This one really made my day, I’m listening to it for a second time now. The guys from Orkney have put out an album full of great playing, tunes and lots of emotion and also variation - never a dull moment here. It’s one of the albums that stylewise rides on both trad and neofolk … Continue reading Rory Matheson & Graham Rorie: We Have Won The Land
Tag: contemporary folk music
Hò-rò: New Moon
Oh hell yes. I’ve been a fan since their first album and this, their third one, does not let me down. Great groovin’ ”go dancing and clap a lot” tunes (Spot On, Kaylin’s) and quieter stuff (Little Bird) in about equal mesaure which makes for a perfect listening experience. Their playing is faultless yet loose … Continue reading Hò-rò: New Moon
Aoife Doyle: Inifinitely Clear
Not Celtic and not folk either, but hey, the Irish singer-songwriter’s third album just made me feel good when taking a walk in the nice spring air yesterday. The album features blue-eyed Irish soul, singer-songwriter stuff, folksier tunes and some laid back jazz colors. Her singing voice is soft and sensitive rather than Aretha-style strong … Continue reading Aoife Doyle: Inifinitely Clear
Album Review / Seth Lakeman: Make Your Mark
The big guy of British folk released a new album late in 2021 and I got to listening to it this week. And to take this one thing off the table right away: I think the album cover is just ****ing great. That axe-hewn face in huge closeup in stark monochrome - you instantly know … Continue reading Album Review / Seth Lakeman: Make Your Mark
Album Review / Mànran: Ùrar
In the course of any band's evolution, there can sometimes appear a point that separates a previous version of the band from the one that's taken its place, even when the name and the overall style remain. As in Genesis after Peter Gabriel, or Deep Purple with Steve Morse instead of Richie Blackmore on the … Continue reading Album Review / Mànran: Ùrar
Album Review / Cara: Grounded
It’s absolutely fab to see Cara are active and keep producing lovely albums! I haven’t seen them live but hope to, one fine day, when we can all breathe more freely than now. Grounded is yet another covid album, as the band informs us on their website. Maybe that’s why it’s, if not subdued, then … Continue reading Album Review / Cara: Grounded
Album Review / Karine Polwart & Dave Milligan: Still As Your Sleeping
It's always a special moment when a new album by one of your big favorites comes out. When I was a teenager, it was the new Rush or Peter Gabriel or Iron Maiden for me; that was a long, so long ago (I do still love Rush and Gabriel, though) and these days, it's a … Continue reading Album Review / Karine Polwart & Dave Milligan: Still As Your Sleeping
Album Review / Ringlefinch: Tall Tales
England’s Ringlefinch have been around for several years before the release of this, their first album, this summer. And it shows: Tall Tales does not feel and sound like a debutante’s performance. It is a solid, excellently executed showcase by a band capable of both irrerestible grooves and introspective mood pieces. I have noticed some … Continue reading Album Review / Ringlefinch: Tall Tales
Album Review / Honey and the Bear: Journey Through The Roke
The English duo of Lucy and Jon Hart, collectively known as Honey and the Bear, came to my knowledge with this, their second album, released this spring. It was one of those happy surprises when an artificial intelligence (I can't remember which) recommended an artist to and actually hit the sweet spot. Journey Through The … Continue reading Album Review / Honey and the Bear: Journey Through The Roke
A Somewhat Belated Album Review / Gráinne Brady: Newcomer
(Since I’m not a music professional, I sometimes - quite often, really - miss a noteworthy release and wake up to it much later. This is one of those cases. The text below is written almost six months after the album’s release) Glasgow-based Irish composer-fiddler Gráinne Brady’s exceptional debut album The Road Across The Hills … Continue reading A Somewhat Belated Album Review / Gráinne Brady: Newcomer
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