The folking.com music archive for album reviews and news
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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The mere mention of the name Cyril Tawney brings pleasure to many Shanty singers around the world. Therefore this re-release of his “In Port” album ... Read More
The great thing about receiving the latest Transatlantic Sessions CD is that you know all is right with world. In company with twenty-six of the ... Read More
With the release of her nineteenth album, Slipstream, Bonnie Raitt is starting anew. The album marks her return to studio recording after seven years; it's ... Read More
Multi-platinum American rock band, Counting Crows have announced they will be releasing their first new album in over 4 years on 9th April 2012. Underwater ... Read More
Ian Anderson’s follow up to 1972’s classic prog rock album offers some answers Prog Rock? Prog Rock? In 2012? Are you serious? Well, yes actually ... Read More
‘Dancer In The Fire’ is a rich and diverse double CD of Paul Brady’s favourite recordings, personally chosen by the artist and serving as a companion to ... Read More
Described as a turbo-charged roots ensemble for the 21st century, Moulettes are an entrancing combination of strings and celestial harmonies; woodwind and weirdness; rhythm and ... Read More
Chris Sherburn and Denny Bartley have been bringing their unique sound to audiences across Europe and America since the early 1990s, when a chance meeting ... Read More
This EP serves as a brief reminder of the sheer power of storytelling that is harnessed by Kris Drever’s remarkable and characteristic voice. Bereft of ... Read More
I don’t know what it is…maybe it’s the water…Highland Spring naturally (!) that they’re drinking inScotland but the skirl of the pipes is causing many ‘folk’ ... Read More
Much like her heroine Bess Of Hardwick (“Hardwick’s Lofty Towers”) Sarah McQuaid has the intelligence and tenacity to cultivate her lyrics so that the legacy of her ... Read More
The stark acapella ‘calling-on song’ “A Quarter Hour Of Fame” takes a knowing pop at the industry known as ‘pop’ for, if Simon Cowell were ... Read More
As his new album's title relates, Loudon Wainwright III is Older Than My Old Man Now -- his old man, of course, being the late Loudon Wainwright, ... Read More
Better known as the only female member of Bellowhead the cellist and singer Rachael McShane will certainly turn a few heads with this excellent recording ... Read More
Craig & Willoughby's new single, WHOLE WIDE WORLD is now available online via Amazon, iTunes, etc. It features Cathryn's mentor, Bill Medley of The Righteous Brothers, ... Read More
Texan fiddler-singer-songwriter Amanda Shires announces her first headline tour of the UK & Ireland in April & May, including shows at this year’s prestigious Kilkenny Roots Festival, accompanied ... Read More
You remember the Cowboy Junkies, right? Well, they are just about to release The Wilderness, Volume 4 of The Nomad Series on March 26, 2012, ... Read More
Peace against War. Hope against Hate. Unity against Division. Freedom against Fear. Love against Death. The album was born and brought up in Kilburn, England, ... Read More
“Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!”…so said Sir Walter Scott. And indeed, the web that sisters Charley and ... Read More
Medieval…that’s how I’d describe the music of the Welsh band Allan Yn Y Fan on hearing the first track “Death In Ennis/The Audient” of their ... Read More
Folk is a minority interest music and at its fringe is filk, that undefined and undefinable genre to which Talis Kimberley can be said to ... Read More
Jon Airdrie’s previous album with The Shelleys was a download set designed, I presume, to raise funds for the next project. If so he spent ... Read More
“Chooglin’” was the term that Creedence Clearwater Revival coined for their sound and if you can imagine an acoustic choogle, that how BabaJack sound. It’s ... Read More
Musician and vocalist Cathy Jordan, long time member of multi-award winning traditional Irish band Dervish, will launch her debut solo album on 2nd April 2012. Cathy’s ... Read More
Dan has already established a considerable reputation on the UK singer songwriter and folk roots scene. His distinctive approach has won him many fans and ... Read More
This four-track EP showcases Tomos Lewis’ exceptional vocals, fiery guitar skills and sweetly sensitive hook-filled tunes. It is an EP to sway, dream, smile and ... Read More
