Album Review | Make Believe Records | Review by Allan Wilkinson | Stars: 4/5 Known for her work with such outfits as Salt House and RANT, Lauren MacColl is an expressive fiddle player with a sensitive touch.  Landskein comprises eleven delicate airs, each of which underlines just how expressive Lauren’s playing can be.  Almost completely … Continue reading Lauren MacColl – Landskein

Album Review | Self Release | Review by Marc Higgins | Stars: 4/5 Many Miles from Zion National Park in Utah USA are hard to categorise.  Victoria Lagerstrom has a fine voice, a huge soulful roar and Dave Tate, as well as being dexterous and intelligent on guitar, bass and keyboards has a versatile voice. … Continue reading Many Miles – Rising Up

Album Review | Batov Records | Review by Allan Wilkinson | Stars: 4/5 Whenever we visit certain areas of the world that are unfamiliar to us, there’s a tendency to leave the beaten track in search of the real culture of the people, rather than just stick to the dedicated tourist areas.  When compared to … Continue reading Shiran – Glsah Sanaanea with Shiran

Album Review | Self Release | Review by Allan Wilkinson | Stars: 4/5 The Wilderness Yet are a Sheffield-based trio, whose eponymous debut album serves as a veritable soundtrack to accompany our reconnection with nature in peculiar times.  Rosie Hodgson joins up with Crossharbour band mate Philippe Barnes and regular collaborator Rowan Piggott for a … Continue reading The Wilderness Yet – The Wilderness Yet

Album Review | Self Release | Review by Allan Wilkinson | Stars: 3/5 Saskia Griffiths-Moore is in possession of the sort of alluring voice that wouldn’t have been out of place in the London bedsits of the early 1970s.  The former Harley Street craniosacral therapist, who sold up shop to follow her muse, first set … Continue reading Saskia – Are You Listening?

Album Review | Self Release | Review by Allan Wilkinson | Stars: 5/5 There’s a touch of velvet ingrained in the songs on Ghost Tattoo, where each performance is treated to polished and uncluttered instrumentation with Kristen Grainger’s arresting voice serving as the proverbial cherry on top.  Dan Wetzel and Martin Stevens’ guitar and mandolin … Continue reading Kristen Grainger and True North – Ghost Tattoo

Album Review | Cheerygroove | Review by Marc Higgins | Stars: 5/5 Every week in the late 50s and early 60s The Scotsman published a traditional Scottish folk song, lyrics and melody, alongside an explanatory article.  Findlay’s grandfather, Findlay Cummings collected them in an old ledger.  The articles by folklorist Norman Buchan were published as … Continue reading Findlay Napier and Gillian Frame with Mike Vass – The Ledger

Album Review | Night Dreamer | Review by Allan Wilkinson | Stars: 3/5 Essentially an album created with the specific intention of capturing Etuk Ubong’s vibrant live sound and recorded direct to disc in just one sitting on the final day of a week long session.  Africa Today features the dual trumpet sparring of Ubong … Continue reading Etuk Ubong – Africa Today

Album Review | Olindo Records | Review by Allan Wilkinson | Stars: 3/5 I quite like the word ‘waaju’, which means ‘to urge, inspire and to take action’, a good starting point for any musical combo that takes it’s music seriously.  The young London-based quintet not only take their music seriously, but take it to … Continue reading Waaju – Grown