Author: celtbritfolkfan

Album Review / Sam Sweeney: Unearth Repeat

Wood. Living, rough, hewn, shaped into houses, burned for warmth we need. People and their stories; villages and towns and other places they live in. People whose language I don’t always speak but we understand each other anyway. Those are the feelings and mental images I get from British fiddler Sam Sweeney’s new album Unearth … Continue reading Album Review / Sam Sweeney: Unearth Repeat →

Album Review / Joy & Andrew Dunlop: Dithis

The vastly gifted Scottish siblings have released their first album together. They have collaborated more before on Joy’s albums but this is the first full joint release. Joy naturally takes care of all vocals and Andrew, a classical pianist, brings in a few other instruments to color his beautiful piano performance. I have to admit … Continue reading Album Review / Joy & Andrew Dunlop: Dithis →

Quick Take Album Review / Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh: Thar Toinn (Seaborne)

I think at 28 minutes, Thar Toinn is actually an extended EP rather than an album, but that’s just semantics. Although the unusual playing time does in my mind correlate with the somewhat laid back feeling of the music. I have very much enjoyed her outings from recent years, An Uair Bhig An Lae (2012) … Continue reading Quick Take Album Review / Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh: Thar Toinn (Seaborne) →

Album Review / James Elkington: Ever-Roving Eye

Let’s take care of one thing first. So okay, Mr. Elkington has lived in the US for over 20 years but he is from England and his music has a definite connection to British folk roots, so this album is just fine to be reviewed here. Right, then. I also wanted to review it because … Continue reading Album Review / James Elkington: Ever-Roving Eye →

Album Review / Sam Carter: Home Waters

Times have changed... Four years after Sam Carter’s London-themed How The City Sings comes his new album, Home Waters. It tells a different kind of story: floods rise, storms both natural and political threaten to rip society’s fabric apart, disaster survivors try to cope. But there are also bittersweet memories, slow waves and domestic sanctuaries. … Continue reading Album Review / Sam Carter: Home Waters →

Album Review / Mhairi Hall: Airs

Way, way back in 1984 I was a Finnish high school exchange student in Michigan. My love of progressive rock was expanding my musical curiosity and one day I bought the Pat Metheny Group double live album, Travels. It's a fantastic album and features one of the most beautiful tracks I have ever heard: Farmer's … Continue reading Album Review / Mhairi Hall: Airs →

Album Review / Salt House: Huam

Be very quiet and sit you down. No rush. Because there are three people with some acoustic instruments, mostly stringed ones, who have made music for you. It's the most human and gentle music you could imagine, not tied to any particular place or time, with such watercolour nuances, you may lose much of it … Continue reading Album Review / Salt House: Huam →

Q & A with Brian Ó hEadhra and Fiona Mackenzie

I have been most impressed by the stunningly innovative albums Tìr and Tuath by the duo of Brian Ó hEadhra and Fiona Mackenzie. As I listened to Tuath on powerplay over a few days, several questions began to arise: it's an intriguing and challenging album in many ways and I decided to ask Brian and … Continue reading Q & A with Brian Ó hEadhra and Fiona Mackenzie →

Album Review / David Foley & Jack Smedley: Time To Fly

It does not take much but it takes everything. It takes a fiddle and a flute and some other instruments and a few good people with good hands and a lot of soul. RURA's David Foley and Jack Smedley have released their first non-RURA outing, Time To Fly, an album of such natural flow, natural … Continue reading Album Review / David Foley & Jack Smedley: Time To Fly →