The folking.com music archive for album reviews and news

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This is a list of everything we have on folking.com in date and month order. So if you like trawling the depths of the site for amazing content that you may have missed then this is the place to “net” an article, feature or review or two.

The archive is a work in progress as we still have gaps to fill from 2009 back to 2001. Most of the missing content are older album reviews which require reformatting with each article having to be submitted back on to the site with album covers and links to where they can be obtained from (where available).

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JOHN CEE STANNARD – Folk Roots Revisited (blaublaurecords)

John Cee Stannard’s Folk Roots Revisited is a wonderful flashback to the land of British singer-songwriter, circa 1970. But, oddly enough, it also nests nicely ...
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NAVARO – Diamond Skies & Desert Roads (Leading Horses Records LHREC05)

With their debut album, Under Diamond Skies, no longer obtainable Navaro have decided to make a selection from it available on-line and I must admit ...
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Folk On Foot plans virtual Bank Holiday Monday festival

Folk On Foot podcast organises “Front Room Festival” to raise funds for musicians hit by the coronavirus lockdown. The UK’s finest folk musicians offer to ...
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THE PINE HEARTS – Back To Sustain (own label)

The Pine Hearts are a string-band trio from Washington state: Joey Capoccia, who plays guitar and writes the band’s original material, Derek McSwain playing mandolin ...
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PETE MORTON – A Golden Thread (Further003)

Five years on from The Land of Time, the Leicester-born folkie returns with his fourteenth studio album, A Golden Thread: eight new self-penned songs, a ...
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ROBERT SEVERIN – Postcard From Budapest (RSM001)

Robert Severin is a British-Hungarian, Glasgow-based, singer songwriter who has just released his debut album, Postcard From Budapest. The album is a very personal response ...
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KUSH K – Lotophagi (blaublaurecords)

Kush K’s Lotophagi (aka Lotus Eaters) is a wonderful folk-rock-psych album filled with simpatico playing from Catia, Pascal, Nicola, and Paul. E. Cummings once wrote, ...
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PAVEY ARK – Close Your Eyes And Think Of Nothing (own label)

Pavey Ark are a seven-piece band from Hull although their name is taken from a Cumbrian Fell.. Close Your Eyes And Think Of Nothing is ...
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JUDY DYBLE – Weavings Of A Silver Magic (Cromerzone CZ00022)

The original female voice of Fairport Convention and subsequently part of Giles, Giles and Fripp and Trader Horne, Dyble retired from the music business in ...
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KIT HAWES & AARON CATLOW – Pill Pilots (BBCRD007)

Pill Pilots was released at the end of February. “This is good”, I was told. Kit Hawes and Aaron Catlow are new to me (I’m ...
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PETER KNIGHT’S GIGSPANNER BIG BAND – Natural Invention (Gigspanner GSCD007)

It is, let’s be honest, something of a mouthful as names go, but, the line-up now comprising of Knight and core band members Roger Flack ...
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Lavinia Blackwall announces her first solo album

Lavinia Blackwall is already a well-known name in many circles. Her work with prolific Glaswegian psych-folk outfit Trembling Bells having earned her a reputation as ...
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Ben Reel releases his new album

Ben Reel is a native of Silverbridge, South Armagh, Ireland.  Soon after high school at the age of 17 he started his musical career in ...
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SIOBHAN MILLER – All Is Not Forgotten (Songprint Recordings SPR004CD)

I have to say, and with a heavy heart, that I really didn’t like Siobhan Miller’s previous album and I’m pleased to say that to ...
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Folk performers urged to apply for grant funding

Alan Surtees Trust opens 2020 funding round A trust that aims to support and help develop the careers of young folk performers is inviting applications ...
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Derby Folk Festival is back for October 2020

The much-loved Derby Folk Festival is back in full this year, with weekend tickets on sale from today giving access to ALL the events ALL ...
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REVEREND SHAWN AMOS & THE BROTHERHOOD – Blue Sky (Put Together)

Reverend Shawn Amos & the Brotherhood with their new album, Blue Sky, tell us all to “Keep the faith. Have some fun. Spread a little ...
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Here’s news of a freebie from Jo Beth Young aka Rise

NEWS AND A LOCKDOWN GIFT TOMORROW  Hi and Greetings from my new mailing list! If you've been following any of my social media posts you ...
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CORMAC O CAOIMH – Swim Crawl Walk Run (own label)

Cormac O Caoimh is a singer/songwriter from Cork and Swim Crawl Walk Run is his fifth album, although the first to come our way. He’s ...
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The Ciderhouse Rebellion get together in isolation

Those daily press conferences keep reminding us, we are in ‘unprecedented’ times. As the country and economy grinds to a halt, musicians across the world ...
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CARUS THOMPSON – Shakespeare Avenue (Mind’s Eye Records 8687)

Forming Carus and the True Believers in Perth back in 1995, after three albums Thompson went solo in 2008 and has since himself released three ...
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JEZ LOWE – The Fellside Collection (Fellside FECD286)

This is 40 years’ worth of Jez Lowe from his first album The Old Durham Road, through the Bad Penny group days and down to ...
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Jerry Leger releases digital only album for Bandcamp Day