Mike Marlin ripped through 2011 being chosen as HMV ‘Next Big Thing’, releasing his debut album Nearly Man, touring the UK twice, singing disco with dwarves, ... Read More
"The Birmingham-based, Young Folk Awards-nominated duo's free-spirited music sounds centuries old. It's not, and their fresh guitar and violin set-up adds a rare sparkle to ... Read More
There’s something reassuring about coming across a lyric or melody that you’re used to hearing even if it’s not in your native tongue. Such is ... Read More
West Belfast's Gráinne Holland bursts on to the scene with this impressive debut recording, boasting confident, avant-garde interpretations of largely traditional Gaelic songs, with a full-bodied voice that ... Read More
Sam Sallon, an up and coming acoustic singer/songwriter from North London, who is creating quite a buzz on the acoustic music scene. Sam has a ... Read More
BabaJack is an acoustic blues/ folk band from Malvern that is fast becoming an established band on the Folk and Blues Festival circuits in the ... Read More
For nearly any singer/songwriter on the planet, the idea of collaborating with Mark Knopfler would be the stuff of fantasy. But for Bap Kennedy, it ... Read More
David Gibb and Elly Lucas are an exciting young duo who play a mixture of original and re‐worked traditional folk material. They hail from Derbyshire ... Read More
A few years ago I had the pleasure of reviewing the 2Duos outstanding debut CD. Since then they’ve changed their name to Litha but whatever ... Read More
The Sun Goes On Rising is the first single from The Plum Tree and the Rose, the forthcoming third album by Sarah McQuaid, featuring two tracks ... Read More
I count myself very lucky to work on occasions with Keith Kendrick & Sylvia Needham as members of the music ‘crew’ providing entertainment onboard HMS ... Read More
Only 292 days to Christmas... Avoiding the cliché of echoing the ending of each line of “Cranbrook” (“While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night”) set ... Read More
Perhaps its Moray’s numerous tales of brushes with death on previous recordings that inspired him to use the collective noun for foxes ‘Skulk’ as the ... Read More
I first met the beautiful Irish chanteuse Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh in 1978 when she performed at St Mary’s Church Hall in Hastings (rather uncharitably re-christened ... Read More
I first met the beautiful Irish chanteuse Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh in 1978 when she performed at St Mary’s Church Hall in Hastings (rather uncharitably re-christened ... Read More
With this new album Spiro have moved their music to the next stage. Rather than beginning with traditional themes and taking them to strange places, ... Read More
A welcome return of the Swedish based sextuplet West Of Eden for this, their seventh album. On hearing the first bars of the opening track ... Read More
Gloucestershire based ‘The Roving Crows’ have gained well-deserved international recognition by taking home 2 titles at the Irish Music Awards in Missouri on 28th January; ... Read More
In a way Oonah Derby’s story reflects Irish chanteuse Mary Black’s transformation as singer for General Humbert to her more elevated position as a conveyer ... Read More
“The Proposition combine authentic old-timey Americana with a roughly hewn, melody rich acoustic roots.” R2 Some of the most exciting discoveries in ‘pop’ of recent years ... Read More
So much has happened to Hannah and Sam since they released Catches & Glees that I’m almost surprised to find them still working together. Sam has ... Read More
I’ll only mention it once (and believe me, it’s a compliment) that when Clannad released their album “Robin Of Sherwood” in 1984 they were to ... Read More
Alongside Steeleye Span and Fairport Convention, The Albion Band are one of the “Big Three” of English Folk Rock, fusing traditional British songs and tunes with contemporary ... Read More
Our friends’ at Brandywine Music are putting on some tremendous acts at venues across Kent and Sussex and tonight was no exception. OK, so it might not perhaps ... Read More
Twenty albums now, and none before like this. “It’s emotional for me, and it’s personal, and it makes my heart pound, thinking I’m going to be ... Read More
Celtic Skies is a collection of popular Irish and Scottish traditional songs recorded in a new, contemporary style. The album features various established Celtic artists ... Read More
