flemish instrumentals and self-penned originals played from the heart, and are backed up with lovely arrangements of the playful and driving fiddle and accordion. Twenty minutes of sheer bliss \u2013 just listen to Dhoore and Grant. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25baHere\u2019s a welcome turn-up for the books &#8211; I hadn\u2019t come across <strong>Tim Collins<\/strong> or where he comes from in Ireland, but his very fine anglo-concertina musicianship and his highly impressive composing are something extremely special. He\u2019s recorded his second bandcamp album, <em>Weaving the Tune<\/em>, and it\u2019s packed with 14 glorious traditional and self-written beautiful airs, gay polkas, breathtaking reels, strutting hornpipes and proud marches &#8211; just himself, his blistering-hot instrument, the accompanying piano and a few friends. He&#8217;s launching the album at St Columba\u2019s Church in Ennis on April 25 at the Consairt\u00edn Festival, the national concertina conference, at 4.30pm; I\u2019d better look sharp, hop on a ferry and see Tim live\u2026 <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"CHRISTINA_ALDEN_ALEX_PATTERSON\"><strong>CHRISTINA ALDEN &amp; ALEX PATTERSON<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<h2><span id=\"Safe_Travels\">Safe Travels<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Christina-and-Alex-Safe-Travels-CD.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3208\" src=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Christina-and-Alex-Safe-Travels-CD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Folk Cellar Records: no catalogue number<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.christinaaldenandalexpatterson.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.christinaaldenandalexpatterson.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Folk musicians, singers and songwriters Christina and Alex will release this utterly delightful album soon on May 9, 2025; <em>Safe Travels<\/em> follows on four years after their highly impressive <em>Hunter<\/em> debut in 2021. Their wonderfully unique sound evokes the free-and-easy welcome of summertime with two wanderers setting sail on their voyages near and far, exploring elements of the call of home, close family ties and their connection to the natural world. They also have a new baby; Christina gave birth to Etta, and <em>Safe Travels<\/em> is a deeply personal collection of songs which explores their journey into the wonder of new parenthood.<\/p>\n<p>Christina\u2019s crystal-clear voice takes the lead, with Alex\u2019s seamlessly-matched vocals slotting in neatly in perfect harmony. Her guitar, tenor guitar and banjo set the scene while he accompanies her with his fiddle, viola, tenor guitar and shruti. Their compositions are gentle, peaceful and soaked with sweet melody, and they even carry out the folk philosophy of crafting the album by themselves to cut out the middleman; Christina has designed many simple illustrations and made the environmentally-friendly sleeve, while Alex recorded and produced the 11 tracks in their folk cellar, beneath their little 16<sup>th<\/sup> century house which nestles in the oldest streets in the East Anglian city of Norwich. <em>Safe Travels<\/em> leaves listeners with a peaceful and warming feeling, which takes them by the hand and persuades them to hear the songs again and again.<\/p>\n<p>Christina and Alex have already been out on tour in folk festivals, arts centres and theatres in a bid to promote the album, but they have this magical knack of shrinking vast concert halls to the intimate warmth and comfort of a kitchen session. The opening title track, \u2018Safe Travels\u2019, is a wish for lonely travellers and loved ones who feel the pull of a new horizon and the anchor\u2019s tug to return home safely. Christina was brought up in a musical family; in the following song, \u2018Our House\u2019, she fondly remembers the happy experiences when she was a child, her mother invited her friends into the kitchen for an informal folk night every Friday. The kids would have the run of the house, but their ears would soon be pressed to the kitchen door to soak up the lovely music. \u2018Winter Song\u2019 is a love letter to the changing seasons and the biting winds, and the affectionate \u2018Etta\u2019s Song\u2019, written by Christina, was featured in the BBC show of songwriting legend Chris Difford\u2019s favourite folk composers &#8211; while Alex wrote the spritely and swooping fiddle melody \u2018Raven Yard\u2019, named for the many hidden yards in Norwich, with some of the buildings dating back to the 12<sup>th<\/sup> century.<\/p>\n<p>During her late pregnancy with Etta, Christina spent many afternoons relaxing in a bath and attempting to keep comfortable, and the contemporary folk tale by Erin Morgenstern called \u2018The Starless Sea\u2019 kept her company. She says: \u201cThis is a song written both about the book and to the book.\u201d In February, 2022, she spent five traumatic days in hospital following the birth of Etta; mighty Storm Eunice battered the windows and the city, and news broke about Russia invading Ukraine. Christina wrote \u2018A Hundred Years Ago\u2019 for such an uncertain time for bringing a child into world. \u2018Shallow Water\u2019 praises the East Anglian custom of fen skating; \u2018The Old Weather Station\u2019 is a song about bears taking shelter in an old abandoned building on Wrangel Island in the Arctic Ocean \u2013 and \u2018Crow\u2019 is the true tale about a young Seattle girl who befriended crows by feeding them her lunch box scraps. In time, the crows returned gifts of their own, bringing her shiny trinkets to thank her. Alex and Christina wrote the final song of the album, \u2018The Mountain Hare\u2019; the hare is found in the wild uplands of Scotland and is known for changing its brown and white coat to fit the seasons. However, climate change has meant the hare is more susceptible to predators and is on the danger list.<\/p>\n<p>Christina and Alex end their final flourish by thanking everyone who has helped in the making of Safe Travels; in particular, John Parker for his beautiful bass playing, and Christina\u2019s parents for their generous time and hard work caring for Etta \u201cwhich enables us to be full-time musicians.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"IYATRAQUARTET\"><strong>IYATRAQUARTET<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<h2><span id=\"Wild_Green\">Wild Green<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/iyatraQuartet-Wild-Green-CD.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3206\" src=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/iyatraQuartet-Wild-Green-CD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Independent release: 5056052789627<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.iyatraquartet.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.iyatraquartet.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>With a name derived from the Hindi word for travel or pilgrimage, iyatraQuartet has performed together for twelve years and is made up of four classical musicians: violinist Alice Barron, clarinetist George Sleightholme, leading cellist Rich Phillips and global fusion percussionist Will Roberts. The quartet takes its inspiration from creating free-flowing music that travels on the wind of improvisation, fusing roots-based folk and global sounds with orchestral instruments and most importantly, celebrating the wild beauty of the natural world. As George describes: \u201c<em>Wild Green<\/em> was devised while playing outdoors throughout the year at the gardens in Brockwell Park Community Greenhouses, South London, surrounded by various stages of growth and decay, with the sun and moon in the sky above. The album covers the whole of the year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>First impressions of the band are gutsy, full-throated four-part harmonies that startle and amaze, coupled with masterly and absolutely stunning interplay on their instruments, music which insistently surges and flows along like some mighty sea tide. Alice, George, Rich and Will create original sounds rooted in ancient melodies and folk tales; violin, bass clarinet, cello and jaw-dropping percussion blend into a great deal of chunky groove. Delving into generations-old European tradition, iyatraQuartet reimagine early music and stories through their unique contemporary twist \u2013 their genre is completely jarring and mind-bending, defiantly challenging and incessantly questioning.<\/p>\n<p>The album was conceived entirely on water; it was recorded in the Lightship 95 studio, formerly a floating lighthouse which is moored on the River Thames. Producer Les Mommsen and the quartet have magically captured the vital perfect sound, which explodes into atmospheric joy and focusses on the greenness of nature and the cycle of life that it contains.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Mandje\u2019, the opening track, is based on a tale by the brothers Grimm; it tells of an enchanted fish which grants a fisherman three wishes in exchange for its life. The fisherman calls again for the fish (\u201cMandje! Mandje! Mandje!\u201d), wishing for greater things, but overreaches and loses all that he gained. The following songs, \u2018New Life\u2019 and the title track \u2018Wild Green\u2019, capture the ambient freshness and praise the spring equinox coupled with nature\u2019s wonderful fertility; Rich, Will, Alice and George have an absolute field day here, and \u2018Wild Green\u2019 was originally inspired by 12<sup>th<\/sup> century German writer, Hildegard of Bingen, aka Sibyl of the Rhine. \u2018Moon High\u2019 is best described as a tone poem on acid; a soaring Moon floats crazily and dreamily among the stars, spurred on by a hymn of lunar praise which grows ever more discordant and frenzied. \u2018Helios\u2019 ventures further, an ecstatic chant to the sun god with voices overlapping rhythms and joyful harmony while the demanding percussion beats out a breathless tattoo.<\/p>\n<p>The stark and lovely \u2018Orkney Hymn\u2019 intermingles a hymn to St Magnus and \u2018The Last Rose of Summer\u2019, while \u2018Beatriz\u2019 is based on Beatriz de Dia\u2019s song, sung in medieval Occitan, about an embittered lover. \u2018Saffron\u2019 comes from the autumnal crocus flower, and the complex flavour is explored in this delightfully complicated instrumental track; listen out for percussionist Will mixing it up on swooping clarinet, George playing his bass clarinet like a digeridoo and Alice\u2019s violin sounding the melody in the wild and literally duetting with a nightingale.<\/p>\n<p>The final track, \u2018Lullay\u2019, is a yuletide lullaby and a dark and complex song where the baby Jesus predicts his own life and death and asks his mother to sing to him \u2013 Alice\u2019s serene and crystal-clear voice rises above the male unison and brings to an end the year and the cycle of life. iyatraQuartet\u2019s brilliant musicianship and astounding virtuosity is so uplifting and mind-nourishing; I have listened to every track time and time again, and I still keep discovering lots of precious little diamonds.