To coincide with "Bandcamp Day," Toronto singer-songwriter Jerry Leger has released a special new album, Songs From The Apartment, which will be available to download ...
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PHIL ‘SWILL’ ODGERS – Uke Town (own label)

For reasons you can discover by following the link below Phil ‘Swill’ Odgers has been obliged to release Uke Town, a double album of demos ...
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A message from Eliza Carthy

Dear friends, It has become imperative, in light of the current governmental advice regarding the dreaded C-word, for us to reschedule where we can our ...
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ANNA RENAE – Skin (own label)

At the risk of vilification from all sides I have to say that there are very few female singer/songwriters that really float my boat: a ...
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HENDERSON:HOOPER – Pete’s Trees (own label)

Sometimes you just need a little breathing space to indulge yourself in the enchanting continuum between musical genres. Having played with Judith Henderson in the ...
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2020 Gate To Southwell Festival cancellation

The Gate to Southwell Festival, one of the highlights of the Midlands’ music calendar, has been cancelled following the government’s introduction of stricter social distancing ...
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Terence Blacker announces new album

Songwriter Terence Blacker has taken a new direction with music, recording twelve new songs with a group of European musicians in a studio in southern ...
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ALDEN PATTERSON AND DASHWOOD – Waterbound (own label)

One of the most delightful and breezily refreshing acts current treading the folk circuit, the Norwich trio, guitarist Christina Alden, fiddler Alex Patterson and dobro ...
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SALT HOUSE – Live at the West End Centre, Aldershot

Very nobly, I refrained from swapping my ticket for Salt House for one for the burlesque show taking place in the main venue. I’m glad ...
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CHRIS TITCHNER – Already Gone (Bridgefolk Records BFR 3002)

Raised in Vermont and now living in Raleigh, North Carolina, having released his debut, Moving Day, in 2005, it’s taken 15 years to get round ...
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ELIS MACFADYEN – Dreamers And Journeys (own label EM2019CD)

A familiar figure on the folk scene around Inverness, there is, to say the least, very little info on Macfadyen out there in internet land, ...
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SIAN – Sian (Sian Music SIAN001)

Sian’s self-titled debut album gives credence to Shakespeare’s words, “If music be the food of love, play on”. This is gossamer Gaelic music spun by ...
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Cambridge Folk Festival announces more new names

Cambridge Folk Festival is excited to announce 25 new names for the 2020 line-up, adding to the wealth of music on offer at Cherry Hinton ...
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Carus Thompson announces new album and tour dates

Australian folk songwriter and storyteller Carus Thompson returns to the UK in 2020 to launch his seventh studio album Shakespeare Avenue, along with a UK ...
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SINGLES BAR 49 – A round-up of recent EPs and singles

MIKE TURNBULL writes about the places he lives and has lived and the history he enjoys – sometimes simultaneously. With his band THE SAFE KINGS ...
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William Prince – Reliever and Tour Dates

Canadian singer songwriter William Prince had his brand new album Reliever selected as BBC Radio 2’s ‘Album Of The Week’ back in February, following lead ...
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The Levellers on tour ahead of new album release Peace

The Levellers have released the brand new single ‘Food Roof Family’, the first track to be taken from their forthcoming new studio album Peace, which ...
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RORY ELLIS – Inner Outlaw (own label)

The “Big Man” is back with his new album Inner Outlaw, this time in the guise of a Buck ‘Ned Kelly’ Rogers in the 21st ...
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MUIREANN NIC AMHLAOIBH—Thar Toinn/ Seaborne (Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh)

Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh’s Thar Toinn (aka Seaborne) is a crystal brook twenty-one-minute “capsule project” of wonderful Irish folk music. The first song, ‘Faoiseamh Faoistine’, is ...
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Ray Cooper 2020 Interview – Promised Land Tour

Ray Cooper, former member of Oysterband, left the group 2013 and has now released three solo albums plus a song book. Ray, story-based singer songwriter ...
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HAMISH NAPIER – The Woods (Strathspey Records SRCD004)

The Woods is the third album in Hamish Napier’s Strathspey Pentalogy and it’s nothing less than a musical journey through the woodlands around Grantown-on-Spey where ...
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Video Wall 13 – still not superstitious

We'll start with what might have been a world premiere but we suspect that RAY COOPER has gone public with it already. Whatever - it's ...
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Copperplate Podcast 245 – Presented by Alan O’Leary

folking.com brings you the latest podcast from that aficionado of Irish music, yes you guessed it, the one and only Mr. Alan O'Leary with his ...
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Fairport Convention to play Peak Cavern

FAIRPORT CONVENTION have confirmed a live show at Castleton’s Peak Cavern on Saturday 16th May. Tickets, and coach packages from Manchester and Sheffield are on ...
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Van Morrison confirmed for Wickham Festival

Van Morrison is to headline this year’s Wickham Festival. The global superstar will top the bill on Saturday August 8 in front of what is ...
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VICKI SWAN & JONNY DYER – Sleep Deprivation (WetFootMusic WFM200201)

Vicki Swan and Jonny Dyer wrote Sleep Deprivation as an aid for touring musicians trying to stay awake while driving home from a gig. From ...
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THE HACKLES – A Dobritch Did As A Dobritch Should (Jealous Butcher JB178-CD)

