Category Archives: Folk music

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‘Gotta Believe’: guitarist / singer-songwriter Jake Aaron rocks out with jazz fusion giant, John Etheridge

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Single release date: 16th June 2023

“Simply calling Aaron a guitarist and songwriter is a little like calling Warhol a painter. It misses the mark by miles.” Tim Carroll – FolkWords

“This album really is a proper immersive experience, way beyond good songwriting and performance.” Paul Jackson – Fatea

‘Gotta Believe’ is the latest single from guitarist and singer songwriter, Jake Aaron. Featuring a guest appearance from renowned jazz fusion guitarist, John Etheridge (of Soft Machine, Hawkwind, solo acclaim and many collaborations), it’s one of the harder rocking tracks from Jake Aaron’s newly-released album, Always Seeking . The album was released on digital formats on 17th May 2023 and is also available on CD from 7th June.

Talking about ‘Gotta Believe’ single Jake says: “I’m partial to some heavy rock now and again, so I enjoyed writing this track. In the studio, John Etheridge put aside his boutique Jazz amp which he’d used for a jazzier track on the album, and plugged his guitar into the studio’s Marshall. The solo sounds like molten lava dripping off the fretboard, lovely stuff.  Kate Kurdyak, who also sings “Lupe’s Theme” on the album, is singing backing vocals. Before we recorded it I mentioned to the musicians, who are all very fine Jazz players, that they didn’t have to play this one if they didn’t want. The drummer Marc Parnell replied “jazz players are fine playing rock, it’s rock players who won’t play jazz!”

The album itself, Always Seeking, is a collection of fourteen tracks – a mix of acoustic, rock, blues, saloon piano and a Western cinematic theme. There are some characters along the way – Parnell (‘Parnell’s Last Stand’), a young wolf Lupe (‘Lupe’s Theme’) and an old dog who’s lost his way (‘Leave the Light On’).

Commenting on the album, Jake says: “I’d say it was alt-Americana rather than straight Americana. I grew up listening to bands like The Jam, Ian Dury and The Specials rather than American country – so there are other influences in there”

On the album, Jake is again joined by the excellent team of musicians from his first album, Fag Ash and Beer. These being: Steve Lodder on keyboards, Davide Mantovani on bass, Marc Parnell on drums and Steve Waterman on trumpet. “Some of the best players in the UK,” as the BBC’s Linley Hamilton noted. There are also guest appearances from the phenomenal John Etheridge on lead guitar (‘Gotta Believe’, ‘Four Coaches’ and ‘The Revenant’); and the wonderful Kate Kurdyak of Canadian noir-pop band Vox Rea (‘Lupe’s Theme’ and ‘Gotta Believe’).

The album will be available in a limited-run CD format from 7th June – with artwork by the fantastic Anthony MacBain (Grand Theft Auto).

ABOUT JAKE AARON:

A British guitarist and songwriter who has “moved among both folk and jazz circles” (‘Cosmic Jazz’ – Feb 2023) Jake’s first EP of acoustic pieces was released in 2015 to positive reviews from folk and indie reviewers. His 2018 single ‘Give Me Your Horse’ was a bigger, jazzier number which had airplay on both folk stations as well as jazz, including the BBC’s Jazz Nights. He released his first album in 2019 Fag Ash and Beer, a collection of songs, longer lyrical offerings and instrumentals which was nominated for Debut Album of The Year by Fatea Magazine. He has released a handful of mainly acoustic singles since then.

ALBUM RELEASE NOTES:

ARTIST: Jake Aaron

TITLE: Always Seeking

CATALOGUE NO: JA10

LABEL: Jake Aaron Records

RELEASE DATE: 17th May 2023 (Digital), 7th June 2023 (CD)

FORMAT Digital: / CD

FILE UNDER: Folk / Blues / Rock /  Jazz

AVAILABLE: Online / CD

DIRECT FROM: iTunes, Apple Music, Amazon, Google Play, Spotify, jakeaaron.com

Lupe – Always Seeking, Jake Aaron

Album streaming link: https://jakeaaron.com/always-seeking

Website: https://www.jakeaaron.com/home

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jakeaaronmusic/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jakeaaronmusic

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/jakeaaronmusic

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6wIrG2gCGDYJ0YImaroH1

Related posts:

Always Seeking: interview with guitarist and singer songwriter – Jake Aaron

Interview: Darren talks Fag Ash and Beer with guitarist/singer-songwriter Jake Aaron


Always Seeking: interview with guitarist and singer songwriter – Jake Aaron

americana, Folk music, Interviews, Rock music, , , , , , , ,

Always Seeking is the eagerly-anticipated second album from guitarist and singer songwriter, Jake Aaron. It follows his highly-acclaimed 2019 debut, Fag Ash and Beer, which drew many enthusiastic reviews. Always Seeking was released on digital formats on 17th May 2023 and is also available on CD from 7th June. Having interviewed Jake back in 2019 following the release of his debut album, I catch up with him again to find out more about the latest one.