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><span id=\"MARCH_2025\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>MARCH 2025<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"SHEILA_K_CAMERON\"><strong>SHEILA K. CAMERON<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<h2><span id=\"On_Sanitys_Shore\">On Sanity\u2019s Shore<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Sheila-K-Cameron-On-Sanitys-Shore-CD.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3202\" src=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Sheila-K-Cameron-On-Sanitys-Shore-CD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Glalell SKC1711<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.skcsongs.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.skcsongs.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Scottish poet and songwriter Sheila K. Cameron (SKC) says she belongs to Canada and the city of Vancouver, but is presently based in Glasgow. Others have described her as \u201csomething of a blues singer\u201d and \u201ca torch singer to trade\u201d; she calls herself a one-time performer who is now more than a writer. Venues included St Andrew\u2019s Halls, the Third Eye Centre, the Metropole and Close theatres in Glasgow, the George Hotel in Edinburgh and The Troubadour in London \u2013 \u201cthe latter was during a na\u00efve attempt to become a successful folk singer\u201d, she admits.<\/p>\n<p>Sheila has recorded a prolific pile of 12 albums; on her 13<sup>th<\/sup>, <em>On Sanity\u2019s Shore<\/em>, she lays down no less than 28 poems and blues songs, playing time a whopping 75 minutes, give or take a little less, from the opening \u2018Where the Pebbles Grind and Scrape\u2019, \u2018Lie Awhile Longer My Love\u2019 and the final \u2018I\u2019m Feeling Lost Bring Me Home\u2019. She lived on the Canadian island of Haida Gwaii, in the North West Pacific; one of the songs was written on the island a very long time ago, and the rest were written mainly in Vancouver and Glasgow. Her spoken-word material and music tell of love found and lost, blues to soothe and being completely alone; collaborators are song arranger Brian McNeill, former keyboards player with Kirkby-based band China Crisis, and Argyll-based Wild Biscuit Music.<\/p>\n<p>I reviewed <em>On Sanity\u2019s Shore<\/em>, and I wasn\u2019t too kind; but I\u2019ve revisited her album and listened again, and I now see her work in a different light. Her voice has been through so many journeys, but it conveys so much passion, joy and pain. I think I\u2019ll listen some more.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"GIGSPANNER_BIG_BAND\"><strong>GIGSPANNER BIG BAND<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<h2><span id=\"Turnstone\">Turnstone<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Gigspanner-Big-Band-Turnstone-CD.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3198\" src=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Gigspanner-Big-Band-Turnstone-CD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>GPCD009<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gigspanner.com\/gigspanner-big-band\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.gigspanner.com\/gigspanner-big-band<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"_FIVE_STAR_CHOICE-15\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! *****<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The turnstone (scientific name: <em>arenaria interpres<\/em>) is a black, brown and white bird which can be seen fluttering around large pebbles on rocky and gravelly shores, flipping them over to look for prey. It can even lift rocks as big as its own body. It\u2019s not native to the British Isles, but it can be seen all year round as different populations arrive throughout the seasons. Five years on from their critically-acclaimed album <em>Natural Invention<\/em>, Peter Knight\u2019s Gigspanner Big Band is back with a mighty bang with this absolute treasure \u2013 11 tracks filled with jaw-dropping quality. <em>Turnstone<\/em> is a master class in consummate, empathetic musicianship that blends together in an endlessly fascinating way, capturing all the energy of a live gig enhanced with the quality of studio sound.<\/p>\n<p>Peter Knight is a revered giant in folkdom; his distinctive and emotive fiddle playing has enriched the music world for more than four decades, notably with folk-rock\u2019s iconic band Steeleye Span and with his own Gigspanner trio, who have been quoted as: \u201cOne of the most genuinely groundbreaking forces on the British folk scene.\u201d The members are outstanding acoustic and electric guitarist Roger Flack and brilliant percussionist Sacha Trochet; the trio was ably filled out by BBC Radio 2 Folk Award winners Phillip Henry and Hannah Martin, who added their immense skills to the sound \u2013 dobro, resophonic and tenor guitars, harmonica, five-string violin, banjo and Hannah\u2019s deep contralto and highly distinctive voice \u2013 while the line-up was completed by John Spiers, nicknamed Squeezy John, founder member of Bellowhead and described as: \u201cOne of the best melodeon players of his generation.\u201d Both he and Peter have played together as a duo, going out as Knight and Spiers.<\/p>\n<p><em>Turnstone<\/em> resembles this little bird turning pebbles upside down in its search for treasure, and the band is deconstructing and reconstructing traditional folk songs and soaring freely with their special tunes. Hannah says: \u201cSo it is with the folk tradition, with songs similarly worn smooth over time travelling to us \u2013 but when turned, yielding new secrets and possibilities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This is a magnificent and an utterly breathtaking album, and it\u2019s all deliciously drawn out in roughly an hour and 14 minutes. The band launch off with the Child ballad \u2018Suffolk Miracle\u2019, first published by 17<sup>th<\/sup> century broadside printers; it recounts the tale of a landowner father who sends his daughter away when she falls in love with a commoner. The young man dies, but returns as a ghost to ask her to ride away with him. A lone plucked fiddle introduces Hannah\u2019s arresting vocal; it continues in sombre vein until the other band strike in with their musical clout and lush instrumentation in glorious crescendo. \u2018Sovay\u2019 follows on, and Hannah and the band skillfully ride the crazy and complicated time signature. Just when you thought the song had ended, Roger\u2019s wailing guitar breaks out in an exhilaratingly harsh hurricane of notes. Peter says: \u201cI have always liked this song and didn\u2019t over-arrange it before bringing it the rehearsals. We all welcome a serious rummage in rehearsals &#8211; you never know what might pop up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Squeezy John suggested that the band might have a go at the American ballad \u2018Silver Dagger\u2019, one of the saddest of folk songs; the dagger is the suicide weapon used by the young lovers when parents objected to their match. Hannah\u2019s soulful voice and Phillip\u2019s twanging, singing dobro rises above the beautiful and serene arrangement; and the band swagger in with the folk hymn \u2018What Wondrous Love Is This\u2019 with a smoldering, smoking, defiant style that dares other mere musicians to get out of the way. The Scottish ballad \u2018When Fortune Turns the Wheel\u2019 is a nine-minute journey of sheer delight; it was a signature song of the late Louis\/Louisa Jo Killen, who heard it in the late 1950s from Alan Robertson, a shepherd who lived in the Cheviot Hills of Northumberland. Squeezy John also takes the vocal lead on the fratricide ballad \u2018The\u00a0 Rolling of the Stones\u2019, about a 1589 incident near Edinburgh when a man accidentally kills his brother; however, the brother\u2019s lover Susie charms him from his grave.<\/p>\n<p>The \u2019big ballads\u2019 have been magically brought to life by the band\u2019s ingenious interplay; \u00a0\u2018The Basket of Eggs\u2019 tells of two sailors who steal a woman\u2019s basket, thinking it is full of eggs &#8211; but when they look in the basket they discover a baby child, and offer \u00a3500 to any woman who will foster it. But the whole thing has been set up by the child\u2019s mother, who recognises one of the sailors as the father of her child and takes the money before revealing herself. Next, Sacha\u2019s sharp percussion kicks off the \u2018gypsy song\u2019, \u2018Betsy Williams\u2019; and another Child ballad, \u2018Hind Horn\u2019, concerns the Edinburgh-born man who served the King for seven years before he falls in love with the monarch\u2019s daughter. The King sent him away to sea, but the daughter has given her lover a diamond ring; she promises him that when the stones will have grown pale before her love will have waned.<\/p>\n<p>Peter sings the American parlour song \u2018Hard Times Come Again No More\u2019, written by Stephen Foster, who died aged just 37 in 1864; he was acclaimed as one of America\u2019s best songwriters, and the expression of suffering and hardship was published just seven years before the American Civil War. The song breaks out into \u2018Arthur Peter\u2019s Reel\u2019, and the sad dirge turns to unfettered joy. The band storms to a ten-and-a-half-minute live climax, while Sacha caps everything with a stunning and ear-popping percussion solo \u2013 and the crowd roars its approval.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve listened time and time again to <em>Turnstone<\/em>, and I never get tired of it \u2013 there\u2019s always some bright nuance for me to discover. Peter and the band members have always had a magical sixth sense of experimenting with ancient folk songs and turning them into prowling, roaring tigers. I\u2019ve lost count of the miriad of inspiring instrumental arrangements which flow thick and fast like an endless torrent. These guys are at the high peak of their game and standing triumphantly at the top of their tree \u2013 ain\u2019t it the truth?<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"MICK8217S_QUICKS-18\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>MICK&#8217;S QUICKS<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<p>\u25baAnd now there are two &#8211; after eight years, Liam Ward has left <strong>The Jake Leg Jug Band<\/strong>; frontman and double-bassist Duncan Willcox and frenetic-voiced Donegan-like guitarist Warren James are still delighting audiences all round the country. Their tenth album, <em>Live at the Green Note<\/em> (Coastal Light Records, CLR003), recorded when Liam was still in the trio, is chock-full of 15 prohibition-era jazz, blues and gospel stormers from the 1920s and 1930s, including well-known and well-loved \u2018St Louis Blues\u2019, \u2018Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho\u2019, \u2018Light From the Lighthouse\u2019 and \u2018Gloryland\u2019; The band light the blue touchpaper and encourage the Camden Town crowd with jug, kazoo, jaw harp, harmonica and entertaining chat, and guest musician Gabriel Garrick adds to the sound with trumpet, trombone and percussion. Great news: Duncan and Warren are already planning the eleventh album. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25baRemarkable duo <strong>Sound of the Sirens<\/strong> are playing in the Acapela Studio, Pentyrch on Thursday, March 27; Abbe Wood and Hannah Walker are Exeter-based singer-songwriters who have carved out a distinct place in the UK acoustic scene in their 11-track offering <em>The Other Me<\/em> (self-released, no catalogue number). The album consists of razor-sharp creative music and head-swiveling in-your-face harmonies which are designed to make their audience sit up and think; they fly wide of the folk ambit, dabbling wildly towards rock-pop material \u2013 but they always come back with a bang. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>\u25baLeeds-born singer-songwriter <strong>Andy Tagger <\/strong>parades his debut eight-track album, <em>Ponte Carlo<\/em> (independent release, AT532119), and cites a diverse range of great artists such as Joni Mitchell, Jake Thackray, Leonard Cohen and Stephen Sondheim as an inspiration for his music-making; unfortunately, he\u2019s not the greatest voice and songsmith in the entire planet, and his performance does not float my boat. Sorry, but I won\u2019t be buying this CD. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs down<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25baWonderful acoustic guitarist and extremely accomplished songwriter <strong>Rupert Wates<\/strong> was born in London but has been based in New York City since 2007, the winner of well over 50 songwriting and performing awards. His 13<sup>th<\/sup> and latest solo album, <em>Father to the Man<\/em> (Bite Music BR12119), is 12 songs concerning his four-year-old son, Gabriel, whose face is displayed on the front sleeve; Rupert divides his songs into two sections, \u2018The Child\u2019 and \u2018The Man\u2019. He\u2019s a brilliant lyricist, a masterful fingerstyle player and a powerful but persuading voice; every track is an absolute gem. David Pomeroy is almost imperceptible in accompanying him on the double bass; Rupert\u2019s music has a timeless quality, and he oozes sheer class. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"STEVE_TILSTON\"><strong>STEVE TILSTON <\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<h2><span id=\"Last_Call\">Last Call<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Steve-Tilston-Last-Call-CD.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3191\" src=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Steve-Tilston-Last-Call-CD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"117\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Talking Elephant Records, TECD504<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.stevetilston.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.stevetilston.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>So, this is it &#8211; after more than five decades of delighting audiences, impressive guitarist, lovely singer and great songwriter Steve Tilston is finally bowing out with his 20<sup>th<\/sup> solo album, <em>Last Call<\/em>. Steve, who was born in Liverpool and brought up in Leicestershire, was celebrating his 75<sup>th<\/sup> birthday on March 24 this year; his debut offering, <em>An Acoustic Confusion<\/em>, was released in 1971. Apart from his amazing solo work, there are a pile of recordings that he made when he was collaborating with many artists. He made two albums (<em>Of Moor and Mesa<\/em> and <em>All Under the Sun<\/em>) with the late Maggie Boyle, whom he married in 1984; both he and Maggie had separated in 1999. He joined John Renbourn\u2019s Ship of Fools and recorded an eponymous album in 1988, and he became a member of WAZ!, with Pete Zorn and Maartin Allcock (<em>Fully Chromatic<\/em>, 1999); Steve played with alt-country band The Durbervilles and made <em>The Oxenhope EP<\/em> (2012); and with the Steve Tilston Trio, he recorded <em>Happenstance<\/em>, (2013). He made <em>The Janus Game<\/em> with Jez Lowe, which came out in 2016 \u2013 and there\u2019s also a DVD, <em>Sound Techniques \u2013 Guitar Maestros #5<\/em>, which was released in 2006.<\/p>\n<p>Steve lives in the city of Bristol, but this time he\u2019s in Slow Moor Studio in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire; engineer Richard Woodcock recorded, mixed and mastered <em>Last Call<\/em>. Steve calls on some good friends and long-term musical collaborators as he lays down 11 really meaty tracks. First off, the Richard Curran string quartet and Hugh Bradley (flute) accompany the singalong \u2018Apple Tree Town\u2019; and Hugh returns to his double bass for the second song, the bluesy \u2018Biding Time\u2019, the gig-weary \u2018One More Day\u2019 and \u2018As Night Follows Day\u2019 \u2013 Steve describes it as \u201ca worm of an idea born of insomnia and homesickness in a distant hotel room.\u201d The backing personnel for the album \u2013 in no particular order &#8211; includes Martin Groarty (electric guitar), Keith Warmington of the Steve Tilston Trio (harmonica), Tony Orrell (percussion), Jonny Fewings (banjo), Alan Cook (pedal steel guitar), Steve Andrews (piano) and Richard Curran (fiddle).<\/p>\n<p>Steve\u2019s intelligent and acerbic writing are songs to be savoured; \u2018Never Could Have Asked for More\u2019 praises the awe-inspiring locations on this wonderful earth, \u2018Time and Tide\u2019 is sheer musical poetry, while he vents his contempt with \u2018Hard Cheese\u2019. The instrumental \u2018Last Call\u2019 shows his artistic prowess on solo guitar, and \u2018Get Away from My Door\u2019 recounts a hopeful candidate from the then party of misrule door-knocking him; could he count on Steve\u2019s vote? He writes: \u201cHe can, but not for him&#8230;\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Steve ends his very fine album with \u2018Sweet Primroses\u2019, a traditional chestnut which he says comes reputedly from the West Country; however, he misses out the celebrated South Wales folk singer Phil Tanner, \u2018the Gower Nightingale\u2019, who sang the classic \u2018The Banks of the Sweet Primroses\u2019 in a recording made in November 1936, released by Columbia Records in 1937 on a 78rpm disc. <em>Last Call<\/em> is Steve\u2019s farewell to his fans all around the world \u2013 and one of his best.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"HARTWIN-2\"><strong>HARTWIN<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<h2><span id=\"Unfolding\">Unfolding<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Hartwin-Unfolding-CD.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3189\" src=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Hartwin-Unfolding-CD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Trad Records, TRAD036<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hartwin.be\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.hartwin.be<\/a><\/p>\n<p>This album is <em>soooo<\/em> stunningly beautiful and very moving in a serenely peaceful way; Hartwin is a diatonic accordionist, a composer and a member of Trio Dhoore, three Belgian brothers who performed together for 11 years and are now taking a long rest. Hartwin, hurdy-gurdy player Koen Dhoore and guitarist Ward Dhoore recorded four amazing albums, <em>Modus Operandi<\/em> (2013), <em>Parachute<\/em> (2015), <em>Momentum<\/em> (2016) and <em>August<\/em> (2019). Between 2015 and 2021, Hartwin lived on the Baltic island of Saaremaa in Estonia, marking six of the most important years in his career as a writer of melodies. The stunning landscapes and untouched nature on the island moved him to write a plethora of new songs that mirror the many moments of solitude and reflection during his time there. Even though he is currently living back in Belgium, he says that he carries inspiration and wisdom, gathered in Estonia forever in his heart and soul; he finds beauty all around him wherever he travels, a dreamy distillation of a constant flow of writing new music.<\/p>\n<p>He composed a clutch of tunes while in Saaremaa; afterwards, he sought out Gabriel Hollander, a respected and valued conductor with a wealth of theoretical knowledge and craftsmanship. They embarked on a unique collaboration with Gabriel and a classical string trio consisting of violinist Nicolas Dupont, viola player Cl\u00e9ment Holvoet and cellist Julius Himmler. The result is a wonderful album that bridges the divide between folk, classical and film musics.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Unfolding\u2019, the opening work of the same album name, is a marvellous revelation; the string trio gently ebbs and flows, leaving the solo accordion to play the finest and the sweetest melody of all. Hartwin names his compositions \u2018When at Ease\u2019, \u2018Floating\u2019, \u2018Illumina\u2019 and \u2018The Forest Knows Where You Are\u2019; all nine works are carefully designed to lull and soothe the listener into absolute quiet contemplation. \u2018White Light\u2019 is a hymn of hope, \u2018Prayer for Brightness\u2019 still shines on, \u2018Head in the Clouds\u2019 is carefree and charming and \u2018Nightfall\u2019 draws the curtain on the day. Violin, viola and cello caress, shape and mould the accordion, seemingly floating together on a river that flows to the distant sea. It is utterly delightful, and refreshingly invigorating and inspiring as well.<\/p>\n<p>As Hartwin writes in the CD cover: \u201cCreating this album was a significant process, helping me to unfold my true self to the world. I am grateful that it has found you, and I hope it brings you to a place where you can connect with yourself, find peace and \u2018unfold\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"STEVE_KNIGHTLEY\"><strong>STEVE KNIGHTLEY <\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<h2><span id=\"Positively_Folk_Street_Dylan_Carthy_Me\">Positively Folk Street: Dylan, Carthy &amp; Me<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Steve-Knightley-Positively-Folk-Street-CD.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3184\" src=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Steve-Knightley-Positively-Folk-Street-CD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"116\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Hands On Music, HMCD55<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.steveknightley.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.steveknightley.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s a very interesting billing when Tredegar House Folk Festival kicks off on the weekend of May 9-11, 2025; Steve Knightley and Phil Beer top the list &#8211; but these two are only performing solo. Folk roots legends Show of Hands announced their \u2018indefinite break\u2019 last year, and it very much looks like the break is permanent. The band\u2019s formidable frontman, applauded for the sheer diversity and impact for his award-winning songwriting, lost no time in stepping out last autumn with his first album in 17 years, <em>The Winter Yards<\/em>; and he salutes two of the most iconic influences which made him go on the road and become a folk singer in his new offering, Bob Dylan and his great mentor, Martin Carthy.<\/p>\n<p>Steve writes on the sleeve of <em>Positively Folk Street: Dylan, Carthy &amp; Me<\/em>: \u201cWhen I first picked up an acoustic guitar in my mid-teens, my repertoire was very limited &#8211; and then I discovered <em>The Freewheelin\u2019 Bob Dylan<\/em>. That album was a revelation! At the time, I had no idea that Dylan had drawn so deeply from our own folk traditions to shape many of his songs. Later that same summer, I found myself at Sidmouth Folk Festival, where I saw Martin Carthy perform live for the first time. Another moment of discovery!