Lifetime Achievement Awards for Don McLean and The Dubliners Four Awards for June Tabor & Oysterband Good Tradition Awards for Ian Campbell and Bill Leader ... Read More
When Tom Kitching and Gren Bartley went their separate ways after a successful partnership there was a feeling of inevitability about the directions they took ... Read More
Dartford is an unforgiving one-way nightmare – let my mate Les Elvin tell you about it sometime. Arriving at The Orchard Theatre just as Bellowhead were ... Read More
With the current trend from younger artists trying to be cool by writing ultra-clever lyrics with instrumental arrangements to match isn’t it refreshing to hear ... Read More
Gilbert O’Sullivan, one of the country’s most revered singers, songwriters and musicians, celebrates an amazing forty-five year recording career with the release of ‘A Singer ... Read More
A stage show featuring songs, music, poetry and images of WW1, and inspired by a double CD published by Greentrax Recordings, ‘Far, Far From Ypres’, ... Read More
Perhaps this tremendous DVD should be re-titled “Big Hearts, Big Soul” such is the impact it’s had on me! It goes without saying that Geordie-land ... Read More
ESSENTIALLY INVISIBLE TO THE EYE is Karen Tweed’s latest recording and, in being entirely solo, is a departure from her extensive collaborative work which has ... Read More
Seeker Lover Keeper is the arresting meeting-of-minds of three of the finest female songwriters working today. Sarah Blasko, Sally Seltmann and Holly Throsby are all ... Read More
‘Secret Symphony’, the brand new album by Katie Melua, will be released on March 5th, 2012. Katie Melua takes the stage in front of the Secret ... Read More
Musician, Composer,Producer, Presenter and Raconteur Phil Cunningham has often brought a smile to our faces here at Folking.com. His legendary tale about Fergie MacDonald which we filmed ... Read More
The Reckoning has been nominated for Best original Song in this years BBC Folk Awards 2012. This eagerly awaited album is quintessential Steve Tilston featuring insightful lyrics reflecting an affinity ... Read More
This album reminds me of the first time I encountered The Tannahill Weavers in 1978 having just recruited the wild excesses of piper Alan MacLeod ... Read More
On Friday January 20th Etta James died at the age of 73, from complications from leukaemia. She was also suffering with dementia and hepatitis C. The ... Read More
Miranda and Rex play together in other Celtic bluegrass projects. Miranda is, of course, well known as the third member of Show Of Hands and ... Read More
Folk legends Don McLean and The Dubliners will both be given Lifetime Achievement Awards at BBC Radio 2's Folk Awards 2012, to be broadcast live ... Read More
After their stunning debut, Silent June, expectations were high for Belinda and Heidi’s second album and they haven’t let us down. Facebook fans have followed ... Read More
Michael MacLennan is a Scottish pianist, singer and songwriter. Brought up in the small village of Nethy Bridge in the Scottish highlands, he began playing the ... Read More
Singer/songwriter/guitarist Ani DiFranco has announced the upcoming release of her eagerly awaited new album. ¿Which Side Are You On? arrives via the Grammy-winning artist’s own Righteous Babe ... Read More
Rebecca De Winter’s sound fuses the alternative pop soul of Ryan Adams with the pure piano balladry of Ben Folds and the narrative delivery of ... Read More
‘My Friend Marx’ is the debut album from Irish folk-blues artist Marc O’Reilly. Its release has been greeted with much acclaim in his native Ireland ... Read More
Susan Greenbaum committed the first sin of musicians: She quit her day job. After working as a corporate executive in Fortune 500 companies, she traded ... Read More
Ruth Moody’s debut solo album The Garden was released January 16 on Red House Records The Garden is the first full-length solo album from Ruth Moody ... Read More
Now, here’s a band that, although ‘folk’ based aren’t too worried to put a slightly commercial twist to their performance. Incorporating a bit of jazz ... Read More
You have to admit that, when you take the money into account, Butlins' 2011 Great British Folk Festival was good value. We enjoyed Bob Fox, ... Read More
The new album from former Waking the Witch member Patsy Matheson, has taken the music world by storm, not yet released but already greatly applauded by industry ... Read More
There are some people who don’t get Belshazzar’s Feast. One on-line reviewer wrote: “they humorously shamble their way through a mix of traditional and original ... Read More