It’s been four years since your debut album Fag Ash & Beer which attracted some extremely favourable reviews. When did you begin working on the follow-up?

Some of the music goes back a long time, a few years in some cases. I had chords without a melody, words without songs, songs without words, but an Americana album of some sort seemed to be taking shape for a while. The actual process of bringing it all together and finishing it off probably spanned two or three years.

Was this a different process to writing the previous album?

It was pretty different, yes. With the first album, only three tracks were recorded live.  I started mainly with solo acoustic pieces and the players coloured some of them in with overdubs. With Always Seeking eight of the tracks were recorded live so it probably has more band energy.

How would you describe Always Seeking as an album?

I loosely imagined a noir Western, and something with a moving landscape, scenes and moods. As far as the theme goes, I suppose like a lot of people, I’m prone to follow mirages and over romanticise the future and the past.

Like its predecessor the album crosses a number of genres and takes in a range of influences. It’s obviously important to you not to be boxed in, musically?

I’ve absorbed a lot of music over the years and like lots of different music so it would be hard to stick with just one sound.  As I’m an independent artist too and not very commercial, I’m pretty free to record what interests me.  It’s not like a major label is locking me up till I’ve written my next hit.

Some genres probably aren’t that far removed from each other anyway especially folk, rock, and blues. John Renbourn and Davy Graham were often crossing over naturally to classical and jazzy sounds. Or, thinking of George Harrison and Robby Basho who played some sitar, into Indian Raga.  Maybe it’s partly due to the instrument –  guitarists can pick up a classical guitar, an electric guitar, sitar or banjo, or use different tunings and sound very different. I mean if I played the bagpipes I’d be a bit more stuck stylistically.

The album features a number of the musicians who played on your first album. Clearly, you enjoyed working with them, first time around?

Totally! Steve Lodder on keyboards again, Davide Mantovani on bass, Marc Parnell drums, Steve Waterman on trumpet and Kenny Jones engineering. They’re fantastic to work with. I think they’re a good choice too because some of my music is off-beat and, as jazzers, they’re completely unfazed.

The only track I was unsure about asking them to play, was the rockier track ‘Gotta Believe’ and they were free to opt out of that one if they wanted. Marc’s response was: “Jazz players are fine playing rock, it’s rock players who won’t play jazz!” It’s true, listen to them!

You’ve also got a couple of other guests on the album, John Etheridge on several tracks and Kate Kurdyak on a couple of tracks. How did they get involved?

The character in the album artwork and music turned out to be female so it seemed to call out for a female singer. It took a long time to find the right singer till I remembered a song I really liked in 2021 – ‘Dose Me Up’ by a Canadian band Vox Rea. Kate has a beautiful voice. I had to wait a while till she got back from touring but it was worth it and I’m really glad she got involved in the album.  Vox Rea recently made it onto BBC Radio 2 with their track “Julia”, so very possibly we’ll be hearing more of them.

Lupe – Always Seeking, Jake Aaron

I’ve known John a little for a few years ever since bumping into him on the tube and sharing a tube journey with him. I’d just seen him playing with John Williams at Ronnie Scott’s, and in Nottingham too, so had quite a bit to chat about the music and the shows. It so happens John also plays with Steve and were working together on some jazz versions of The Kinks which I heard when I was working on the album. It had some stunning lead guitar.  Three of the tracks on “Always Seeking” needed some lead guitar and I wasn’t about to follow Steve’s solo in The Revenant  – so one thing led to another and John seemed to like the pieces.  John’s two solos on The Revenant are just brilliant which is partly why the track is so long! I couldn’t find anywhere to fade it. It’s a very joyous listen, very melodic, very unrushed.

The artist Anthony Macbain produced a very striking image for the album cover, full of old-style western film imagery. Did you have a clear idea of what you wanted from the outset?

Anthony’s art is fantastic and adds a whole new dimension to the music. We had some shared musical interests too which probably helped including – you’ll be very pleased to know – Iron Maiden. I sent Anthony a rough, badly drawn sketch of a rider on a ridge looking over clouds, with a guitar and rifle. Anthony took the idea and transformed it. His first sketch was of a female rider looking at the viewer. It was so good I asked him to finish it though we felt the image of the rider in the distance worked better for the album cover. The original image is now in the CD as a fold-out poster and looks terrific. It was a real surprise when I received the first copy.

What next for Jake Aaron?