<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Carthy is name-checked on the back cover of <em>The Freewheelin\u2019 Bob Dylan<\/em> as a source of some of Dylan\u2019s melodies, and suddenly, the music I had assumed was purely American revealed its deep British roots. These songs &#8211; woven from a tradition stretching across the Atlantic &#8211; felt both familiar and transformative. It was an inspiring time, a period when Dylan\u2019s poetic sensibility collided with the narrative power of folk music.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In <em>Positively Folk Street<\/em>, produced by Jolyon Holroyd at the Valvetastic Studio in Exeter, Steve stands alone and sings six of Dylan\u2019s songs and five of Carthy material, plus \u2018Just As The Tide Was Flowing\u2019 \u2013 you can strike me down if I\u2019m wrong, but I don\u2019t think that Martin recorded this. (In actual fact, it was his daughter, Eliza Carthy, who recorded the very same song on her album <em>Anglicana<\/em>.) Steve accompanies himself with eloquent guitar, harmonica, quattro and concertina, and his impassioned, crystal-clear voice fills out and colours the Dylan and Carthy catalogue, from \u2018Girl from the North Country\u2019, the classic \u2018Don\u2019t Think Twice, It\u2019s All Right\u2019 and \u2018Boots of Spanish Leather\u2019 to the traditional \u2018Broomfield Hill\u2019, \u2018Polly on the Shore\u2019 and \u2018Lord Franklin\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a 30-year journey that perhaps would have been unfolded, had it not been for Steve\u2019s revelation of two of the most important figures in folk history, the ground-breaking revolutionary Dylan and the hugely influential Carthy. Their paths famously crossed when Carthy helped Dylan to navigate the London folk scene in the 1960s; they influenced each other and became friends. Dylan learned traditional songs from Carthy \u2013 including \u2018Scarborough Fair\u2019, which inspired him to write \u2018Girl from the North Country\u2019, which appeared on his 1963 debut album. Years on, Dylan\u2019s light is on the ascendency once more with the hit film <em>A Complete Unknown<\/em>, especially for actor Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet\u2019s Oscar and BAFTA-nominated performance as the man himself.<\/p>\n<p>Steve sings the final track, the Carthy-arranged rousing reading of \u2018Seven Yellow Gypsies\u2019; this song recounts the true story when, 300 years ago, Lady Jean Hamilton was married to the grim puritanical Earl of Cassilis, but fell in love with John Faa, leader of a Scottish gypsy band. The lovers ran away and eloped, but the band was pursued; John Faa was captured and hanged. History is silent about this incident, but this Child ballad \u2013 number 200 &#8211; has survived in several forms all over England, Scotland and America.<\/p>\n<p>Steve is currently on an month-long tour, playing theatres, arts centres, village halls \u00a0and folk clubs the width and breadth of England, but Wales and Scotland are missing out. However, I\u2019ll have to wait until next May at Tredegar House; hopefully, I\u2019ll be on the front seat.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"FLOOK\"><strong>FLOOK \u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<h2><span id=\"Sanju\">Sanju<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Flook-Sanju-CD.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3181\" src=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Flook-Sanju-CD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Flatfish Records FLATFISH007CD<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.flook.co.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.flook.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"_FIVE_STAR_CHOICE-16\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! *****<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The mighty Flook, that truly wonderful, exciting and utterly unique quartet, celebrate 30 years of jaw-dropping music with this short and very sweet release; the brand-new <em>Sanju<\/em> is a marvellous addition to their already impressive string of ground-breaking and highly acclaimed albums, the debut <em>Flatfish<\/em>, which came out in 1999, <em>Rubai<\/em> (2002), <em>Haven<\/em> (2005) and <em>Ancora<\/em> (2019).<\/p>\n<p>When\u00a0 Flook were formed back in 1995, there was nothing to compare them with; they were a flute-driven phenomenon, not Irish nor English, perfectly comfortable in their musical skin and free to go as the wind blows \u2013 so boldly go they did. Armagh-born Brian Finnegan plays a stunning whistle and wooden flute, Sarah Allen amazes audiences with her alto flute, Ed Boyd is a tremendous acoustic guitar master while journalists hail Mancunian John Joe Kelly as being the most creative bodhr\u00e0n percussionist on the planet.<\/p>\n<p>In their 30 years, Flook have greatly matured, like a expensive fine wine; it just gets better. <em>Sanju<\/em> has only five tracks and the album is just short of 30 minutes, but the band cram in a load of beautiful airs, joyous jigs and breathless reels into it. The tunes are deliciously strung out, and they invite guest musicians to pad it out and enhance the sound; fiddler and viola player Patsy Reid is there, Konstantine Turmanov plays piano while cutting-edge producers Stevie L. Jones and John Calvert add a plethora of instruments including synths, ukelele bass, percussion and Wurlitzer. The album was recorded in North London at The Shelter, between October 3 and 5, 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Sarah and accordionist Phil Cunningham wrote the tranquil \u2018The Father Shore\u2019, and Ed sets the high bar with his opening solo guitar; then Brian rings the changes with his written \u2018Winter Flower\u2019, and both he and Sarah are spot-on and razor-sharp with their whistle-flute unison. The second track is a dizzying six-and-a-half minuter, with the whistle\u00a0 driving the band on with a brace of fierce Finnegan jigs; then Patsy\u2019s blazing fiddle jumps in with Liz Carroll\u2019s exquisite \u2018Jonny D\u2019s\u2019, and both Ed and John Joe play an absolute scorcher. The whole piece is brought to an end with Brian\u2019s multi-tune \u2018Timewaver\u2019. Brian\u2019s delicate and thoughtful \u2018Koady\u2019 tributes a shattering loss of a bright light, and his \u2018The Burning Lion\u2019 represents solidarity with musician friends in war-torn Ukraine. \u2018Tie the Knot in Georgia\u2019 and \u2018Faqqua\u2019, written by Brian, sends a message of love for newly-wed friends in Tiblisi and proud defiance for an occupied land in \u2018Faqqua\u2019. <em>Sanju<\/em> triumphantly bows out with a tone poem of hope and two joyful jigs, all composed by Sarah; \u2018Where There Is Light\u2019, \u2018The May Waterway\u2019 and \u2018Ninety Years Young\u2019 capture carefree summer days and celebrate our elders.<\/p>\n<p>Virtuoso musicianship abounds, and the exhilarating music has catapulted them to the highest of heights. Flook are not just a band; they\u2019re an artistic tour-de-force. More power to their elbows!<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"MICK8217S_QUICKS-19\"><strong><span style=\"color: #008000;\">MICK&#8217;S QUICKS<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<p>\u25ba Aberdeen-based singer-songwriter and guitarist <strong>Colin Macduff<\/strong> says he was lucky to be brought up in a music-loving family; he was exposed to folk, classical, jazz and pop up such songsmiths as Boo Hewerdine, Ralph McTell and the great Archie Fisher for his inspiration. He releases his third delightful and totally feel-good album, the 10-track <em>Halfway to Summer<\/em> (independent release, CNM20241), which Colin invites a number of impressive guest musicians including Angus Lyon on accordion, bass, cello and midi mellotron. Guitarist and mandolinist Anna Massie, fiddler Jenna Reid and composer Findlay Napier throw in a couple of numbers, while fellow songsmiths Maria Quinn, Shirley Barr, Susy Wall and Swedish multi-instrumental wizard Gustaf Ljunggren help out. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>\u25ba Brilliant and strikingly good polyphonic trio <strong>Wise Woman<\/strong> are Charlotte Vaughan (who comes from Port Talbot and Porthcawl), Anna Pool and Lydia Bell; Maddie Cutter is on leave because of family commitments, but they perform in many different configurations. Their five-track EP <em>Hold the Wonder<\/em> (5056826848857) was recorded live in Blaxhall Village Hall, Suffolk, and contains totally original and jaw-droppingly quirky songs, including \u2018Smiley Face\u2019, \u2018Whole Truth Five\u2019, \u2018Mara\u2019 or \u2018Hymn to a Genius\u2019 \u2013 their whiplash vocal range is razor-sharp and dizzyingly complicated. They are currently touring now, finishing off at Cardiff Bay\u2019s Wales Millennium Centre on May 31. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba Madrid-based folk-Americana-roots quartet <strong>Track Dogs<\/strong> celebrate 20 years of old and new songs and raising the roof with their 40-track double album, <em>Tracks Laid, Tracks Covered<\/em> (Mondegreen Records, MGR1125). The eclectic band consists of two Irishmen, a Brit and an American: Garrett Wall (vocals, guitar), Dave Mooney (bass), Howard Brown (trumpet) and Robbie K Wall (cajon); over the years, they have added banjo, ukulele and mandolin and have been building their reputation with many cracking gigs, including the Costa Festival in Ibiza, Shrewsbury Folk Festival, Wickham Folk Festival, Beardy Folk and Broadstairs Folk Week. Nine new tracks include \u2018Amor De Mi Vida\u2019, \u2018Beauty in the Mud\u2019, \u2018Ruby, Are You Mad at Your Man\u2019 and \u2018Wine on the Piano\u2019. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba Distinguished baroque violinist <strong>Holly Harman<\/strong> has spent a lifetime exploring the strong connection between baroque music and folk; she specialised in the Royal Welsh of Music and Drama and cut her teeth on the London folk scene, releasing an acclaimed\u00a0 album with The Twisted Twenty. She has toured and recorded with some of Europe\u2019s premier orchestras and ensembles and created her own record label, Penny Fiddle Records. Her new album <em>Ground<\/em> (PFR2510CD) is an absolutely dazzling and unique concert of baroque mixed with traditional music, featuring early composers Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber, Nicola Matteis and Marco Uccellini, and including the lyrical \u2018Fairy Queen\u2019 by harper Turlough O\u2019Carolan. Holly is joined by Sid Goldsmith\u2019s cittern for Sid\u2019s commendable medley, \u2018Air Like Wine\/Half of Shandy\u2019; and Sid\u2019s voice is also linked to her for the surprise bonus track, \u2018The Parting Glass\u2019. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba Born in New York City and based in Massachusetts, singer-songwriter and guitarist <strong>Rees Shad<\/strong> has recorded an impressive 16 albums of his super-prolific songs; but his 17<sup>th<\/sup>, <em>Porcelain Angel<\/em> (Shadville Records, no catalogue number) he veers into the dreaded Americana-cum-pop style with the big electric band, all drums and electric guitars, accompanying him. It\u2019s a shame as well, because he creates a lot of ear-catching and very eloquent material. Nah \u2013 it didn\u2019t float my boat. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs down<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"DYLAN_MIKE_JAMES\"><strong>DYLAN &amp; MIKE JAMES<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<h2><span id=\"Dyma\">Dyma<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Dylan-Mike-James-Dyma-CD.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3177\" src=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Dylan-Mike-James-Dyma-CD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Compagnie des Possibles EP0013<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lacompagniedespossibles.bandcamp.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.compagniedespossibles.bzh\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Mike James was a long-serving anchor of the legendary band Swansea Jack; he was born in Ealing, West London, to Roy and Gwyn James, and it was his parents\u2019 love of folk music that shaped his soul. He went to Swansea University and moved to an old cottage in the Swansea Valley village of Ynysmeudwy \u2013 right next to my cottage, as it happens. Mike was extremely active in the Valley Folk Club, based in Pontardawe, and Pontardawe Festival; however, he upped sticks and emigrated to Brittany years ago, where he is making a living singing and performing on his beloved diatonic accordion. He keeps in touch with the folk club and Wales; he lives in the commune of Plo\u00ebrmel in the Morbihan <em>department<\/em>, half-way on the N24 road between Lorient and Rennes. His son, Dylan, is a double-bass player who has been in several Breton bands, including the lovely An Tri Dipop, the project L\u2019abrasive and the impressive trio Planch\u00e9e (with singer and fiddler Emmanuelle Bouthillier and accordeon player Yannick Laridon.)<\/p>\n<p>Dylan and Mike\u2019s 10-track debut album is mesmerisingly delightful; it was recorded, mixed and mastered by Olivier Renet at Studio La Barrique in Peillac, Morbihan, a commune near to Plo\u00ebrmel and the home of La Compagnie des Possibles, record company-cum-artists\u2019 cooperative. First up is the Cornish version of the Child ballad \u2018The Three Knights\u2019; Mike listened to the great Cyril Tawney, which he says opened his imagination to the fascination of the \u2018big ballads\u2019. Dylan\u2019s stark and minimal hypnotic accompaniment throws the spotlight on the sombre \u2018honour killing\u2019, where the future bride\u2019s brother had not been consulted for her choice of husband and kills his sister for vengeance. Mike also heard the late Malcolm Wray of Derry singing the second song, \u2018The Yellow Bittern\u2019, when he played with the Irish band Quilty; and he learned the Welsh bagpipe tune \u2018Marwnad y Heliwr\u2019 (The Huntsman\u2019s Lament) from flautist Lawrence Fry (who is no longer with us) and fiddler and crwth player Bob Evans, Aberystwyth-born and but living in Cardiff.<\/p>\n<p>Mike and Dylan both share a love for the singing of Joe Heaney, master of the sean n\u00f3s old-style ornamented singing; \u2018The Rocks of Bawn\u2019 highlights the frustrations of the Irish farmers, driven off their land by colonists introduced by the English landlords. Mike\u2019s mother Gwyn is recorded singing Ewan McColl\u2019s radio ballad \u2018Freeborn Man of the Travelling People\u2019 40 years ago, and Mike also takes up and raises his crystal-clear voice for the conclusion. Phil Tanner, the Gower Nightingale, was born in 1862 and died in 1950; The BBC recorded his \u2018The Bonny Bunch of\u00a0 Roses\u2019 in 1949 &#8211; however, on his death they shamefully deleted all his vast repertoire, leaving a tiny handful of Phil\u2019s songs. Mike and Dylan both share an admiration for his voice, which reverberates down the years; together, they swap vocals for this tribute, and the squeezebox and bass segue into the Doc Watson tune \u2018Bonaparte\u2019s Retreat\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>Mike\u2019s diatonic accordion and Dylan\u2019s bowing dive into a clutch of Breton \u2018Rid\u00e9es\u2019 from the Pays Gallo of Eastern Brittany, while Mike does a mavellous job on the late local ballad singer Eug\u00e9nie Alloyer, from Plo\u00ebrmel, on \u2018Y\u2019a Bien Un Mois ou Cinq Semaines\u2019 (A Month or Five Weeks Have Gone By). When he was ten or 11 years old, Mike\u2019s parents took him to see The Watersons in concert, and the thrill of hearing them has been seared on his memory; in \u2018Sorry the Day I Was Married\u2019, Mike and Dylan sing harmonies with guts and conviction. The final track is the beautiful chestnut \u2018The Galway Shawl\u2019; Mike learned this song from Lynne Gent, a Valley Folk Club floor singer with a incredible voice; in fact, Lynne joined the final combination of Swansea Jack. Mike believes she got this song off Sean Cannon, soon to be recruited for The Dubliners, when he was appearing solo at the club. Both father and son perform together for the grand finale, and their utter love of the folk song echoes loud and long. It\u2019s a reassuring and comforting philosophy that the next generation can proudly carry the flaming torch for tradition as well.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><span id=\"FEBRUARY_2025\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>FEBRUARY 2025<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"MICK8217S_QUICKS_Part_2\"><strong><span style=\"color: #008000;\">MICK&#8217;S QUICKS (Part 2)<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<p>\u25ba Here is a completely unusual and unique experience: A year ago, contemporary freeform double-bassist and electric guitarist <strong>Aidan Thorne and Jason Ball<\/strong> were recorded live at the Oriel Davies Gallery in Newtown, Powys, on Dydd Dewi Sant, St David\u2019s Day \u2013 and these seven tracks are set for release in their debut digital album <em>Archwilio\u2019r Traddodiad: Exploring the Tradition<\/em> (Cambrian Records, CAM032) on March 1. Aidan, who has collaborated with a number of musicians, including Burum and Julie Murphy, has picked some of his favourite traditional Welsh tunes as stimulus, from the introductory \u2018Pan o\u2019wn y Gwanwyn\u2019, through \u2018Ffarwel i Aberystwyth\u2019 to the monster 14-minute \u2018Mynwent Eglwys\u2019. If you enjoy listening to well-known melodies, be warned; the wafer-thin tunes are almost smothered in their flights of discovery. There again, the guitar shimmers and glitters in \u2018Yr Haul\u2019. This is a totally new concept to take in; but I\u2019m going to give them the nod of approval. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba Living in Strathspey in the Scottish Highlands, <strong>Greenshanks<\/strong> (aka Will Boyd-Wallis) is a singer-songwriter, woodworker, ecologist and land manager working with the National Trust for Scotland. His debut EP, <em>Stormbird<\/em> (independent release, GMEP001) are a passionate, poignant and powerful five songs themed on emigration and the sea; the opening track, \u2018Fistful of Sand\u2019, is centred on Will\u2019s great-great-grandfather and the unjust clearance of the community from the Isle of Rum, while the title track describes the lone Storm Petrel on the cliffs of St Kilda. His six-string \u2018guitalele\u2019 and acoustic guitar are very prominent in the mix, and the session musicians are composer Hamish Napier (harmonium, organ, piano), James Lindsay of Breabach (double bass), James Macintosh (percussion), Ross Ainslie (low whistle), Iain Forrest (slide guitar) and Becky Doe (viola, violin). Watch out for a head-turning new talent. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba Quebecois harmonica player and fiddler <strong>David Brunelle<\/strong> is based in Montreal, Canada; his delightful album, <em>Vieux Aires Neufs <\/em>(Old New Looks, independent release, no catalogue number) is chock-full of 16 wonderful dancing tunes, some traditional and some he has composed himself \u2013 with the all-important driving rhythm of the <em>pieds<\/em>. Supporting musicians accompany him, from the opening appetiser of the \u2018Deux Grondeuses\u2019 to the glorious build-up of the closing \u2018La Derni\u00e8re Drave\u2019 \u2013 an intriguing, bright collection that\u2019s so addictive. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba Singer-songwriter <strong>Dorie Jackson<\/strong> is a member of Kaprekar\u2019s Constant, a folk prog band that formed in Kent in 2015; she has released her second album, <em>Stupid Says Run<\/em> (Talking Elephant Records), an eye-opening and beautifully arranged collection of 12 folk-flavoured tracks; Kaprekar\u2019s musicians accompany, including Dorie\u2019s father, former\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.loudersound.com\/features\/a-van-der-graaf-generator-primer-playlist\">Van der Graaf Generator<\/a>\u00a0saxophonist David Jackson who adds flute, horns and whistles throughout the album. She writes with care and precision; \u2018Sun Horse\u2019 is the breathtaking opener, followed by \u2018The Daylight Gate\u2019 and \u2018Wild Thyme\u2019. The closing nine-minute song, \u2018The Hypnotist\u2019s Watch\u2019, shows her storyteller\u2019s art. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"MICK8217S_QUICKS_Part_1\"><strong><span style=\"color: #008000;\">MICK&#8217;S QUICKS (Part 1)<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<p>\u25ba Aberdeenshire multimedia artist, singer and producer <strong>Fiona Soe Paing<\/strong> has recorded her second mysterious and moving album of North-East Scotland\u2019s ballad tradition, <em>Sand, Silt, Flint<\/em> (independent release, FSPCD202401) which she re-imagines and composes ancient stories and songs from the darker side. She uses shimmering electronic textures coupled with traditional Scottish sounds as she weaves her hypnotic web; Alice Allen (cello), David McKay (drums), Irene Watt (clarsach), Joanna Nicholson (clarinet) Paul Anderson (fiddle) and Thee Manual Labour (guitar) are included in the dreamy mix, and a detailed map showing the ballad sites is on the CD cover. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba The scintillating highly-original heady jazz of stunning London-based trio <strong>Gavin Fairhall Lever<\/strong>\u2019s second album <em>Tearing Down Walls<\/em> (Sleight of Hand Records, SOHR2501) does exactly that \u2013 a jaw-dropping, inspiring palette. The band consists of brilliant fiddler, multi-instrumentalist and composer James Patrick Gavin, soaring tenor and guitarist Adrian Lever and double bass musician Tim Fairhall, who comes from a background in contemporary jazz, improv and post-classical electronica. Highlights are the opening and head-turning \u2018Taurus\u2019, the passionate \u2018Night Sky with Exit Wounds\u2019, the cacophonous but quickly resolving work \u2018Set Sail\u2019 (with esteemed guest singer and accordionist M\u00e9abh Ni Bheaglaoich in harmony) and \u2018Polkas\u2019, a dizzying whirlwind of glittering notes, all three taking complete control. In the immortal words of <em>Star Trek<\/em>: It\u2019s folk, Jim, but not as we know it\u2026 <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba Celebrated flute player and All-Ireland medal winner <strong>Frances Morton<\/strong> has compiled a wonderful plethora of jigs, airs, strathspeys and marches from Ireland and Scotland on her welcome solo debut album <em>Sliocht<\/em> (Ollamh FM2024CD), translating as \u2018trace\u2019 or \u2018heritage\u2019. Her parents emigrated from Ireland to Scotland and settled in Glasgow; she has performed at festivals across Europe and the USA, appearing in BBC and TG4 TV\u00a0 programmes. Produced by Solas\u2019s Eamon McElholm, the album also features Ciaran Tourish (ex-Altan) on fiddle and sean-n\u00f3s singer Diomnic Mac Giolla Bhride; Mark Maguire (Deaf Shepherd) and Seamus O\u2019Kane play bodhr\u00e1n, while Ryan O\u2019Donnell and Malcolm Stitt (another Deaf Shepherd) perform bouzouki and Mayo fiddler Julie Langan joins Frances in 12 tracks of mighty fine musicianship. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba Hailing from the West Coast of Scotland and a member of the folk band Barluath, intriguing big-voiced singer\/songwriter <strong>Ainsley Hamill<\/strong> takes the audience on a musical journey through the mystical realms of traditional Gaelic and Scots heritage in her latest storytelling album <em>Fable<\/em> (independent release, AVH003CD). Her smoky vocals resemble pop star Adele; Sam Kelly (of The Lost Boys) produced the 11 tracks, and drummer Signy Jakobsdottir, bassist Euan Burton, Alistair Iain Paterson on keyboards and multi-instrumentalist Toby Shaer whip up a gorgeous sound. Highlights are the opening \u2018Ailein, Ailein, \u2018S Fhad an Cadal\u2019, \u2018Machir Bay\u2019, \u2018Leave Her, Jonny\u2019 and the hypnotic <em>puirt \u00e0 beul<\/em> tongue-twister \u2018Beamer Puirt\u2019; in fact, all her songs have guaranteed wrap-around Scottishness between them. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25baVeteran sideman, wonderful singer-songwriter, pianist and accordion player <strong>Richie Laurence <\/strong>releases his fourth solo album, <em>Moving at the Speed of Trees<\/em> (Big Book Records, BBR20); with the sensuous voice of his wife Katie Thomas taking the lead and harmonising, this is blues-roots Americana of at least 50 degrees proof. Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, moved to Colorado and emigrated to Los Angeles, Richie is now in Sacramento, California; his super-intelligent music re-echoes and resounds, including such highlights as the opening storyteller \u2018On the Boat\u2019, the pedal steel whine of \u2018Oh Me Oh My\u2019, the lonely solitude of \u2018Lone Freighter\u2019s Wail\u2019 and the exquisite grace of \u2018The Wonderful Waltz\u2019 \u2013 in fact, all 12 tracks are guaranteed sure-fire winners. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><span id=\"JANUARY_2025\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>JANUARY 2025<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"BROES\"><strong>BROES<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<h2><span id=\"Belgica\">Belgica<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Broes-Belgica-CD.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3160\" src=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Broes-Belgica-CD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Independent release, 2025-001<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.broesmusic.be\">www.broesmusic.be<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"_FIVE_STAR_CHOICE-17\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! *****<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>On Thursday, January 9, 2025 at the Minardschouwburg Theatre in the Belgian city of Ghent, scintillating and inspiring quintet Broes and an enthusiastic sold-out audience celebrated the release of their third album, <em>Belgica<\/em> \u2013 and it really was quite a night.<\/p>\n<p>Broes was founded in the autumn of 2009 from the creative minds of violinist and mandolinist Anouk Sanczuk and acoustic guitarist Florian De Schepper, stage nick-name Flo. Mind-blowing musical grooves and exploring improvisations quickly became their trademark, and Broes was awarded many prizes and also received a lot of acclaim in Europe and abroad. Breathtaking chromatic accordionist Elke De Meester joined the band, and the line-up was broadened in 2019 with percussionist\u00a0Gielis Cautaers\u00a0on percussion and bassist Zjef Van Steenbergen, both writing as composers and boosting the band\u2019s enviable musical repertoire. Broes can boast an impressive list of performances at nearly all major folk festivals in Belgium, including Gooikoorts, Dranouter, Na Fir Bolg in Vorselaar, Labadoux and Boombalfestival, near Ghent); but they have also made a resounding splash abroad, including at folk and jazz festivals in Belarus, China, Hong Kong, Portugal, Greece, the Netherlands, Italy, France and Romania.<\/p>\n<p><em>Belgica<\/em> is a fascinating account which zeros in on the Belgian explorer Adrien de Gerlache, who was born in 1866 and died in 1934; he undertook the very first Belgian polar expedition by ship to Antarctica. In 1896, De Gerlache brought the old whaling ship, the Patria, which had been built in Norway; after renovations, he renamed it Belgica. A year later, Belgica was fitted out and ready for the expedition. De Gerlache and an international crew of 23 sailed from the Belgian port city of Antwerp, down the River Scheldt to the North Sea and the English Channel, passing exotic places such as Madeira and the Azores, the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro and the port of Montevideo in Uruguay. In 1898, the ship reached the northernmost part of the Antarctic peninsula; unfortunately, they became trapped in the ice, forcing them to winter there for almost a year and three months. In this gripping story, Broes drew inspiration for their new album, the places the Belgica passed, the melting pot of cultures on board, but also the emotions the crew must have felt: a longing of homesickness and sometimes despair, but most importantly wonder and ecstasy.<\/p>\n<p>The whole album is entirely instrumental, save only for guest rapper and singer Mich Walschaerts who voices Anouk\u2019s composed track, \u2018Water Meem Ne Mee\u2019; the narrator struggles with a bleak existence on the streets and longs for the freedom of the sea and a life under the stars. The opening tune, Florian\u2019s \u2018The End of the World\u2019, simply explodes with a whirlwind of dazzling guitar and heart-stopping accordion, liquid and flowing percussion, prowling bass and madly dancing violin \u2013 what a wonderful start. The Gielis composition, \u2018Flora\u2019 (written for the drummer\u2019s daughter) describes the discovery of new plant and animal species which was one of the results of the expedition; the crew collected various samples to take back to Belgium. With no sun for almost two months and the rest of the crew in bad health, Lecointe, Amundsen and Cook were given permission to take a sledge onto the ice to hunt penguins but hoped to reach an even more southerly point. They called themselves \u2018De Orde van de Pinguin\u2019 (The Order of the Penguin), Flo\u2019s glittering tune. Anouk and Elke wrote \u2018Dark &amp; Stormy\u2019, a gloomy fear that this adventure is not going to turn out well. Anouk also penned \u2018Nansen &amp; Sverdrup\u2019, the two cats on board which did not survive the Antarctic winter; and Elke wrote \u2018Poolnacht\u2019, the long-lasting pitch-black night playing on their minds. Indeed, Elke achieves the hat-trick compositions; \u2018Festa no Rio\u2019 is a fun, Brazilian <em>forr\u00f3<\/em>, which her accordion utterly takes off the swoops in the sky, and the closing track is a marvelous singalong number called \u2018Caf\u00e9 Den Arriv\u00e9e\u2019, representing the crew\u2019s elation in coming home at last \u2013 and the extra bonus track is the band\u2019s delighted whistles.<\/p>\n<p>The album\u2019s 11 tracks are absolutely brimming over with sheer, proud in-your-face musical virtuosity which makes one leap in the air and laugh out loud. Anouk, Flo, Elke, Gielis and Zjef \u2013 we salute you!<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"CYNEFIN\"><strong>CYNEFIN<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<h2><span id=\"Shimli\">Shimli<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Owen-Shiers-Cynefin-Shimli-CD.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3156\" src=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Owen-Shiers-Cynefin-Shimli-CD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Independent release, no catalogue number<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cynefinmusic.wales\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.cynefinmusic.wales<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"_FIVE_STAR_CHOICE-18\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! *****<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>What is a <em>shimli<\/em>? Owen Shiers observes that, if you were to be cast back through time to the turn of the last century in a sleepy village in the county of Ceredigion, shimlis were gathering places in working structures like the corn mill, the smithy or the cobbler\u2019s workshop where the farmers, the farriers and other tradespeople could pass the time in sharing a poem, a story or a song \u2013 maybe most of the night. Until the 1950s, shimlis had functioned as the seed beds of Welsh cultural life of hundreds of years; he says that in the 17<sup>th<\/sup> century, when the upper classes had abandoned the language to the <em>werin<\/em>, the peasantry, and the bardic order had collapsed, it was the shimli that kept Welsh folk song and the Welsh language alive.<\/p>\n<p>Owen, who describes himself as a \u201cWelsh folk singer, researcher, grain grower and cultural historian\u201d and has taken the name Cynefin, was born in the Clettwr Valley of rural West Wales; he draws inspiration from folk artists such as The Gentle Good, the legendary band Fernhill and most importantly the <em>beirdd gwlad<\/em>, the \u2018folk poet\u2019 tradition which has honoured and lauded the bards for hundreds of years. He outlines <em>Shimli <\/em>(the follow-up to Owen\u2019s album<em> Dilyn Afon, <\/em>which was released in 2020): \u201cAs well as living oral history and story, the album explores the intersection between music, poetry, food and the natural world. A personal dispatch from the struggle to maintain a language, culture and way of life, the album is a musical petition \u2013 a stake in the ground for the diverse and the disappearing in our age of homogenisation and mass amnesia.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Owen says that the word \u2018cynefin\u2019 is layered with many meanings, a Welsh noun with no direct equivalent in English. Its origins lie in a farming term used to describe the constant tracks and paths worn by hillside animals: \u201cThe word has since morphed and deepened to conjure a very personal sense of place, belonging and familiarity.\u201d Indeed, the late landscape artist Kiffin Williams described it as: \u201cThat relationship &#8211; the place of your birth and of your upbringing, the environment in which you live and to which you are naturally acclimatised.