So it's been another lengthy radio silence from me due to two reasons: - my summer vacation, which I dedicated to some quite long e-bike treks with my wife. Didn't really listen to music during those weeks, other than from the bluetooth speakers hanging from the handlebars of my bike; that was just road music … Continue reading The fantastic earlier years of Sam Carter: Keepsakes (2009) and The No Testament (2012)
Tag: singer-songwriter
Finally checking out some fine music on my checklist
Whoa - an entire month has flown by without any blog posts. Good excuses, though: day job hassles, preparing for some gigs with my band (rock, not folk) and - most of all - a nine-day visit to the Southern and Inner Hebrides + one day in Oban. Loved Islay, adored Iona, was blown away … Continue reading Finally checking out some fine music on my checklist
Mairearad & Anna – but on their own this time
Mairearad Green and Anna Massie are solid staples of modern Scottish folk music; both have been active and important figures in the scene for many years already. As they have previously made four albums (Mairearad and Anna, Coupling, Best Day and Farran) together, the almost synchronized releases of their new solo albums was a great … Continue reading Mairearad & Anna – but on their own this time
Amazing music with and without words: Siobhan Miller; Catrin Finch & Aoife Ní Bhríain
For yet another inexplicable reason, I completely missed Siobhan Miller's 2022 album Bloom - until now. Her previous outing, 2020's All Is Not Forgotten, had been a low-key, intimate acoustic work, and Bloom, with its bright sky blue cover and a return to the sound feel almost like a counterargument to its predecessor. I absolutely … Continue reading Amazing music with and without words: Siobhan Miller; Catrin Finch & Aoife Ní Bhríain
Honey and the Bear’s “Away Beyond the Fret” feels like springtime :)
I utterly enjoyed the Suffolk folkies and singer-songwriters Lucy and Jon Hart's, aka Honey and the Bear, previous outing, their second album Journey Through the Roke (2021, my review can be read here). It was my first encounter with them and I was now very happy to press play on their new release. Away Beyond … Continue reading Honey and the Bear’s “Away Beyond the Fret” feels like springtime 🙂
Lissa Schneckenburger: Falling Forward
I have enjoyed the American fiddler-singer-composer's recent albums a lot. Her career arc has been one of steady development, from the fairly uneven first outings to over 20 years ago to the masterful musician she has been for a quite a few years already. Falling Forward is her first full-length album since 2019's Thunder In … Continue reading Lissa Schneckenburger: Falling Forward
Jenny Sturgeon’s “The Living Mountain”: a meditation
The Living Mountain, an album inspired by Nan Shepherd's iconic nature book, was released to rave reviews in October of 2020. At the time, I was mentally trying to adjust to the then raging global covid surge and the insecurity and uncertainty it caused - it's a blessing I could not foresee then that only … Continue reading Jenny Sturgeon’s “The Living Mountain”: a meditation
Celtic Connections 2023: Rachel Walker & Aaron Jones, with Gillebrìde MacMillan
The Mackintosh church is probably the most beautiful of all Celtic Connections venues. The late 1800’s designs by the famed architect Rennie James Mackintosh are like music themselves - what better place for a Celtic music gig? As the evening’s first act, Gaelic singer Gillebrìde MacMillan performed songs from his new album, “Sèimh: A State … Continue reading Celtic Connections 2023: Rachel Walker & Aaron Jones, with Gillebrìde MacMillan
Celtic Connections 2023: Cara Dillon with Vrï
We had checked out Vrï’s latest album before the festival and had been quite impressed with the three Welsh guys singing in Welsh. They sounded vibrant and self-assured on the album and likewise so on stage as the opening act for Cara Dillon on Sat. 28th. As far as I have understood, they play traditional … Continue reading Celtic Connections 2023: Cara Dillon with Vrï
“Namer of Clouds”: a belated discovery
Somerset folk singer-songwriter Kitty Macfarlane’s debut album came out in 2018 and I saw her brilliant solo gig supporting RURA in Celtic Connections 2020 but only now did I listen to the album, Namer of Clouds. And hear me: it’s a stunning achievement, especially as it was her first solo outing. Great tunes, wonderful lyrics … Continue reading “Namer of Clouds”: a belated discovery
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