You may well ask. Rather than something out of Harry Potter, the title refers to a famous Bulgarian circus dynasty, the patriarch, Lazaro Dobrich founding ...
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SALT HOUSE – Huam (Hudson Records HUD018)

Salt House’s Huam (the call of an owl) is an album of temporal beauty that touches the eternal. The poet Emily Dickenson (more about whom ...
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FolkEast announces more names

Described as “one of the premier English folk groups of the 21st century” The Unthanks will headline the final night of FolkEast this August, organisers ...
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Phil “Swill” Odgers announces double album of demos

Swill is his usual forthright self: The recently defunct Crowd Funding Platform managed to create something terrific for fans and musician alike and then utterly ...
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The Unthanks announce new Diversions album and live dates

Live And Unaccompanied is not a live album. Well, it is, but it isn’t. More of that later. It's notable for yet another incarnation of ...
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CHRIS ELLIOTT AND CAITLIN JONES – Carry Me Home (own label)

Amongst the many charms of Carry Me Home, the fine debut album by Staffordshire duo, Chris Elliott (guitar, bouzouki, fiddle, vocals) and Caitlin Jones (harmonium, ...
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IAN CARR & THE VARIOUS ARTISTS – I Like Your Taste In Music (Reveal Records REVEAL087CDX)

It has been five years since Ian Carr took time out from being a go-to session guitarist to release his first “solo” album, Who He? ...
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WILLIAM K.z. – After A Long Time (Digital Download Only)

The title of William K.z.’s debut solo album, After A Long Time, derives from the period and nature of its gestation. After relocating to study ...
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ANTOINE & OWENA – Something Out Of Nothing (own label)

Something Out Of Nothing is the second album by Antoine Architeuthis and Owena Archer and I enjoyed their debut, Hands, Hearts & Hangings, very much ...
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GRANT PEEPLES – Bad Wife (Rootball Records)

Grant Peeples’ Bad Wife is a very current, interesting, and important folk record. It’s an album of songs all written by women performed by Grant ...
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BRONWYNNE BRENT – Undercover (own label)

Bronwynne Brent’s new album Undercover was released on February 28th. Her previous two albums received critical acclaim and led, amongst other live media appearances, to ...
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KATHRYN ROBERTS & SEAN LAKEMAN – On Reflection (Iscream Music ISCD17)

Not exactly a best of, but, to mark their 25th anniversary, the Dartmoor-based husband and wife duo have turned over their back pages and rerecorded ...
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Jeffrey Foucault – new album and UK dates

Blood Brothers, the much-anticipated follow-up to the critically acclaimed 2015 album Salt As Wolves by  Jeffrey Foucault is a collection of reveries, interlacing memory with ...
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THREE CANE WHALE – 303 (Field Notes Records FN3)

303, released in November 2019 opens with the sound of footsteps on a path and three creaks of a gate opening and closing, presumably as ...
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Moonrakers Folk Orchestra workshops – dates and places

Moonrakers, a four-piece professional touring band, offer not only full concerts but also Folk Orchestra workshops for arts centres, festivals and residential arts centres. The ...
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David Foley & Jack Smedley announce debut album

Time To Fly is the debut album from David Foley & Jack Smedley. The new body of work, released on Friday 27th March 2020, is ...
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DAVID KEENAN – A Beginner’s Guide To Bravery (Rubyworks RWXCD372)

David Keenan released his debut album, A Beginner’s Guide To Bravery, in January. That rather bald statement doesn’t really give a sense of what’s in ...
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THE ROTUNDAS – Simple Songs From Simple Men (own label)

Their feet planted firmly in the same local folk soil as Jon Wilks, Nick Comley on guitar and vocals and lead singer Ian Grafton are ...
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The Shee announce late spring tour

There’s always something new with a tour from The Shee. Fans of the innovative, instrument-swapping sextet will be delighted to learn that this May marks ...
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Elephant Sessions announce new single and tour dates

Elephant Sessions and Ros T team up for a new folk-electronic release. The new single is a remix from Glasgow based DJ, Ros T, of ...
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THREEPENNY BIT – King Ahtu (Little Folk Records LFR104)

Hampshire’s celebrated eight-piece ceilidh band returns with their fourth album of music that you don’t have to dance to…but you can if you wish. In ...
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Cambridge Folk Festival anounces more names

Further details of the line-up for Cambridge Folk Festival 2020 have been revealed in what promises to be an exciting weekend of top-notch music. One ...
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Judy Collins leads second wave of artists announced for Shrewsbury Folk Festival

Shrewsbury Folk Festival has revealed a second wave of artists on its 2020 line up topped by American folk legend, Judy Collins. Five time Grammy ...
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The Knoydart Retreat launches songwriting retreats in the wilderness

The Knoydart Retreat has just launched a series of creative retreats in Knoydart, Scotland for songwriters, photographers & painters. They launch with three Songwriting retreats ...
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DAVE ARTHUR – Someone To Love You (WildGoose Records WGS435CD)

Dave Arthur thought it would be a good idea to collect some of his favourite songs from the Rattle On The Stovepipe catalogue as a ...
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MATTHEWS SOUTHERN COMFORT – The New Mine (MIG)

The New Mine is the second wonderful blast from the re-constituted Matthews Southern Comfort. A little history: I had lost track of Iain Matthews. But ...
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Hamish Napier announces third album in his Strathspey Pentalogy