\u2019<\/p>\n<p><em>Shimli<\/em> is a collection of incredible beauty and great peace, an utterly vanished rural way of life which has been lovingly polished and revitalised by the absolutely stunning musical arrangements. Owen\u2019s calm and appealing voice, matched by his magical hypnotic guitar, is enhanced by Ailsa Mair Hughes\u2019 cello and Cerys Hafana\u2019s triple harp, a quintet of strings, horns, piano, double bass, percussion and even the Machynlleth Wind Band \u2013 but it all quite wonderfully blends in, melds and jells. Above all, Owen\u2019s re-tuned guitar fascinatingly shines alone, like some beacon in the night.<\/p>\n<p>Owen maps out and records the folk poets, all sadly disappearing; the opening song, \u2018Helmi\u2019 (Corn Ricks), words by Bryngwyn farmer Evan Jones, is reminiscent of vanishing and faded yesteryear. Before silage took over to feed the livestock, massive straw bales, like small cottages, peppered the fields. Farmer Jones speaks of autumn advancing over the bare hills; Owen supplied the fourth verse, and he composed the second song, \u2018Cornicill\u2019 \u2013 the vanishing lapwing, fast declining from modernisation and from memory. May carols were part of the tradition; groups of singers would go from door to door, and D Jacob Davies wrote \u2018Mae\u2019r Nen Yn Ei Glesni\u2019 (The Heavens Are Greening) to welcome in the summer. \u2018Shili Ga Bwd\u2019 (Wormwood) used to treat a variety of ailments; the poet Dafydd Isfoel describes how his ailing mother slowly succumbed to the frailties of old age, and the wormwood was strangely withering as well. Richard Davies, one of Ceredigion\u2019s folk poets who took the bardic name of Isgarn, was born in 1897 and was married to the rough pasture of his isolated farm near Tregaron; a hill shepherd by trade, he walked four miles to Tregaron and back to attend a poetry class, where he learned the age-old craft of cynghanedd. \u2018Y Medelwr\u2019 (The Reaper) was his direct response to the rapidly shifting agricultural practices that he saw during his lifetime. In many rural areas of West Wales, families lived a hand-to-mouth existence. \u2018Cwrw Bach\u2019 (Small Beer) was one way of helping those in need. A neighbour made a batch of home brew and invited everyone for a party; selling the beer provided the much-needed cash, and the 19<sup>th<\/sup>-century poet Rees Jones (\u2018Amnon\u2019) pleads with ourselves to banish selfish greed and to give generously.<\/p>\n<p>Thereby hangs a story; at the end of 2022, a community group asked Owen to compose music for a short film about Pont Llanio, a small milk processing plant near Tregaron, which grew to employ over 120 people in the 1960s. Farmers collected milk from all over West Wales and distribute it nationwide via the station which sat next to the factory. Pont Llanio became a real community hub, hosting events and concerts as well as providing entertainment for the local children; it had its own caf\u00e9, football team and its own bard, Phil Rowlands, who documented many happenings through verse. But Pont Llanio lies in ruins today, choked by weeds. The railway line closed with the 1967 Beeching cuts and privatisation followed soon after, and the factory closed in the 1970s. Owen says: \u201cI was fortunate a few employees who were generous with their time and memories, including Lloyd Jones who gave me this poem by Phil Rowlands. Written on the eve of closure, it reflects both the fondness of the employees towards their fellow workers but also the potential devastation they were faced with at the time. It\u2019s fair to say the area has never recovered.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Added to Owen\u2019s magnificent album, there is a very informative CD booklet with pages of wonderful illustrations and pictures for the reader; it pinpoints the desperate struggle of rural practices and the Welsh language against the relentless battering ram of modernisation, social media and selfish corporate industry.<\/p>\n<p>From February 28 to March 9, Owen, Alfie Weedon and Fred Harper &#8211; joined by Chris Roberts on second guitar &#8211; will be out on tour, promoting <em>Shimli<\/em>. They\u2019ll be at The Gate, Cardiff (February 28), St David\u2019s Place, Swansea (March 1), Neuadd Tysul, Llandysul (March 5), Welfare, Ystradgynlais (March 6), Neuadd Dwyfor, Pwllheli (March 7), Theatr Byd Bychan, Cardigan (March 8) and Tabernacle Moma, Machynlleth (March 9).<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"MICK8217S_QUICKS-20\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>MICK&#8217;S QUICKS<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<p>\u25ba Amazing musicians <strong>Michael McGoldrick and Tim Edey<\/strong> have released a stunning digital 17-track album called <em>Jamland<\/em> (Bandcamp) in December 22, 2024, with a veritable plethora of traditional and written Irish, Scottish and American airs, reels, hornpipes and jigs, composed by stellar names like Mairtin O\u2019Connor, Phil Cunningham, Joe Carey, Tommy Peoples, Charlie Lennon, Tony Sullivan and of course McGoldrick himself. Tim and Michael have recorded completely by themselves, save only a few double-tracks, capturing Tim\u2019s inspiring guitar and diatonic accordion and Michael\u2019s lovely whistle and flute; the whole session seethes and bubbles, from the beautiful opening \u2018Ma Theid Mise Tuileagh \/ St Kilda Wedding Reel\u2019 right up to the gorgeous final \u2018Larkin\u2019s Beehive\u2019 set. Ooh, shiver, shiver! <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba County Clare fiddler and highly-talented multi-instrumentalist <strong>Tara Breen<\/strong> has won 11 solo All-Ireland titles and has played with the legendary Chieftains, Stockton\u2019s Wing and Galician piper Carlos Nu\u00f1ez. Her album <em>Sooner or Later<\/em> (Liosbeg Records) contains 12 amazing tracks of traditional Irish reels, jigs, waltzes, hornpipes and airs; guests are Se\u00e1n \u00d3g Graham (guitars, bouzouki, keyboards, bass) and Dermot Sheedy (bodhr\u00e1n, snare) \u2013 absolutely enthralling. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u25ba County Donegal ambassadors <strong>Altan <\/strong>is arguably the most iconic band working in traditional Irish music today; bandleader, lead vocalist and fiddler Mair\u00e9ad N\u00ed Mhaonaigh is in fine form, her angelic voice sparkling and glittering over stunningly beautiful songs, fast and slow reels and jigs in their latest album <em>Donegal<\/em> (Compass Records). Clare Freil, Altan\u2019s newest member, sings harmony with Mair\u00e9ad and adds her fiery fiddle playing; accordionist Martin Tourish, guitarist D\u00e1ith\u00ed Sproule, (guitar), guitarist and harmony vocalist Mark Kelly and bouzouki player and mandolinist Ciar\u00e1n Curran augment the band, and special guests are Jim Higgins (percussion), Steve Cooney (bass) and Graham Henderson (keyboards). Manus Lunny recorded the whole session in Sti\u00faidi\u00f3 na Mara in County Donegal &#8211; an absolutely outstanding 10 tracks. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>\u25ba Amazing London-based Balkan band <strong>ShunTA! <\/strong>will get you dancing in a frenzied maelstrom of sousaphone, saxaphones, tamburica, darbouka and many whirling instruments as lead vocalist and violinist Sue Montague sings passionately in Romani, Romanian, Bulgarian and Bosnian languages in their eight-track album <em>At The Kafana<\/em> (Rakia Records). The band are taking East European Romani sounds straight to the heart; and apart from one Israeli, all the musicians are from the UK. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>\u25ba Acoustic guitarist and singer-songwriter <strong>Sylvie Lewis<\/strong> was born in London to BBC broadcaster and journalist Martyn Lewis and ex-model and presenter Liz Carse; she moved to the United States in 1995 and studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, quit music to become a teacher in Los Angeles, relocated to the Catalan city of Barcelona and finally settled in Rome, where she is currently living. Her latest album <em>Lives Wisely<\/em> (Clover Music Group, CAT1171560) was recorded in Stoke Newington, London, and it\u2019s a 11-track collection of up-beat and beautiful songs written by herself and a few co-writers. In the last track, she salutes the late John Prine and well-known work \u2018Speed of the Sound of Loneliness\u2019; nice! <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>\u25ba Iconic Pakistani singer <strong>Hadiqa Kiani<\/strong> releases her project <em>Hayat<\/em> (<em>Life<\/em>, on the Sufiscore label), her tribute to the legendary king of Kawwali, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (1948-1997) and the Sabri Brothers; she shows the emotional and spiritual depth of Kawwali and records only three poem-songs, \u2018Saanson Ki Mala\u2019 (On the rosary of my breath), \u2018Paisa Bolta Hai\u2019 (Money Talks) and \u2018Dil Lagi\u2019 (The Heart Bleeds for Someone) which is just shy of nine minutes. Tabla, harmonium, backing vocals and the lovely sarangi accompany. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs up!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>\u25ba American singer-songwriter <strong>Kris Delmhorst<\/strong>, born in Brooklyn, New York City, and now living in Western Massachusetts, is a multi-instrumentalist playing fiddle, cello, mandolin, piano and ukulele and an active member of the Boston folk scene; however, her latest album, <em>Ghosts in the Garden<\/em> (Big Bean Music, BB-07) is totally off-piste rock-band americana, harsh guitars smothering her storyline lyrics. <strong><em>FolkWales verdict: Thumbs down<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"REG_MEUROSS\"><strong>REG MEUROSS<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<h2><span id=\"Fire_Dust_A_Woody_Guthrie_Story\">Fire &amp; Dust: A Woody Guthrie Story<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Reg-Meuross-Fire-and-Dust-CD.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3149\" src=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Reg-Meuross-Fire-and-Dust-CD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Hatsongs HAT026<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.regmeuross.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.regmeuross.com<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"_FIVE_STAR_CHOICE-19\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! *****<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>A horde of Llantrisant Folk Club punters braved the extremely bitter weather to see singer-songwriter Reg Meuross showcasing <em>Fire &amp; Dust<\/em>, his loving and outstanding tribute to American folk icon Woody Guthrie, his defiant activism, creative brilliance and unyielding hope for justice. Reg was typically amazing and wondrously hypnotic, and after the show he presented to me his brand-new album, which won\u2019t be released until March 14 this year.