Martyn Joseph captured live on DVD at his folking best playing solo in front of an enthusiastic audience at The Brook in Southampton in November ... Read More
Released in October 2010, the 'Hedonism' album has quickly become one of the best selling folk releases of modern times. After a packed summer of ... Read More
I've just had to slag off a certain ‘folk’(???) band for daring to ruin our traditional songs by taking liberties with the arrangements and smothering the ... Read More
The great JD Souther is one of the elite bunch of singer-songwriters based in the fertile Los Angeles community of the late 60’s and early 70’s ... Read More
Not just whistling Dixie: The Drive-By Truckers career with the New West Records label is righteously celebrated by way of Ugly Buildings, Whores & Politicians Greatest Hits ... Read More
Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings have, since the redoubtable Bill convened the combo in the early 1990s, carved themselves an awesome reputation as one of the most reliable, ... Read More
The Woodbine & Ivy Band is a group of Manchester musicians who came together to arrange and perform traditional songs whilst channeling the hazy spirit ... Read More
We in the ‘folk’ world are blessed with inventive musicians and although, it must be said that the coupling of vocals, harp and drums (or ... Read More
This is the first studio recording from Mary Black in six years, and it's a collection that demonstrates an artist in full command of her ... Read More
There are always new ways making records. We've had ‘sequester a bunch of songwriters in a lonely house and give them a week to write a complete ... Read More
An album of British traditional and modern songs by a Canadian artist is an intriguing prospect. Even more intriguing is Tim Readman’s track record which ... Read More
The return of Maggie Holland to this area always brings the old lags – sorry, distinguished members of the local folk scene, past and present ... Read More
Watching Peter Gabriel’s stunning performance with the New Blood Orchestra on Jools Holland’s Later the other evening proved inspirational. OK, so the luxury of being ... Read More
Celebrated folk singer-songwriter and virtuoso fiddler Seth Lakeman has just released details of his forthcoming sixth album 'Tales From The Barrel House'. Nominated for the Mercury Prize in ... Read More
Take one of Canada's hottest country fiddle players, a guitarist that's a cross between Tom Morello and Kevin Breit, a percussionist that plays saw blades ... Read More
The Carrivick Sisters are twins Laura and Charlotte Carrivick from South Devon. Both are skilled multi-instrumentalists and between them they play a variety of bluegrass-associated instruments - guitar, ... Read More
Beautifully crafted and oddly unsettling, Anna Coogan’s new release The Wasted Ocean places her incomparable voice front and centre. Driving banjos, soaring guitars, and swelling strings ... Read More
I’m always a little wary about the posthumous raking over of an artist’s work. Sandy Denny has been well served by compilations and archive tapes ... Read More
Not many Internationally established Canadian folk artists immediately spring to mind with the possible exceptions of Gordon Lightfoot, Leonard Cohen, Loreena McKennitt and Stan Rogers ... Read More
Eliza Carthy will release her new single Monkey through HemHem Records on 7th November. The single is taken from her current album Neptune, which was ... Read More
Following two full-length albums, Kate’s new EP features three songs: delicate pastoral acoustic gems which embody her closeness to nature and her home in Wales ... Read More
Bryony Griffith and Will Hampson have been working together for nearly twenty years, most recently in The Demon Barbers. I take this on trust since ... Read More
Every now and then I receive an album of which I have no expectations but pleasantly surprises and “Spring Hill” by Chloe Hall (vocal and ... Read More
Phil Odgers, better known to his friends as Swill, has developed an interesting solo career alongside The Men They Couldn’t Hang. With Paul Simmonds there ... Read More
Alaskan harpist Cheyenne Brown’s beautifully packaged new album “Parallel Latitudes” is a project which aims to highlight connections between music of her homeland, her adopted ... Read More
THE SHIPPING NEWS is the brand new album release on The Global Sessions Label by singer songwriter Graham Robins emphasising his love of soul, blues, ... Read More