I’m looking into pressing some vinyl for Always Seeking, depending on the level of interest. The feedback about the artwork and line up is so good it would be good to see it on vinyl – it might be something someone picks up in a second hand shop one day and asks what the hell was that? I had that experience a lot when I used to trawl second hand record shops. I’ve emailed a record shop in London who haven’t got back yet, so if there are any vinyl shops reading give us a shout!

Vinyl seems to be making a huge resurgence. One of my tracks was picked up by a vinyl “mixtape” club in the US, Vinyl Moon, who produce really beautiful vinyl each month with original music and artwork that piqued my interest too.  Jared Sylvia designed the volume that my track’s on.

(Update: since the interview Jake has now achieved his ambition of releasing the album on vinyl – you can order it here!)

Musically I’ve got quite a lot of stuff simmering in the pot, some lyrics, chords, a few melodies, song titles. So I guess there could be a single or two, an EP and another album at some point. I’m more interested than I used to be in reworking earlier tracks these days. Sometimes you can only take a track so far at the time and then run out of time, skill or imagination and then a few years later pick it up again – you might have evolved a bit musically and can do more with it.

I did think the other day if I write more material I can do a Best Of some day which would be a great thing – it would immediately improve the overall standard of the album with a massive edit!

#jakeaaron #folkguitar #folkfusion #stevelodder #johnetheridge #stevewaterman #davidemantovani #marcparnell #katekurdyak  #vinylmoon #anthonymacbain #johnrenbourn #davygraham #robbybasho #georgeharrison #indianraga  #fusionguitar #ironmaiden

Album streaming link: https://jakeaaron.com/always-seeking

Website: https://www.jakeaaron.com/home

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jakeaaronmusic/

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/jakeaaronmusic

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6wIrG2gCGDYJ0YImaroH1g

Related post:

Interview: Darren talks Fag Ash and Beer with guitarist/singer-songwriter Jake Aaron

Folk: album review – The Young ‘uns ‘Tiny Notes’

Album reviews, Folk music, , ,

When I first started Darren’s music blog back in 2014, The Young ‘uns were among the first set of artists I wrote about, when I reviewed a performance of theirs at Cecil Sharp House. Since then, I’ve seen them at a whole range of venues, from big festivals, to medium-sized theatres to small folk clubs and I’ve followed their career with interest. They had already been going a decade by the time I first saw them and this year the not-quite-so-young ‘uns celebrate twenty years together. Tiny Notes is their latest album.

“Taking its name from messages tied to the Wearmouth Bridge in Sunderland by Paige Hunter, Tiny Notes is a collection of songs that find hope and humanity in grief and despair,” the group write in the album’s sleeve notes.

Poignancy abounds, with powerful songwriting from Sean Cooney, trademark harmony vocals from the trio of Cooney, Michael Hughes and David Eagle and evocative musical accompaniment in the form of piano from Eagle and a string quartet who guest on the album with arrangements by Jon Boden.

Writing songs about real, everyday heroes has become Cooney’s “personal passion”. Tackling subjects such as the London Bridge terror attacks, the Lockerbie bombing and one young woman’s heartfelt and very personal contribution to suicide prevention (the title track) the album very much showcases the trio’s more sensitive side – and Cooney is clearly in his stride writing songs of this nature.

What it does mean is that there’s no space on the album for the rousing covers and traditional songs that were often a feature of the trio’s earlier albums but perhaps that can safely be left to others these days? The Young ‘uns have certainly carved out an impressive niche for themselves and have proved to be a valuable and highly unique asset to the UK folk scene these past twenty years. Here’s to the next twenty.

Released: 7th April 2023 https://www.theyounguns.co.uk/

Related posts:

The Young ‘uns – The Ballad of Johnny Longstaff, Hastings 2018

The Young ‘uns at Cecil Sharp House 2014

The Young ‘uns at Great British Folk Festival 2014

Folk-rock: album review – Merry Hell ‘Let The Music Speak For Itself’

Album reviews, Folk music, Rock music, , , , ,

A fixture on the adjacent “festival fringe” of Fairport Convention’s annual Cropredy extravaganza each year, Wigan-based folk-rockers, Merry Hell, have finally made it to the main stage and will appear there this August. With impeccable timing (and something that will sell like hot cakes at this and other festivals this summer, I’m sure) the band have released their first ever ‘best of’ compilation.

Emerging back in 2010 from the ashes of 90s folk-punk outfit, The Tansads, the band weren’t quite sure how things would take off but six albums later Merry Hell have more than proved themselves and there’s no shortage of strong material for a proper career retrospective.

Never afraid of wearing their hearts on their sleeves and standing up for what they believe in, Merry Hell have developed a strong niche as purveyors of rousing folk-rock anthems with socially-conscious lyrics, all delivered with characteristic good humour, energy, verve and passion.