The Woods is the third album from acclaimed musician and composer Hamish Napier, exploring and celebrating the ancient forests of his native Strathspey in the ...
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Beans On Toast on tour again

Although Beans On Toast has just-this-minute wrapped up an extensive UK tour on the back of his newest album The Inevitable Train Wreck, today he ...
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Suzanne Vega – new album and UK dates

Suzanne Vega will release her new album, of An Evening Of New York Songs And Stories (Cooking Vinyl) on May 1 2020. In celebration of ...
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ROBB JOHNSON – Eurotopia (Irregular IRR112V)

I know what you’re thinking: we’ve already reviewed Eurotopia. Well, yes and no. First we had the thirteen-track CD edition with The Irregulars and now ...
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STEPHANIE HATFIELD – Out This Fell (own label)

Always a question to wonder about – what should you do for Valentine’s Day that isn’t cheesy, superfluous or slushily romantic? How about listening to ...
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Bob Fox and Billy Mitchell on tour in March

Looking forward to getting back on the road in March with my mate Billy Mitchell for some 5 Star B & B duo gigs and ...
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FAIRPORT CONVENTION – Shuffle And Go (Matty Grooves Records MGCD056)

Fairport Convention’s Shuffle And Go is a “green and pleasant” lovely folk album that winks and waves at the past, and (to almost quote Procol ...
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THE LOST BROTHERS – After The Fire After The Rain (Bird Dog Recordings BDR007)

Hailing from Tyrone and Meath, respectively, Northern Irish duo Mark McCausland (a cousin of Lonnie Donegan, apparently) and Osin Leech have made a point of ...
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Kit Hawes & Aaron Catlow announce new album

Weaving a musical dialogue between fiddle, guitar and voice, Kit Hawes and Aaron Catlow explore the rich musical heritage of the British Isles, and create ...
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AL LEWIS – Te Yn Y Grug (Al Lewis Music ALM023)

There is a story behind this album and it’s somewhat involved so settle down at the back, please. Te Yn Y Grug (Tea In The ...
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Salt House announce new album and tour dates

Huam is the eagerly awaited new album from Salt House which sees them solidify their reputation as fine interpreters of words both old and new ...
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THE CRAVATS – Hoorahland (Overground Records)

The Cravats’ Hoorahland whirls complex rock, punk, and jazz into a narcotic hurly-burly of melodic musical defiance. But is it folk? Well, I have a ...
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Daria Kulesh announces live dates

With her striking voice and strong Russian and Ingush heritage, Daria Kulesh is a unique and still-rising star on the UK folk scene. In 2015 ...
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RATTLE ON THE STOVEPIPE – Through The Woods (WildGoose Records WGS432CD)

Who would have thought that Rattle On The Stovepipe had recorded their seventh album with Through The Woods. Founder members Dave Arthur and Pete Cooper ...
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Ian Carr announces new album

Widely considered to be one of the best and most original guitarists of his generation, Ian Carr has worked with many acclaimed artists including Kathryn ...
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RIBBON ROAD – Love On The Losing Side (Shipyard RRD012)

Bizarrely, just a few days after I was wondering when a new album might be in the offing, along came Love On The Losing Side, ...
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KARIN GRANDAL-PARK – Lives On The Line (Stories In Stone)

Karin Grandal-Park’s short album, Lives On The Line, is part of a series of community projects based in west Yorkshire. Karin concentrates on the history ...
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Serious Child (Alan Young) announces his second album

Time In The Trees is the second album from indie folk singer-songwriter Serious Child. Set for release on the Spring Equinox, Friday, 20 March 2020, ...
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CHRISTOPHER PAUL STELLING – Best of Luck (Anti)

Produced by Ben Harper and featuring both him and Dixie Chicks drummer Jimmy Paxson and bassist Mike Valerio, Best Of Luck is Florida-born, Asheville-based Stelling’s ...
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RY CAVANAUGH – Time For This (Cav Productions)

Ry Cavanaugh’s album Time For This could well be the soundtrack from a History Channel search for the grave of Henry David Thoreau. That sort ...
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Will Pound announces new album and tour

As Britain prepares to depart the European Union and enter an uncertain future virtuoso musician Will Pound – one of the biggest names in UK ...
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THE LONE BELLOW releases HALF MOON LIGHT today

The Lone Bellow – Zach Williams, Kanene Donehey Pipkin, Brian Elmquist – have announced the release of their long-awaited new album, 'Half Moon Light' (Dualtone ...
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JOHN BLEK – The Embers (K&F Records K&F046)

The fifth album from the fingerpicking Cork singer-songwriter, conceived as the third in a series of four thematically-based releases that began with Catharsis Vol 1, ...
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ANDREW J NEWALL – Janus (own label AJN2019CD)

Andrew J Newall describes this album as being composed of the songs he’s known for when performing live. Some of them have been souped up ...
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NED ROBERTS – Dream Sweetheart (Aveline AVREC007CD)

Originally from York and now based in London, Ned Roberts’ big break came soon after he started writing and was discovered by producer Luther Russell, ...
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Larmer Tree Festival announces first names

The UK’s longest-running boutique festival Larmer Tree celebrates its 30th anniversary in style this summer with the announcement of the three biggest headliners in its ...
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Frazey Ford – new album and summer UK tour