Since 2001, The Sunshine Delay have been winning admirers throughout the UK and the USA for their classy original songs, cohesive musicianship and a style ... Read More
Kevin Henderson comes from the Shetland Islands, an island with one of the richest fiddle traditions in the world. He is in hot demand as he ... Read More
The prolific and ever-talented Thea Gilmore has announced details of a unique new collaborative album, ‘Don’t Stop Singing’. Released on November 7 via Island Records & Mighty Village, the record brings together Gilmore’s songwriting ... Read More
The Old Songs is the second album from Damien and Mike and follows the pattern of their debut, Under The Influence, drawing material from, in ... Read More
Two years in the making, Luke Ritchie's debut album 'The Water's Edge' is testament to the amazing journey this singer-songwriter has been on. In Autumn 2009, ... Read More
The Guide Cats for the Blind album series was produced to raise funds for a project run by the British Computer Association of the Blind (BCAB) ... Read More
Founder and frontman of The Red Hot Chilli Pipers and the phenomenon of Bagrock, bagpipe rock-star Stuart Cassells (32) has left the band. After nearly 10 ... Read More
Roy Harper is seventy and living in semi-retirement as far as making new music is concerned. He has, however, been preparing to make his complete ... Read More
The long-awaited album from Belfast born singer/songwriter Dan Donnelly is upon us, after a fabulous taster of an EP released a while before his full ... Read More
Once upon a time a band emerged from Wigan. They were raucous post-punk folk-rockers who named themselves after a make of pram – Tansads. They ... Read More
Gigspanner are a band for whom improvisation is as important as composition. In theory, no two performances will be the same even with the same ... Read More
Now established as one of the finest live acoustic acts in the UK, Elbow Jane have just released their second CD with Fellside Records entitled ... Read More
The incomparable Mr. Paul Johnson's interview with PJ Wright at Cropredy 2011. Paul talks to PJ about: Dylan Project, PJ and Peggy tour news, the weather, the ... Read More
‘An Appointment with Mr Yeats’ sees the words of W B Yeats, one of Ireland’s greatest literary sons, merged with the music of The Waterboys, ... Read More
Kristy Gallacher is a singer/songwriter from Coventry. I was impressed with her new video of a song called 'Fending off the Frost' and thought I ... Read More
Scottish-American singer-songwriter and folk musician, David Ferrard, releases Journeyman, an album of finely-crafted original songs marked by a strong social conscience. Ferrard takes the listener on ... Read More
JANIS IAN, one of America’s most durable, thoughtful of singer-songwriters, makes a very rare visit to these shores in October 2011 for an extensive UK tour (details below). The tour ... Read More
After four years milling over the concept and fifteen months recording alone in the tool shed behind his mother's house in Jacksonville Florida, Ben Cooper, AKA ... Read More
From the forthcoming album on Folk Police Recordings due out in September 2011. Memorably described as Elbow for seafarers and ramblers, the harp 'n' banjo driven ... Read More
Already firmly established on the Australian festival circuit, Hat Fitz and Cara Robinson have arrived in the UK and Europe to entertain audiences with their ... Read More
Few survivors from the golden age of British folk-rock have kept their reputations intact. Of the generation of troubadours who came of age in the folk ... Read More
This recording should be a required purchase by every music consumer who considers themselves tuned in. My formative years of the folk-rock scene in the UK were ... Read More
BBC Radio 2 Horizon Award nominees Katriona Gilmore & Jamie Roberts combine relentless rhythmic guitar, driving mandolin and trademark harmonies on their new single 'No ... Read More
I’ve been privileged to know many fine singers and musicians and some have become good mates. One of these happens to be George Wilson whose ... Read More
Following on from their hugely successful release SONGS FROM THE BRICKHOUSE, Society are back in 2011 with A CROOKED MILE. This stunning new release is ... Read More
If considering the proposition that the world would be a very different place if Yuri Gagarin had been allowed to play his banjo in space ... Read More