In compiling the album the band had some assistance from fans, alongside each individual band member also choosing their own particular favourite. The result is a whopping 28 tracks over two discs and, for me, there’s plenty of personal favourites among the final selection: from the ecologically-themed paean to decluttering, ‘Bury Me Naked’; to the band’s self-proclaimed “alternative national anthem” ‘Come On England!’; to the rousing ‘Leave It In The Ground’ from the climate-themed Emergency Lullabies album.

With over half of the members of the eight-piece band also being songwriters, Merry Hell explore a variety of styles and influences in their output and so it’s not all rousing, amped-up sing-alongs, albeit that is very much their forte. The compilation has its mellower, tender moments, too, such as the beautifully-poignant acoustic number, ‘No Place Like Tomorrow’.

Whether you’re a long-term follower of Merry Hell or just discovering them for the first time at a festival this summer, Let The Music Speak For Itself is a strong compilation which is sure to find favour with fans both new and old. Role on Cropredy!

Released: 12th May 2023 http://www.merryhell.co.uk/

Band photo credit: Jenfoto

Live dates:

May 26th: Chester Folk Festival

June 3rd: Wessex Folk Festival

June 16th: National Forest Folk Club: Moira, Leicestershire

June 18th: Beardy Festival, Shropshire

July 14th: Folk On The Farm Festival: Anglesey

July 28th: Chickenstock Festival: Kent

July 28th: Trowbridge Festival

July 29th: Oswestry TBC

August 5th: Grayshott Folk Club: Hampshire

August 6th: Wickham Festival

August 10th: Fairport Convention’s Cropredy Festival, Oxfordshire

August 24th: Towersey Festival

August 28th: Towersey Festival

September 10th: Swanage Festival

September 14th: Hungry Horse Festival, Ellesmere Port

September 16th: The Peace Through Folk Gathering, Staffordshire/Peak District

October 4th– 10th: Costa Del Folk Festival: Portugal

Related posts:

Album review – Merry Hell ‘Emergency Lullabies’

Album review – Virginia Kettle ‘No Place Like Tomorrow’

DVD review: Merry Hell ‘A Year In The Life’

Album review: Merry Hell ‘Anthems To The Wind’

Latest folk reviews: Amelia Hogan, RURA, Milton Hide, Joy Dunlop and Megson

Album reviews, Folk music, , , , , , , ,

Amelia Hogan – Taking Flight

Amelia Hogan is a San Francisco-based Celtic folk singer who performs both traditional and contemporary folk. She sings in the Irish music tradition of Sean-Nós, or “old style” as well as accompanied. Amelia also plays bodhran and a small 22-string Welsh lap harp, and has toured internationally to popular acclaim. Her latest album Taking Flight features sixteen tracks of which the title track is an original composition and the remainder are a mixture of traditional numbers and Hogan’s own interpretations of songs by contemporary songwriters.

Amelia Hogan: “Birds are featured in a number of songs on the album. Often seen as a symbol of loss and sorrow, birds also represent healing and the ability to find healing in the midst of hardship. The intent of this work is to take the listener on a journey through grief and out the other side, as a bird taking flight might.”

Some well-chosen songs from a diverse range of sources and Hogan’s distinctive vocal style along with some beautiful musical accompaniment and a fine cast of supporting musicians all serve to make Taking Flight an extremely cohesive album, and a deeply immersive experience for the listener. Highly recommended.

Released: 1 March 2023 https://ameliahogan.com/

RURA – Dusk Moon

The Scottish instrumental folk band RURA (Jack Smedley, Steven Blake, Adam Brown, and David Foley) celebrated their tenth anniversary back in 2020 with a live album – Live At The Old Fruit Market. Now they are back with a new full-length studio album – Dusk Moon. While the previous album fizzed with energy from a barnstorming live performance, Dusk Moon sees the foursome in a mellower and more contemplative mode.

Jack Smedley: “Much of the music has been inspired by a deep sense of reflection, hope and the people and places we’ve been so fortunate to meet and experience over the years. We’ve tried to focus on what we enjoyed most about our last studio album In Praise of Home and build on that sound.”

The nine-track album sees RURA come up with a stunning set of new compositions and there is some wonderful interplay between the foursome as they deliver their trademark sound of pipes, guitar, bodhran, flute and fiddle. All four members have contributed compositions and while they may have slowed down the tempo, there is no sign yet of RURA slowing down on the creative front. Another fine album.

Released: 17 March 2023 https://www.rura.co.uk/

Milton Hide – The Holloway

Following their ecologically-themed debut album, Temperature’s Rising, two years ago, husband-and-wife acoustic duo Milton Hide are back with a follow-up. While their debut was something of a departure for the duo with its host of guest musicians and extensive, multi-layered production, the follow-up captures more of the essence of what Milton Hide are all about on stage: stripped-back acoustic playing, engaging melodies and thought-provoking, observational songwriting.