Vancouver-based soul-Americana artist Frazey Ford announces her third album U Kin B The Sun due out February 7, 2020 on Arts & Crafts. At turns ecstatic and heavy-hearted, gloriously shambolic and deeply purifying, the ...
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SETH LAKEMAN – A Pilgrim’s Tale (BMG)

This year marks the 400th anniversary of the departure of The Mayflower from Plymouth, setting voyage to take its cargo of 102 persecuted Puritans, some ...
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THE ROWAN TREE – Kolar’s Gold (own label)

I’m not suggesting a trend, you understand, but there is some exciting music coming out of the west of England at the moment, not least ...
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KATHLEEN HEALY – Embracing The Journey (own label)

A singer-songwriter from Cape Cod, following a gap of some five years, Embracing The Journey is her second album and, as the title suggests, is ...
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KIRSTY ALMEIDA – Moon Bird (All Made Up)

Kirsty Almeida is a writer and singer whose musical and personal journey has taken her around the world.  Born in Scotland, her father's work has ...
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GLENN JONES – Ready For The Good Times (own label)

Based in North Carolina and bassist for the Peter Holsapple Combo, Jones also has his own career, Ready For The Good Times being his third ...
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DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS – The Unraveling (ATO – 0882388515)

Released on the 31st January, The Unraveling is Drive-By Truckers first new album in three and a half years. The delay possibly caused by the ...
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SARAH JANE SCOUTEN – Confessions (Light Organ Records)

Sarah Jane Scouten’s Confessions destroys polite convention: This album can, indeed, be judged by its cover. A snake curls around of a bottle of medicine, ...
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SINGLES BAR 48 – A round-up of recent EPs and singles

Yet another British-Asian who’s been drawn to British and American folk style, variously based in Oxford (where he heads a Beatles covers band) and Exeter, ...
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BROOKS WILLIAMS – Work My Claim (Red Guitar Blue Music RGBM – 2020)

Brooks Williams releases Work My Claim in February. It’s an album which celebrates thirty years as a touring musician and 30 years since his first ...
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Ray Cooper tours the UK in March

Ray Cooper’s Promised Land Tour 2020 Ray Cooper, a former member of Oysterband, left the group 2013 and has now released three solo albums and ...
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ELLINOR & LEONOR – Årsringar (Kakafon Records, KAKACD036)

Årsringar may only be the second album in five years from Swedish/Belgian duo Ellinor Fritz (fiddle) and Leonor Palazzo (5-string cello), but music of this ...
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Cambridge Folk Festival – first names announced

Cambridge Folk Festival is thrilled to announce the first artists for its 2020 line-up: Making his Cambridge debut in an exclusive English festival appearance, iconic ...
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MATT McGINN – Lessons Of War (own label)

Initially, moved by seeing the image of a young refugee washed up on the shore, the County Down singer-songwriter set out to write a single ...
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LETITIA VANSANT – Circadian (own label)

Letitia VanSant’s debut album Gut It To The Studs was released eighteen months ago and had several memorable tracks on it which suggested that her ...
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CAVE FLOWERS – Cave Flowers (Hard Bark Records)

Cave Flowers’ self-titled album burns its own brand into the worn leather of alt-country rock ‘n’ roll. And that’s a difficult thing to do. The ...
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GILL LANDRY – Skeleton At The Banquet (Banquet Records)

Gill Landry releases his fifth album, Skeleton At The Banquet, this week with a couple of launch gigs in London on January 28th and 29th ...
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ANDY WHITE – Time Is A Buffalo In The Art Of War (Floating World FW046)

The first time I saw Andy White he still looked like Bob Dylan circa 1966 - I think I admired his nerve. I’ve tried to ...
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FIERCE FLOWERS – Mirador (Celebration Days Records)

Fierce Flowers’ Mirador is a delightful French album of folk music that travels from Paris to Americana backwoods with sepia tinged vocals, guitar, banjo, viola, ...
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Pavey Ark announce their debut album

Pavey Ark are a fast-rising alternative folk band from Hull, fronted by singer and songwriter Neil Thomas. Formed in 2016, their debut album Close Your ...
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SAM LEE – Old Wow (Cooking Vinyl COOKCD743)

It’s hard to credit that Old Wow is only Sam Lee’s third album. It seems that he’s been around forever, done so much and already ...
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Drive-By Truckers – New album The Unraveling

Drive-By Truckers have unveiled the latest single from their much-anticipated new album, 'The Unraveling'. 'Thoughts and Prayers'. The powerhouse track is accompanied by an official ...
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Folking favourites The Trials Of Cato embark on major tour

Power-folk pioneers The Trials Of Cato are hitting the road this spring following a remarkable 2019 which saw the band transform from buskers into BBC ...
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John Blek announces his new album

After the fires of love, lust, life and revolution have burned out; the embers are all that remain. The Embers, the new album from John ...
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Ninebarrow to tour as a band for first time this spring

BBC award nominees Ninebarrow, widely recognised as one of the finest duos in UK folk music, are to tour as a five-piece band in March ...
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DEL SCOTT MILLER – Lantern (own label)