The sawing phrase that opens ‘Lonesome Fiddle Blues’ grabs your attention from the moment the disc hits the player and you’re right to suspect that ... Read More
Having fronted Colchester’s organ driven rock ‘n’ roll band FuzzFace for some years, Ady Johnson now embarks on a solo acoustic project with the launch ... Read More
Label: Peatbog Records Format: 6 page Digipak & Download Catalogue number: CDBOG006 Bar code: 5060131890296 Distribution: Proper Music Distribution & Highlander Music Date Released: 8th ... Read More
An album that beguiles from the moment go with “Rose Song” utilising Chris Wright’s finger-picked twelve-string guitar tuned to open C acting as a perfect ... Read More
As the blurb says, The Strawbs have created a unique niche for their progressive folk-rock sound but, stripped bare it is the ‘acoustic’ element that ... Read More
Artist – Brothers Reid Title – TOP OF THE OLD ROADLabel – Fat Hippy Records FH57 REID2Release Date – August 15th 2011“…virtually impossible for anyone ... Read More
Three tunes, two camels and a bouzouki are just some the ingredients of George Stevens’ debut EP. His featured instruments are bouzouki and border pipes ... Read More
"A collection of folk songs from Devon and Cornwall offered as a tribute on the occasion of the 350th anniversary of the sailing of the Mayflower". The 1970 ... Read More
Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns, the new album from acclaimed musician and songwriter John Hiatt, will be released August 8th2011 on New West Records. This is Hiatt’s twentieth solo album ... Read More
If you’re looking for something new and different, how about an acoustic trio from Shropshire who cover Guns’N’Roses and Led Zeppelin? whalebone have evolved over ... Read More
Sean’s debut album contains six solo acoustic guitar compositions in a very English style. The opener, ‘Sam’s Brewery’, is satisfyingly chunky as is ‘Compelled’. Both ... Read More
How do I articulate adequately the magnificence that was Martyn Joseph at Hitchin,well in a nutshell, it was a vintage show to top them all ! ( until ... Read More
The nice thing about arriving at Dorking Folk Club is that you are automatically made welcome by host and organiser Neil McRitchie and the friendly ... Read More
Will Scott is known for his bluesy voice, distinctive guitar-playing and heartfelt song writing. Blending blues and Americana with a dash of rock and outlaw ... Read More
With comparisons to Billie Holliday, Alison Kraus, Patti Smith and Dory Previn, Rosie Nimmo has a voice of clarity and depth. Rosie has been singing jazz ... Read More
The Radio 2 Folk Awards are chosen and voted for by a panel of professionals (broadcasters, promoters, festival organisers and record companies) who all work ... Read More
The drama of an opening chord sequence to grab the listener’s attention was never an issue with the Battlefield Band. Starting with the driving rhythm ... Read More
2011 will see US guitarist and songwriter Walter Strauss releasing PLANET SOLITAIRE, a collection of ambitious solo recordings inspired by a diverse world of influences. There are ... Read More
Paul Liddell is a tireless working musician/singer/songwriter/recording artist hailing from North East of England. He tours continually around the UK and I was reminded of ... Read More
In the quest to experience something new every year, it was the turn of The Bearded Theory to fulfil this self-indulgence. Situated in the picturesque ... Read More
Cornish duo Steve Hunt and Kim Guy together with their guests - celebrated award winner Jackie Oates, Jason Steel and Gareth Young have put together ... Read More
Taking their seats for this performance at Croydon’s Fairfield Halls the legendary Fairport Convention (Simon Nicol, Dave Pegg, Chris Leslie, Ric Sanders and Gerry Conway) ... Read More
Honouring the legend of the late great Ronnie Lane, in the only way he knew how, roots-rocker Des Horsfall and his band Kuschty Rye embarked on a ... Read More
In 1974 Tom T. Hall, American country balladeer, released an album called “Songs of Fox Hollow”. The songs had evolved from a summer spent with ... Read More
Artist – Marybeth D’Amico Title – THE LIGHT INSIDE Label – LongMan Records LongMan 057CD Distribution- Proper Distribution Release date-June 13 2011 "Very good indeed...just wonderful." ... Read More
The Lorelei formed in 1990 in a garage in Dyce with Jonny and Beefy being original members along with Martin Watson, the original singer. Over the ... Read More
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