There’s a couple of beautifully poignant instrumentals on the album, too, including the title track.

Jim Tipler: “We got the idea for the album name, The Holloway, from a beautiful place we walk the dog. The path has got lower and lower over the centuries and the trees have grown overhead to form a kind of tunnel. You can’t help but imagine the thousands of feet that have trodden it. We didn’t have a title track, so I said Josie should write a tune on the clarinet to finish the album. It’s one of my favourite bits.”

All in all, a very fine album from this charmingly inventive East Sussex folk duo.

Released: 31 March 2023 https://www.miltonhide.com/

Joy Dunlop – Caoir

Caoir (pronounced Koor and meaning a blaze of fire) is the third solo album from Scottish traditional singer and Gaelic language champion, Joy Dunlop. It’s appropriately named, the infectious beats and catchy melodies definitely make for a fiery combination and a very contemporary take on Gaelic folk.

Joy Dunlop: “I’ve always loved music that pushed the boundaries of what was considered ‘trad’, without losing the soul of the songs. As a Gaelic singer, I’m always trying to make my music accessible to those who don’t speak the language. With this recording I wanted to capture the sentiment of the songs, whether the listener understands Gaelic or not, while adding new engaging elements to the music.”

With Caoir, Dunlop certainly pulls off what she set out to achieve. The vibrant instrumentation of Ron Jappy, Mhairi Marwick, Gus Stirrat, Ifedade Thomas and Euan Malloch provides the perfect backdrop for Dunlop’s beautiful vocals makes for a captivating album from start to finish.

Released: 24 March 2023 https://www.joydunlop.com/

Megson – What Are We Trying To Say?

Husband-and-wife duo, Stu and Debbie Hanna, have been a fixture on the folk scene for almost twenty years now. What Are We Trying To Say? is the duo’s thirteenth album and their first studio album in four years. Featuring eight original songs, one traditional number (Cannie Old Blind Willie’) and the words of another (‘The Barbers News’) set to newly-composed music. The central theme of the album is about how we, the public, absorb news and information in the modern age.

Debbie Hanna: “We spent so much time during the pandemic watching the news and endlessly scrolling – social media became a vital source if information but it also became clear there were so many different takes on what was happening it became hard to figure out the real truth. We began to think about the different ways news can be used – to inform, entertain us or even control us and these are the themes we have touched on in songs on the album.”

Don’t worry though – the album not a conspiracy theorist’s charter and the duo’s song ‘The Conspiracy Trap’ tackles that unfortunate modern-day obsession head on. What the album does do, however, is offer intelligent writing, sharp social commentary and heartfelt lyrics, all delivered in those rich Teeside voices and the trademark Megson sound, with captivating melodies and stacks of beautiful fiddle and mandolin.

Released: 24 March 2023 https://www.megsonmusic.co.uk/

This week’s featured artist: singer-songwriter Eve Simpson – new EP ‘All Her Strange’

Folk music, Music news, , , , , ,

Eve Simpson is a singer-songwriter, storyteller, and collaborative community artist from South Shields and now based in Edinburgh. Written between the two places, her four-track EP All Her Strange was inspired by the playfulness of Woodstock-era Joni Mitchell and that captivating combination of honesty and vulnerability from great songwriters like Laura Marling and Carole King.

Eve Simpson: “It is a piece of work about trying to understand myself at 21, processing grief, health, heartbreak, joy and loss, and becoming a person that had two places that felt like home now.”

Combining wit, feistiness and vulnerability, one of the stand-out tracks on the EP is ‘His Euphoria’, a coming-of-age commentary on misogyny where Eve playfully narrates the trials and tribulations of being a young woman dating, dancing, and debating her way through her early 20s.

Eve told Darren’s Music Blog: “His Euphoria is a complete mick-take of the very male-dominated spaces I found myself within the music industry and university in my early-20s. Written during the first lockdown, when I completely removed myself from those spaces, it was a sarcastic reflection of how much I had to play myself down to exist within those spaces. It is a really fun song, about some very awkward and damaging environments.“

“The EP more broadly, continues along this lens of reflection, with each track honouring some very important coming-of-age moments: heartbreak, grief, and empowerment. All Her Strange as a whole is an acknowledgment of experiencing self-love, and acceptance for the first time. Of acknowledging my shortcomings, and areas of growth, whilst recognizing those integral parts of myself that I can’t change.” 

The EP was produced with support from Youth Music’s NextGen Fund. A short tour in support of the EP commences on 17th April in Edinburgh.