Del Scott Miller is from Barnsley and Lantern is his second solo album as a singer-songwriter. He’s also singer, writer and guitarist with Mynas and, ...
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GRAHAM LINDSEY – TradHead (Wavelength Media)

Quite frankly, Canadian Graham Lindsey’s acoustic Celtic TradHead, should have been called Never A Dull Moment, if one-time Faces member, ‘Maggie Mae’ solo star, (from ...
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ROBB JOHNSON & THE IRREGULARS – Eurotopia (Irregular IRR113)

As if to prove that not only does Robb Johnson have his finger on the pulse of the zeitgeist but that he’s actually ahead of ...
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Charles Foskett announces his long-awaited debut album

Late Bloomer started with the composition of only one song, ‘Pull On The Rope’ - it was an exercise of healing and distraction - mainly ...
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JON PALMER ACOUSTIC BAND – One Fine Day (Splid Records SPLIDCD 26)

Jon Palmer is a fine songwriter and a good bloke to have a pint with – both of which endear him to me. One Fine ...
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THE SMOKE FAIRIES – Darkness Brings The Wonders Home (Year Seven Records)

The Smoke Fairies new album, Darkness Brings The Wonders Home, is music that coughs up a bluesy and very British folk rock beauty. You know, ...
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Maverick announces first names for its thirteenth year

Maverick, the UK’s first and finest Americana festival is pleased to announce first names for its lucky thirteenth outing! This year‘s event will take place ...
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GEMMA MAE ANDERSON – Life (own label GMAZE2CD)

Like many musicians, I'm all too well aware of the risks and consequences of joint damage and pain, especially in my own age group (let's ...
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THE OLD SWAN BAND – Fortyfived (Wild Goose WGS434CD)

The Old Swan Band, rightly lauded for its longstanding championing of English dance music, broke a 20-year recording hiatus in 2014 to mark its 40-year ...
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BLACKBIRD & CROW – Ailm (MIG MIG 01652)

I don’t believe that anyone has coined a term for the music that Blackbird & Crow play. I’d like to suggest “gothic folk-rock”. Other artists ...
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JULIE ABBÉ – Numberless Dreams (Anisogoma Records ANIS001)

She doesn’t sound it but Julie Abbé is French and grew up in Poitou-Charentes, south of Roquefort and North of Bordeaux, which sounds like a ...
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DEBORAH ROSE –The Shining Pathway (own label)

Originally from Newport in South Wales but now based in Worcester, the pure-voiced Rose comes impressively endorsed by no less than Mary Gauthier and Judy ...
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Gate To Southwell Festival – first names announced

There’ll be an excellent, eclectic and truly international line-up at this summer’s 14th Gate To Southwell music festival (June 4th-7th).  English roots stars Show Of Hands, the ...
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MIKE ZITO – Live From The Top (Gulf Coast Records)

Mike Zito, Blues Music Award winner whose 2018 album First Class Life entered the Billboard Top Blues Albums chart at number one, has re-released Live ...
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Andy White announces new album

Andy White is a Belfast singer-songwriter whose first EP Religious Persuasion, and 1986 debut album Rave On Andy White kick-started a career which includes twenty ...
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THE AERIALISTS – Dear Sienna (Fiddlehead Records)

Although The Aerialists’ Dear Sienna spins in a distant orbit around any Irish Pub’s dartboard hub, it’s a wondrous Canadian album filled with acoustic magic ...
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VARIOUS ARTISTS – Sounds From The Great Garden: A Lismore Gathering (Clincart Music CLINC770190010)

A double CD ‘concept’ album, the title refers to the historic description of the Scottish island of Lismore, the music within it, all recorded at ...
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DÀIBHIDH STIÙBHARD – An Sionnach Dubh (Wildtune Records)

Dàibhidh Stiùbhard’s An Sionnach Dubh (aka The Black Fox) is an album that touches deep Irish roots and is graced with immense subtlety. Dàibhidh’s vocals ...
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DAVEY DODDS – Toadstool Soup (Coalshed Music CSM031119)

Davey Dodds, rather belatedly it must be said, has had fame thrust upon him all because of a song he wrote back in the 1970s ...
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FRUITION – Broken At The Break Of Day (Fruition LCC FLC012)

A promising roots-rock five-piece from Portland, Oregon, Broken At The Break Of Day is their second mini-album in three months, a seven-track collection of catchy ...
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Irish duo Blackbird & Crow announce their second album

The musical cosmos of Blackbird & Crow is almost infinite, ranging from soul, blues, psychedelic rock, from Americana to Irish Folklore. Maighread Ni Ghrasta and ...
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THE EPSTEIN – Burn The Branches (Zawinul Records ZWRO102)

Having followed The Epstein for many years, I’m constantly reminded of how difficult it is for a top quality band to find the break they ...
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Sam Lee announces new album, Old Wow

Sam Lee plays a unique role in the British music scene. He is a multi award-winning singer with a rich and soulful voice, a committed folk song ...
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MARTYN JOSEPH – Days Of Decision (Pipe Records PRCD029)

What do we know about Phil Ochs? He was a member of the 50s/60s protest movement and a prolific songwriter admired by his contemporaries. He ...
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THUNDER AND RAIN – Passing In The Night (own label)

Thunder And Rain are a four-piece band from Colorado who play Americana-esque music that is influenced by a mix of styles from classic country to ...
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RAGTOP DOWN – Contents May Settle (own label)