<\/p>\n<p>Legions of songwriters have acknowledged Guthrie as a major influence on their work, including such famous names as Steve Earle, Bob Dylan, Lou Reed,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Phil_Ochs\">Phil Ochs<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Johnny_Cash\">Johnny Cash<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bruce_Springsteen\">Bruce Springsteen<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Donovan\">Donovan<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pete_Seeger\">Pete Seeger<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Andy_Irvine_(musician)\">Andy Irvine<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Joe_Strummer\">Joe Strummer<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Billy_Bragg\">Billy Bragg<\/a>,\u00a0The Grateful Dead\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Jerry_Garcia\">Jerry Garcia<\/a> and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Tom_Paxton\">Tom Paxton<\/a>. Pete Townshend, songwriter and guitarist of The Who, suggested this project, commissioned and supported <em>Fire &amp; Dust <\/em>and he produced the album, adding bass guitar and harmonies to the mix. Stellar session musicians include Geraint Watkins (accordion, keyboards and backing vocals), Phil Beer (mandolin, slide guitar, fiddle and backing vocals), Marion Fleetwood (fiddle, additional strings, backing vocals), Roy Dodds (percussion), Simon Edwards (bass guitar), Bethany Porter (cello, additional vocal) and Reg\u2019s agent Katie Whitehouse (backing vocal).<\/p>\n<p>Woodrow Wilson Guthrie was born on July 14, 1912, in the small town of Okemah, Oklahoma; his parents were Charley Guthrie and Nora Belle, and they named him after the 28<sup>th<\/sup> President of the United States. He married at 19, but he left his wife and three children and joined thousands of \u2018Dust Bowl\u2019 Okies emigrating to California, looking for employment. He worked at Los Angeles radio station KFVD, played hillbilly music and wrote a column for the communist newspaper People\u2019s World from 1939 to 1940. He was associated with\u00a0US communist groups, but the anti-Stalin radio owners clashed with Guthrie\u2019s political leanings. He left the station and ended up in New York, where he wrote and recorded his 1940 album <em>Dust Bowl Ballads<\/em>, earning him the nick-name of \u2018The Dust-Bowl Troubadour\u2019. Guthrie wrote hundreds of folk, country and children\u2019s songs; he penned his most famous song, \u2018This Land Is Your Land\u2019, in January 1940, a response to the over-playing of Irving Berlin\u2019s \u2018God Bless America\u2019 on the radio. \u00a0Guthrie was married three times and fathered eight children, including the writer-singer Arlo Guthrie of \u2018Alice\u2019s Restaurant\u2019 fame. On October 3, 1967, he died of complications following Huntington\u2019s chorea, the incurable neurodegenerative disease which can be inherited; he was only 55 years old.<\/p>\n<p>Reg wrote all the 13 tracks, apart from \u2018So Long, It\u2019s Been Good to Know You\u2019, \u2018This Land Is Your Land\u2019, \u2018Ain\u2019t Got No Home\u2019 (written by Woody Guthrie) and \u2018Deportees\u2019 (written by Guthrie and Martin Hoffman). Incidentally, in \u2018This Land Is Your Land\u2019, which Guthrie recorded for Moe Asch\u2019s Folkways label in 1951, he wrote six verses; they were: \u201cWas a big high wall there that tried to stop me \/ A sign was painted said: Private Property \/ But on the back side it didn\u2019t say nothing \/ God blessed America for me.\u201d He wrote about his Great Depression experiences: \u201cOne bright sunny morning in the shadow of a steeple \/ By the Relief Office I saw my people &#8211; \/ As they stood hungry, I stood there wondering \/ If God blessed America for me.\u201d A seventh verse was added when he mimeographed his songbook in April 1945 and sold his compositions for 25 cents; the verse was: \u201cNobody living can ever stop me \/ As I go walking that freedom highway \/ Nobody living can make me turn back \/ This land was made for you and me\u201d. It was generally believed that Guthrie did not record any of the missing verses; but as Jeff Place systematically transferred each master to a compact disc, he discovered Guthrie\u2019s singing of the \u201cPrivate Property\u201d verse. It\u2019s number 14 in <em>Woody Guthrie: The Asch Recordings Vol 1<\/em> (Smithsonian Folkways, SPW40112.)<\/p>\n<p>In the <em>Fire &amp; Dust<\/em> album booklet, there\u2019s an iconic image of Guthrie playing his guitar with a warning notice on the soundbox: \u201cThis machine kills Fascists\u201d. Reg skilfully builds up the account of Guthrie\u2019s life and the way he snares his audience, hanging on his every word, is remarkable and fascinating. He really is a great story-teller.<\/p>\n<p>In the leading title track, Reg sings the memorable hookline chorus: \u201cIs this same god in who you trust \/ The god of fire, the god of dust\u201d. \u2018A Folk Song\u2019s a Song\u2019 follows: \u201cThis is your world \/ Though it\u2019s knocked you around \/ This land is your land \/ and this town is your town.\u201d In \u2018Woody Come Home\u2019, Reg implores: \u201cRaise up your flags, Woody, raise up your voice \/ Tell all the folks that the folks have a choice \/ Whether out in the fields or down in the mines \/ Come out Woody boy, out here on the lines\u201d. In the album\u2019s last song, as Guthrie succumbs to Huntington\u2019s chorea, Reg sings the final verse: \u201cBut all the while the song of stars \/ Played gentle in my head \/ I went to see the gipsy singer \u2013 he whispered: \u2018I ain\u2019t dead\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reg is touring <em>Fire &amp; Dust<\/em> in 2025, with an ever-increasing list of solo dates alongside some specially selected venues and festivals for band gigs, with a changing line-up of the world-class musicians with whom he recorded the album. The band is Reg Meuross and The Strike, a combination of Marion Fleetwood, Geraint Watkins and Phil Beer \u2013 and for the album launch gig on March 12 at London\u2019s Bush Hall, Simon Edwards and Roy Dodds. <em>Fire &amp; Dust<\/em> has the story of Woody Guthrie running between each song, written by Reg and narrated variously by the consultant expert on Guthrie \u2013 Emeritus Professor Will Kaufman \u2013 and other special guests. Band gigs are The Ropewalk, Barton Upon Humber (March 20), Nailsea Folk Club (March 21), The Beehive, Honiton (March 22), The Stables, Milton Keynes (March 23), Stoller Hall, Manchester (June 4), Temperance Bar, Leamington Spa (June 5), Bridport Arts Centre, Dorset (June 6), St Edith Folk, Kent (June 7), The Sub Rooms, Stroud (June 19), Wickham Festival (August 3), Sidmouth Folk Week (August 4), Broadstairs Folk Week (August 10), Huntingdon Hall, Worcester (September 11), The David Hall, South Petherton (September 12) and Ropetackle Arts, Shoreham By Sea (September 13).<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span id=\"SUE_SKINNER-2\"><strong>SUE SKINNER<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<h2><span id=\"Rainbows_in_the_Road\">Rainbows in the Road<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Sue-Skinner-Rainbows-In-The-Road-CD.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3147\" src=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Sue-Skinner-Rainbows-In-The-Road-CD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"130\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Independently released, no catalogue number<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sueskinner1.bandcamp.com\/album\/rainbows-in-the-road\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.sueskinner1.bandcamp.com\/album\/rainbows-in-the-road<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Watch out for singer-songwriter Sue Skinner, who was brought up just over the Welsh border in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, and has been performing solo and in duos in and around the border town of Chepstow and in the local area for almost a decade. She runs songwriting sessions at the Chepstow Club in Moor Street every two months and Open Mic sessions at the Orepool Inn in Chepstow Road, Coleford on the first Tuesday of the month. <em>Rainbows in the Road<\/em> is her debut album, and it contains 11 tracks of her own songs which feature tales of the Forest of Dean and local material, \u2018Timelord\u2019 (written by her friend, Trevor Valentine) and the final flourish, the beautiful\u00a0 old Irish chestnut \u2018She Moved Through the Fair\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>Sue\u2019s fetching voice and her acoustic guitars skip around her varied repertoire, be it folk, rock, pop, traditional or country. First up is the album title song, \u2018Rainbows in the Road\u2019, and it\u2019s a feel-good rocky little number with a soaring electric guitar breaking through the clouds. The creepy \u2018In The Place Where The Lost Things Are\u2019 follows, and the accusing \u2018Secrets and Lies\u2019; \u2018Mask No Fear\u2019, recorded in 2022, was chosen to be featured in the trailer of a short film of the same name made by the Scottish film-maker Craig Foggo-Scougall. The amusing \u2018Bungalow Legs\u2019 takes her back to Chepstow country clubland again; \u2018Lonely Morning Again\u2019 and \u2018The Journey\u2019, read and arranged by her friend Norman Paterson, is a tribute to Sue\u2019s brother-in-law Neil Skinner, who passed away in 2022. In fact, Sue writes: \u201cOur family\u2019s journey over the past two years has been a\u00a0hard one &#8211; but thankfully my family has received support in so many ways from the charity Missing People, and a portion of the proceeds from this album will go back to them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Producer Al Steele recorded, mixed and mastered the 12 tracks (excluding \u2018Mask No Fear\u2019) at Shabbey Road Studios, Caerphilly, and played piano, keyboards, bass and mandolin; Trevor Valentine adds vocals and guitars, Richard Mainwaring plays violin and additional voices come from Al\u2019s Angels and Andy Coleman.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Reviews for 2024 <\/em><em>and earlier have now been archived and can be found on the<\/em> <a href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/?p=85\">CD Reviews Archive (from 2020) <em>page<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><!-- .entry --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"excerpt\">ContentsMAY 2026MICK&#8217;S QUICKS\u00a0STEVENS &amp; POUND Ascending***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! *****CARAOur Ship is Ready***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! *****APRIL 2026MICK&#8217;S QUICKSMICK&#8217;S QUICKSCATRIN FINCH Notes to Self***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! ****MARCH 2026MICK&#8217;S QUICKSSEAN COONEY with ELIZA CARTHY, SAM CARTER &amp; JENNIFER REIDPeter\u2019s Field (album and illustrated book)***** FIVE STAR CHOICE! *****FEBRUARY 2026HAMISH HEPBURN &amp; JACK HOUSTONAfore Ye Go*****&hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"more-link-p\"><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/?p=3063\">Read more &rarr;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17,2,1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3063"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3063"}],"version-history":[{"count":141,"href":"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3063\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3070,"href":"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3063\/revisions\/3070"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3063"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3063"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/folk.wales\/magazine\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3063"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}