All Her Strange EP released: 14 April 2023

https://linktr.ee/evesimpson

Latest folk reviews: Mary Beth Carty, Paul Anderson, John McCusker, Will Pound & Jenn Butterworth, Gillebrìde MacMillan

Album reviews, Folk music, , , , , , , ,

Mary Beth Carty – Crossing The Causeway

Vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, Mary Beth Carty, is from Antigonish in Novia Scotia and has been a performer of note on Canada’s traditional music scene for some time now, earning a nomination for Singer of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards back in 2009. The album title takes it name from the causeway that links Antigonish to Cape Breton Island, and helps symbolise the fusion of English, Gaelic and French influences that inspired the album.

Mary Beth Carthy: “Crossing The Causeway is my second solo CD, and it fuses traditional songs, instrumental tunes, and original songs.  The album could be categorized as Canadian Celtic, folk, and world music. I play multiple instruments on the album including accordion, guitar, bass, jaw harp, bones, triangle, shakers, tambourine, feet, cow-bells, and washboard, and the project also features some of Cape Breton’s best Celtic musicians and singers.”

Carty is a strong believer in the therapeutic power of music and from the evidence presented here it is really not hard to see why. A refreshingly joyful, surprisingly varied and hugely entertaining album from an artist I was not previously familiar with, this one is well worth checking out.

Released: 1 March 2023 https://marybethcarty.com/

Paul Anderson – Iona

This album from acclaimed Scottish traditional musician and composer, Paul Anderson, forms part of a multi-media artistic project which celebrates the people, history and landscape of the tiny Scottish island of Iona off the coast of Mull in the Inner Hebrides. The project, In the Footsteps of Colm Cille, features Anderson’s musical compositions alongside work by the painter, John Lowrie Morrison (whose beautiful paintings are incorporated into the album’s artwork), and the poetry of Francy Devine (extracts of which can be heard on the album).

Paul Anderson: “Iona is a special place; few places can rival it for scenic beauty, a sense of the spiritual and for the undeniable weight of Scottish history. Some places just seem to have an intangible feel about them and Iona is certainly one of them.”

With exquisite fiddle-playing from Anderson, a stellar cast of supporting musicians, evocative poetry and beautiful artwork, Iona is a delightful album arising out of a fascinating project.

Released: 9 December 2022 https://www.inthefootstepsofcolmcille.com/

John McCusker – The Best Of

A double-disc CD celebrating the career of celebrated Scottish fiddler, John McCusker, it features thirty stand-out tracks from the past thirty years, including four brand-new tracks, heard here for the first time.

Not only does the album delve deep into McCusker’s own back-catalogue as a solo artist, it also includes work from his many notable collaborations, too, and the album features artists as varied as Billy Connolly, Kris Drever, Graham Coxon and Eddie Reader (below).

John McCusker: “It’s been an incredible three decades making and performing music. I wanted to celebrate this milestone moment by releasing a compilation of the different albums and stages of my career, alongside including recordings from the many fantastic collaborations and wonderful artists I’ve been fortunate enough to work with.”

A cracking album that showcases McCusker’s absolute mastery of the fiddle alongside some of the UK’s most celebrated artists.

Released: 20 January 2023 https://www.johnmccusker.co.uk/

Will Pound & Jenn Butterworth – Volume 1

As a big fan of the harmonica, it’s fair to say that it’s an instrument not heard nearly enough in English folk. Will Pound has been on a mission to change that, of course. After teaming up with acoustic guitarist, Jenn Butterworth, for a series of live shows (after a chance encounter at a 2018 folk session became a viral sensation) the pair have now released their first album as a duo.

There is some great musical interplay between Pound (on melodeon and harmonica) and Butterworth (on guitar) as they work their way through a series of energetic tune-sets that combine traditional material with new compositions in a way that is sure to put a smile on your face. Plus there’s one song two, a beautiful rendering of Peggy Seeger’s anti-nuclear anthem, ‘Better Things’, with Butterworth on vocals.

I really enjoyed Pound’s previous album, A Day Will Come, (which Butterworth also guested on) and we can safely assume from the title of this latest album that the pair are in it for the long haul. They have made a superb start here, for sure.

Released: 24th February 2023 https://willandjenn.bandcamp.com/album/volume-1

Gillebrìde MacMillan – Sèimh: The State of Calm

This is the second album from Gaelic singer-songwriter, Gillebrìde MacMillan. The songs on the album deal with a range of personal, political and social issues as well as songs in praise of nature and community.

Gillebrìde MacMillan: “It is so important to have new Gaelic songs and this album is part of the resurgence of new Gaelic songwriting.”

If Will Pound and Jenn Butterworth take us on an exhilarating ride then Sèimh: The State of Calm does exactly what it says on the tin and immediately transports us to a place of tranquillity.

MacMillan: “In the modern world our lives are filled with speed and rushing from one thing to the next, so for this album I really wanted to give a sense of calm, space and reflection in the songs and in the arrangements.”