They took their name from an old Little Feat song which should give you a clue about where they’re coming from. Except that Ben Tunningley, ...
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TOMMY SANDS – Fair Play To You All (Spring SCD 1066)

The picture on the cover of Tommy Sands recent album is a literal illustration of an old Irish saying which, in England, is only uttered ...
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JIM AND SUSIE MALCOLM – The Berries (Beltane Records Belcd113)

Jim and Susie Malcolm’s The Berries is an exquisite album of Scottish folk music. This is a record of harmony, in which Jim’s Scottish porridge-pure ...
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ARFUR DOO & THE TOERAGS – Till Death Us Doo Part (own label)

Unless you live in the Essex area some explanation may be required. Arfur Doo & The Toerags have been together for twenty years but have ...
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SAM WEBER – Everything Comes True (Sonic Unyon Records)

Sam Weber’s Everything Comes True is a warm walk in favorite forest. It’s a record of commercial appeal that still contains the wooded feel of ...
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Video Wall 12

Welcome to our final Video Wall of the year which also affords us a peek into 2020. With that in mind we begin with SAM ...
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WAYWARD JANE – Old Train (own label WJ002)

Wayward Jane are a quartet from Edinburgh who play old-timey and Americana as though they were born to it. In fact, Michael Starkey has lived ...
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ANNE LISTER – Astrolabe (own label)

I’ve known Anne Lister for so long that I can’t remember when and where we first met. There was a certain festival and a certain ...
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KATIE BLOUNT – Dark Water (own label)

There are pure and acoustic “diamonds” in Katie Blount’s new album, Dark Water. It’s a lovely listen. Now (the great) Sandy Denny altered the opening ...
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STEVE WINCHESTER – Magik (own label)

You may suspect from the title of Steve Winchester’s album, Magik, that it might be a touch fey. True, he strays that way a little ...
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KELLY STEWARD – Tales And Tributes Of The Deserving And Not So (Glass Wing)

While I don’t find her voice as distinctive as Linda Ronstadt, to whom she’s often likened, the Illinois singer-songwriter’s sound is firmly rooted in the ...
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Wayward Jane release their second album

Wayward Jane are renowned in Edinburgh and beyond as exponents of a unique, transatlantic interpretation of American folk and Old Time traditions, whose sound is ...
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Brooke Annibale announces debut European tour for March/April 2020

Singer-songwriter/guitarist Brooke Annibale announced today a new batch of European tour dates for early 2020.  Her first ever European tour, the dates begin on April ...
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JOE HENRY—The Gospel According To Water (Earmusic)

Joe Henry’s The Gospel According To Water is an acoustic, melodic, and eclectic warm root that wraps its deep soul around very vital American folk ...
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Anne Lister announces her new album

Twelve songs, which, like the astrolabe of the title track, measure time and space. One song written in 1970, another written in 2019. A ring ...
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THE MANIACS – The Maniacs (own label)

If there is a band more miss-named than The Maniacs then I’ve yet to discover them, although those who know him will testify that Paul ...
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The Great Fife Road Show returns

One to look forward to in January…The Great Fife Road Show featuring; Maureen (Chalmers) Blyth, Davie Craig, Barbara Dickson, Noel Farrow, Cilla Fisher, Jim Herd, ...
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Jez Lowe publishes his second novel – The Corly Croons

2019 has been a busy year for North Eastern writer Jez Lowe. He has just completed a thirty-four date nationwide UK tour as part of ...
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THURSDAY’S BAND – Chittagong Tattoo (CRLP018)

I think this is very good. Thursday’s Band released Chittagong Tattoo, their second full album, in November. Sometimes, you go to watch a live band ...
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SINGLES BAR 47 – A round-up of recent EPs and singles

We’ll leave Christmas until later if you don’t mind. Belle Of The Ball is the debut solo recording by AINSLEY HAMILL of Fourth Moon and ...
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THE MILK CARTON KIDS – The Only Ones (MCKR001)

The Milk Carton Kids released The Only Ones on December 6th. This is the band’s fifth studio album since they first came to prominence in ...
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PAULA WOLFE – White Dots (Sinb Records SIB0318CD)

Her first new album in a decade (Lemon, Staring and Find are being remastered for a 2020 reissue), during which time she built her own ...
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Steve Hogg recreates a long-lost classic album

A ‘lost classic’ album featuring the combined talents of Harry Nilsson and Randy Newman has been re-created by British singer/songwriter, Steve Hogg, 50 years after ...
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ELAINE LENNON – Elaine Lennon (LSR001CD)

Elaine Lennon releases her debut album on January 24th. Unless you knew the background, you wouldn’t know it was a debut album. Findlay Napier has ...
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MISHRA – The Loft Tapes (Hudson MSR004)

Fronted by guitarist Ford Collier and vocalist-banjo player Kate Griffin, winners of the inaugural Christian Raphael prize at last year’s Cambridge Folk Festival, and augmented ...
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JOHNNY CAMPBELL – From Hull And Halifax And Hell (Subversive Folk Records SF002)

Johnny Campbell is a singer/songwriter/guitarist from Manchester who has not forgotten the sixties although I suspect that he’s too young to have actually been there ...
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JUDY COLLINS with JONAS FJELD and CHATHAM COUNTY LINE – Winter Stories (Wildflower/Cleopatra)

