Admitted: I wasn't too happy with Beoga's previous album Carousel all of five years ago. This band was one of the first in the Celtic scene that I really got into when I had my conversion to Celtic and later English and Nordic folk music. Their first three albums really made an impression and confirmed … Continue reading Beoga are back with the hugely enjoyable “Phases”
M G Boulter’s “Days of Shaking”: beautiful poetry, exquisite music
A couple of years ago, I was still totally unaware of M G Boulter - and then I heard what I believe is his breakthrough album, Clifftown. It seems I was not the only person who then sense a remarkable similarity between him and Paul Simon. Mostly it was his singing voice, but there was … Continue reading M G Boulter’s “Days of Shaking”: beautiful poetry, exquisite music
Corrina Hewat’s “Song of Oak and Ivy”: mesmerizing and beautiful
Corrina Hewat is in the same master's league with other Scottish harpists like Catriona McKay, Ailie Robertson and Rachel Newton, but she hasn't released her own music - at least in recorded form - in ages. But it's 2025 and here she is now, with music that has completely surprised and enchanted me. What an … Continue reading Corrina Hewat’s “Song of Oak and Ivy”: mesmerizing and beautiful
Looking for unfiltered English folk? Go to Granny’s Attic!
Over the past decade or so, Granny's Attic have risen to the very top of English folk music, and deservedly so. The trio of Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne, George Sansome and Lewis Wood are masters in their craft and they are among the finest musicians keeping the tradition fresh and vital. What I particularly appreciate about their … Continue reading Looking for unfiltered English folk? Go to Granny’s Attic!
You know you are getting older when…
…your body starts to give you smaller and bigger hints that it's not keeping together the way it used to. Decades do their work and there comes a point when you cannot escape the facts. Which is to say I've been on radio silence in this blog for a while now, due to health issues … Continue reading You know you are getting older when…
“When They All Looked Up”: Kate Rusby’s solid return
...and has it really been six years since Kate Rusby released an album that's not a Christmas buffet, a covers album or a look back at her earlier years? It seems so, as the fabulous Philosophers, Poets and Kings came out in 2019. And I thought that was a couple of years ago. Tempus does … Continue reading “When They All Looked Up”: Kate Rusby’s solid return
Dowally continues to evolve with “Ici et là-bas”
For reasons I can't for the life of me remember, I did not write a word on the fab duo of Rachel and Dan's 2021 releases, the gentle folk/singer-songwriter style early bird // night owl (yep, that's the album title) and the almost 100 % instrumental mini-album (at 26 minutes) ReDrawing Edinburgh, music for a … Continue reading Dowally continues to evolve with “Ici et là-bas”
The waiting is over for Socks in the Frying Pan
Jeez, it's almost a decade since the previous studio album from Ireland's brilliant Socks in the Frying Pan. I believe they've been otherwise active all these years, though, and when inspiration finally came and they headed for the studio, Waiting For Inspiration came out sounding fresh and vibrant late last year. In the cover photo, … Continue reading The waiting is over for Socks in the Frying Pan
“Sanju” finds Flook in a beautifully peaceful mood
It's always a bit of a challenge when you want to say something about someone who everyone thinks is great. In this case, a band, an iconic one. Finnegan, Allen, Boyd, Kelly. Flook are legendary, we all know that. Listen to their albums - they're amazing. Witness them live - it's mindblowing; I hope you … Continue reading “Sanju” finds Flook in a beautifully peaceful mood
A few words on arrangements
If you have read a few of my posts, you may have noticed that I pay attention to arrangements pretty often. In this age of pop music becoming more and more digitally created, with melodies more simple, on average, than only about 20 years ago, the value of human creativity and musical thinking is more … Continue reading A few words on arrangements
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