The album certainly achieves that. I particularly loved the soothing whistles of guest player, Fraser Fifield, alongside Mhairi Hall’s equally soothing and reflective piano. Joining MacMillan there’s a range of other guest musicians and vocalists and the album is beautifully packaged with extensive sleeve-notes in both English and Gaelic.

Released: 3 February 2023 http://www.gillebride.com/

Indie-folk/Americana: EP review – Mist & Wing ‘Step Into The Light’

Album reviews, americana, Folk music, , , , , ,

Mist & Wing are a Scottish musical duo made up of Alan and Grace Murray and their debut EP, Step Into The Light, was released at the back-end of last year.

Hailing from the Isle of Skye and growing up with a stammer, Alan Murray found music to be a way of connecting with others that, for him, was easier than speaking.

The EP comprises five tracks of Americana-tinged indie-folk, four songs written by Alan plus a self-composed instrumental. Joining Alan Murray (vocals, guitar, fiddle, mandolin) and Grace Murray (vocals, piano, acoustic guitar) are Jack Henderson (guitars, bass, keyboards, percussion) who also produced the album, Donal McCruden (drums) and Calum Munroe (accordion).

Lead single ‘Country Mile’ (with accompanying video filmed on the Isle of Skye) is a classic driving song, all about wanting to escape the city and take off to the coast.

The duo’s name is inspired by Gaelic words for the Isle of Skye and the influence of the island’s landscape and heritage runs deep through the music. It’s not the only influence, however, by any stretch of the imagination. For a start, they are more indie-folk than trad- folk but the duo also look west from Skye right across the Atlantic for other inspiration and the country influences of the United States very much seep into their songs. Add in a gift for some good old-fashioned storytelling, some catchy choruses and some easy-on-the-ear melodies and you have a compelling combination that makes Step Into The Light an extremely likeable debut.  

Released: 18th November 2022

https://mistandwing.com/

Songwriters’ Circle: four acclaimed singer-songwriters hit the road for March 2023 tour

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Annie Dressner, Lucy Grubb, Dan Wilde and Luke James Williams set out this month on a six-date tour to perform as part of their songwriters’ circle. Bound by a shared love of classic songwriting, these four acclaimed singer-songwriters present an evening of song, performed both individually and in collaboration.

Between them they have amassed appearances at some of the UK’s biggest festivals, including
Glastonbury, Cambridge Folk, Green Man and Black Deer, garnered rave reviews from the likes of Folk Radio, Maverick and Paste Magazine and received airplay on BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 6 Music.

Annie Dressner tells Darren’s Music Blog: “I am very excited for this tour, going on the road with three of my favorite songwriters.  The first half is going to be a songwriters’ circle situation, where we take turns singing our stuff solo — and the second half is going to be us playing each others’ songs, but as a band.  I have learned bass, a (literal) drum and am playing keys for the first time in many years on stage.  It’s not to be missed!”

Dan Wilde adds: “As solo singer-songwriters we’re all used to heading out on tour and being on stage alone and that this tour gives us a chance to feel like a band.”

Tour dates:

18th March 2023 – Trowbridge – The Pump
19th March 2023 – Stroud – The Prince Albert
20th March 2023 – Cambridge – Junction 2
21st March 2023 – Maidenhead – Norden Farm Arts Centre
22nd March 2023 – Manchester – Gullivers
23rd March 2023 – Birmingham – Kitchen Garden Cafe

Tickets via: http://anniedressner.com/tour

Latest folk reviews: Eliza Delf, Mike Vass, Rachel Walker & Aaron Jones, Trials Of Cato, Ian Walker Band

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Eliza Delf – Into The Wilderness

I was in two minds whether to include this in my latest round-up of folk releases, not because I don’t thing it’s a strong album – it’s excellent – but the term folk barely covers what Into The Wilderness is about. This boundary-defying debut album spans indie, folk, prog, singer-songwriter and much more besides.

Eliza Delf: “The songs that appear on the Into the Wilderness album share a common thread. Each explores the wilderness that lies outside, and the wilderness that exists inside – sometimes mysterious, sometimes scary, sometimes enchanting. But always a place where you can find the truth if you’re willing to look for it.”

Comparisons have been made with everyone from Sandy Denny to Kate Bush, with some degree of justification in both of those cases. Delf is very much her own woman though and with this impressive debut release she demonstrates her talent and inventiveness as a singer-songwriter, and an ability to appeal across a range of genres.

Released: 13 June 2022 https://elizadelf.com/

Mike Vass – Decemberwell Decade

Decemberwell Decade is a winter-themed album where Scottish folk multi-instrumentalist, Mike Vass, returns to ruminate on those often harsh Scottish winters that inspired his 2012 solo album, Decemberwell, coming up with a completely new body of work. I might be coming to this a little late in the season but it’s February and even down here on the English south coast, there’s a definite chill in the air still.