A seasonal collaboration between Collins, Norwegian singer-songwriter Fjeld and the North Carolina bluegrass outfit, recorded over the course of just a few days, Winter Stories ...
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JOHN MOSEDALE – We’re Not Packing Parachutes (own label)

Earlier this year we reviewed Twenty Seven, the debut EP by Hereford singer-songwriter John Mosedale. Now he returns with his first full-length album, We’re Not ...
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Starting line-up revealed for the annual Towersey Festival

Folk favourites Kate Rusby, Steeleye Span and Show of Hands are some of the confirmed acts that will welcome festival-goers at Towersey Festival’s new home ...
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FolkEast announces first names for 2020

As Early Bird tickets go on sale for the eighth FolkEast, England’s most easterly folk festival, organisers have announced the awesome Afro Celt Sound System ...
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TRACK DOGS – Fire On The Rails (Mondegreen Records)

Track Dogs’ Fire On The Rails is folky and funky with trumpets galore and the occasional violin that soars above the usual musical fray. A ...
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THE SERVANTS’ BALL – The Servants’ Ball (D.Wink CD13)

The West Sussex Gazette, December 15, 1938 The other evening, I had the good fortune to be assigned by this paper’s editor to attend a ...
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GWEN MÀIRI – Mentro (Erwyd ER004)

Gwen Màiri is of Scottish/Welsh ancestry and, if you wish, you may explore the mysteries of Yr Hen Odledd for yourselves. Gwen is a tutor ...
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Knockengorroch Festival announces first names for 2020

The first acts for Knockengorroch Festival 2020 have been announced and will include an exciting array of traditional, electronic and world music acts, bringing sounds ...
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Cambridge 2020 tickets on sale next week

Tickets for Cambridge Folk Festival 2020 go on sale on Tuesday 10 December 2019. The Festival takes place 30 July – 2 August 2020 in ...
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Award Winning Underneath the Stars Festival announces first acts for 2020

Paul Carrack (Friday), Kate Rusby (Saturday) and Suzanne Vega (Sunday) are the first names to the be announced for the seventh Underneath the Stars festival ...
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BEANS ON TOAST – The Inevitable Train Wreck (BOT Music)

Every year since 2009, Jay McAllister has released a new album of protest and social comment songs on his birthday, December 1. He’s now 39 ...
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MATTHEW ROBB – Dead Men Have No Dreams (own label)

It’s no mean feat to release an album which stays in the mind for both its music and its sense of authenticity. Two years ago, ...
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Cropredy 2020 line-up announced

Fairport's Cropredy Convention three-day open-air music festival announces the line-up for the 2020 event. Now in its forty-first year, the festival will take place on ...
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BENJI KIRKPATRICK AND THE EXCESS – Gold Has Worn Away (Westpark Music LC07535)

Gold Has Worn Away by Benji Kirkpatrick and The Excess is a real grower of an album. Benji Kirkpatrick, Pete Flood and Pete Thomas deliver ...
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JUDE JOHNSTONE – Living Room (BoJack BJR2221960-3)

As I noted in my review of her previous album, Johnstone is better known as a songwriter than a performer in her own right, her ...
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KIM THOMPSETT – The Hollows (Meniscus Hump)

In case you’re wondering that’s Newgrange on the cover and I had a clever paragraph linking Kim Thompsett’s Irish heritage with her music. Then I ...
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YVONNE LYON – Songs For Christmas (own label BC112)

Continuing to add to this year’s musical Christmas tree, Lyon brings her Celtic folk influences to a collection of self-penned seasonal songs and reworked traditional ...
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FRANK BIRTWISTLE – Volumes 1-4 (own label)

Frank Birtwistle is a guitarist and composer based in Sheffield who has released a set of four EPs of solo pieces – twenty-eight tracks in ...
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KATE RUSBY – Holly Head (Pure PRCD57)

Having already released the excellent Philosophers, Poets & Kings, Rusby returns with her second album of the year, the fifth in her ongoing biennial festive ...
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Yvonne Lyon releases Christmas album

Yvonne Lyon's new album Songs For Christmas is an outstanding and engaging collection to herald the festive season. Featuring five original Christmas songs and seven ...
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ATLANTIC UNION – Indulgence (Blue Island Records CD 20191)

When I reviewed the last CD from Atlantic Union here, I noted that "I’m looking forward to hearing where they take us next." Their new ...
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MOIRAI – Framed: The Alice Wheeldon Story (WildGoose WGS433CD)

I’m sometimes amazed at the historical material that musicians succeed in writing about, from Gary Miller’s epic Mad Martins to Amy Goddard’s poignant ‘Remembering Aberfan’ ...
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JACK LUKEMAN – Northern Lights (own label)

Released to coincide with his Songs For The Winter Solstice tour, this live recording from the Unitarian Church in Dublin finds the deep voiced Irish ...
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THE YEHLA COLLECTIVE – Steel Strings And Iron Curtains – Songs that Ignited The Downfall of Communism (Sun King Records)

It's just 30 years on from the Czech Velvet Revolution (more commonly known in Slovakia as the Gentle Revolution) that marked the transition from one-party ...
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