The original Decemberwell album originated when Vass found his teaching work cancelled at short notice due to the vast quantities of snow clogging up the Scottish road network.

Mike Vass: “Rather than rewatch the same box sets I set myself a challenge – to spend December writing and recording some Scottish winter-themed music and record a daily video diary of the whole process.”

The follow-up is every bit as breath-taking. The largely instrumental album (all newly-composed by Vass save for two reworkings of traditional material) beautifully evokes the wintery weather conditions and seasonal traditions of the final month of the year. While the original album was very much a showcase for Vass as multi-instrumentalist, this one sees him stepping right back from playing and acting as composer and  producer for a gifted team of musicians. Mesmerising.

Released: 18 November 2022 https://www.mikevass.com/

Rachel Walker & Aaron Jones – Despite The Wind And Rain

You could be forgiven for thinking that Despite The Wind And The Rain was another winter-themed release. But the debut duo album from Rachel Walker and  Aaron Jones is all about celebrating the role of women in Scottish history.

Rachel Walker: “We have both worked in the traditional music scene for many years, and in that time we’ve become aware of the lack of songs that celebrate Scottish women for their success or achievements. There are plenty of tracks out there which will detail a woman’s beauty, or her broken heart, but few which acknowledge her intelligence, sense of adventure or courage. We sought to rectify that with this album.”

With ten original compositions, the duo celebrate the lives of women as diverse as Sgàthach, the mythical warrior queen of Scottish legend, to the nineteenth-century astronomer, Mary Somerville, to two leading figures in the women’s suffrage movement, Flora Murray and Elsie Inglis, whose contributions to Scottish political life are commemorated in the song, ‘Sunflowers’.

Both Walker and Jones are in fine voice, with lead vocals shared out between the two across the album’s ten tracks. Moreover, the sensitive storytelling, poignant melodies and beautifully-executed instrumentation all do justice to the women whose lives the album sets out to celebrate.

Released: 25 November 2022 https://www.rachelwalkerandaaronjones.com/

The Trials Of Cato – Gog Magog

When I reviewed The Trials of Cato’s debut album, Hide And Hair, for the now-defunct fRoots magazine back in 2018, I  enthused that few debuts exhibited as much vitality as this one and predicted, like many, that we’d be seeing a lot more of them. We certainly did that. Their rise in the folk sphere was meteoric, yet it would be four years from the release of Hide And Hair before we had the chance to hear a follow-up.

Robin Jones: “Lockdown gave us a chance to really look at what we are about as a band and what music we wanted to create. We wiped the slate clean and challenged ourselves to create as much as we could without outside influences. Our beautiful and sometimes mysterious Fenland surroundings helped to realise this album and although we’re now delighted to be back on the road, this was a space in time that certainly helped us to create this music.”

That wiping the slate clean has seen a change in line-up, with Polly Bolton coming in to replace original member, Will Addison, and bringing a female vocal into the mix for the first time. There’s still plenty that’s familiar on Gog Magog though, from the reworking of Welsh language poetry to Robin Jones’ distinctive tenor banjo – and the band remain as captivating as ever. The only track I was slightly underwhelmed by was ‘Bedlam Boys’ but that’s only because I don’t think anyone can beat Gigspanner’s version for its sheer manic inventiveness. Overall a very welcome return from some of folk’s real innovators.

Released: 25 November 2022 https://www.thetrialsofcato.com/

The Ian Walker Band – We Come To Sing

Ian Walker is an accomplished songwriter and performer, recording over twenty albums and having his songs covered worldwide. Joining Walker (vocals, banjo, guitar, autoharp), his band comprises Jimmy Scott (vocals, guitar), and Moe Walker (vocals), who are supported on this album by some legendary veteran musicians: John Graham (The Clydesiders, John Graham & Jim Jack), Alan Reid (Battlefield Band, Alan Reid & Rob van Sante), Stevie Lawrence (Red Hot Chilli Pipers, Rallion, Iron Horse) and acclaimed blues harmonica player, Fraser Speirs.

We Come To Sing  is a highly entertaining and song-packed album. Its eighteen tracks span an eclectic mix of both Walker’s own material (songs like ‘We Come To Sing’, ‘Rammy In The Glen’ and a re-recording of his anti-apartheid anthem, ‘Hawks And Eagles Fly Like Doves’ – which originally appeared on Walker’s 1985 solo album); alongside covers of classics from the likes of Richard Thompson, Sandy Denny and Tom Paxton; as well as popular traditional songs like ‘The Water Is Wide’. Definitely an album to put a smile on your face.

Released 16 January 2023 http://www.ianwalkeronline.com/