Tag Archives: folk

Album review: PETER KNIGHT’S GIGSPANNER – The Wife Of Urban Law

Posted on October 2, 2017 by jason

[Release date 31.10.17] Folk rock icon, fiddle supremo and former Steeleye Span-er, Peter Knight, along with the rest of his trio Gigspanner have been busy lately. This is their second new album of the year. First, in the summer came … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, The Best of 2017 | Tagged album, folk, Gigspanner, melodic, Peter Knight, review, Steeleye Span, The Wife Of Urban Law | Leave a comment

Album review: SAM KELLY & THE LOST BOYS – Pretty Peggy

Posted on September 29, 2017 by jason

Navigator Records [Release date 06.10.17] Sam Kelly & the Lost Boys have already picked up rave reviews from the likes of Mark Radcliffe and Mike Harding, plus awards, including winning BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards ‘Best Emerging Act’. All this and Sam … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Cara Dillon, folk, Michael McGoldrick, Pretty Peggy, review, Sam Kelly & the Lost Boys, traditional music | Leave a comment

Album review: DAVID CROSBY – Sky Trails

Posted on September 26, 2017 by petefeenstra

BMG [Release date 29.09.17] Who would have thought that after a 20 year gap, septuagenarian David Crosby would return to cut three of his best albums in the last few years? For all its Californian whimsy and introspection, ‘Sky Trails’ … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Becca Stevens, Crosby Stills & Nash, David Crosby, folk, funk, Greg Leisz, James Raymond, jazz, Jeff Pevar, Joni Mitchell, Mai Agan, Michael McDonald, review, rock, Sky Trails, songwriter, Steeely Dan, Steve Tavaglione | Leave a comment

Quick plays: FRIGG, PALE HONEY, HELL IN THE CLUB, CATHEDRALE

Posted on September 20, 2017 by jason

FRIGG Frost On Fiddles Frigg [Release date 06.10.17] Frigg (be careful how you spell that on a Google search!) hail from Finland and feature the talents of four fiddle players, plus a guitarist, bassist and cittern/mandolin players. All instrumentals and … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Quick Plays | Tagged album, Cathedrale, Devotion, fiddles, folk, Frigg, Frost On Fiddles, Hell In The Club, John Young. Jon Camp, melodic, Pale Honey, progressive, review, rock, singer songwriter | Leave a comment

Album review: JANIS IAN – The Essential 2.0

Posted on September 17, 2017 by GRTR! HQ

Sony Legacy [Release date 22.09.17] This 2 CD collection neatly brings together, for the first time, some of Ian’s best (?) works spanning her whole career from 1967 to date on the Columbia, Verve And Rude Girl labels. All too … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged acoustic, album, compilation, folk, Greatest Hits, Janis Ian, review, rock, singer songwriter, The Essential 2.0 | Leave a comment

Gig review: BEAUTIFUL DAYS Festival – Devon, 18-20 August 2017

Posted on September 5, 2017 by GRTR! HQ

Dance Before, During and After the Storm Between Friday 18th and Sunday 20th August 2017 the bizarre, the wonderful and the contradictions of the norm gathered in the grounds of Escot Park to embrace the eclectic bohemian eccentricity that is … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS, Special Events | Tagged 18-20 August, Alison Moyet, Beautiful Days Festival, Devon, Escot Park, festival, folk, gig, Hayseed Dixie, Levellers, New Model Army, Ottery St Mary, pop, review, rock, Sisters Of Mercy | Leave a comment

Quick plays: BLUE ROSE CODE, AUTOBAHN

Posted on September 4, 2017 by jason

BLUE ROSE CODE The Water Of Leith Navigator Records [Release date 27.10.17] Blue Rose Code is in fact singer songwriter Ross Wilson and he has already gained an impressive set of fans including actors Denis Lawson and Ewan McGregor, along … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Quick Plays | Tagged albums, Autobahn, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Blue Rose Code, electronic. punk, folk, indie, Quick Play, reviews, rock | Leave a comment

Gig review: CAMBRIDGE FOLK FESTIVAL, 27-30 July 2017

Posted on August 30, 2017 by GRTR! HQ

Sometimes I think the term ‘Folk Festival’ puts some people off but if they look under the skin they might see something very special. A glancing look through this year’s programme of events showed a whole array of arts and … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS, Special Events | Tagged Americana, Cambridge, Cambridge Folk Festival, Cherry Hinton Hall, country, folk, Frank Turner, gig, Hayseed Dixie, Indigo Girls, Jake Bugg, July 2017, Loudon Wainwright III, review, roots, Shirley Collins, The Eskies | Leave a comment

Album review: BLACKMORE’S NIGHT – To The Moon and Back

Posted on August 21, 2017 by jason

David Randall chatted to Candice Night and Ritchie Blackmore in October 2015 for Get Ready to ROCK! Radio. The hour special gives background to the formation of the band along with selected tracks from their 20 year-history. Minstrel Hall Music … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged best of, Blackmore's Night, Candice Night, Deep Purple, folk, interview, medieval, Rainbow, review, Ritchie Blackmore, rock, To The Moon and Back | Leave a comment

Album review: THE YOUNG ‘UNS – Strangers

Posted on August 17, 2017 by jason

Hereteu Records [Release date 29.09.17] Teeside three piece the Young ‘Uns – Sean Cooney, David Eagle and Michael Hughes – have won the BBC Folk Awards Best Group in 2015 and 2016, along with picking up numerous plaudits from the … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, The Best of 2017 | Tagged acapella, album, BBC Folk Awards, folk, review, social history, Strangers, the Young 'Uns, vocal harmonies | Leave a comment

Quick plays: BRUCE COCKBURN, A BLUE FLAME, MORNING STAR

Posted on August 16, 2017 by GRTR! HQ

BRUCE COCKBURN Bone On Bone True North Records [Release date 15.09.17] Sounds like a name I ought to know, but maybe I’m thinking about ‘Rooster’. But, in reality, Canadian singer songwriter Bruce Cockburn sounds more like a cross between Mark … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Quick Plays | Tagged A New Flame, album, Americana, blues rock, Bone On Bone, folk, Morning Star, pop, review, Richard Stone, rock, roots, When Your Whole World Turns To Dust | Leave a comment

Quick plays: MARTIN SIMPSON, RIVERDOGS, HIRSH GARDNER

Posted on August 9, 2017 by jason

MARTIN SIMPSON Trails & Tribulations Topic Records [Release date 01.09.17] Trails & Tribulations’ is Martin Simpson’s twentieth album in a career spanning over 40 years. As he says the album “is a collection of songs about nature, about travels and … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Quick Plays | Tagged albums, AOR, California, Def Leppard, Dio, Escape Music, folk, Frontiers, Hirsh Gardner, Martin Simpson, melodic rock, New England, Quick Play, reviews, Riverdogs, rock, songwriter, Vivian Campbell | Leave a comment

Single review: SHARON LAZIBYRD – Don’t Worry

Posted on July 31, 2017 by jason

[Release date 01.09.17] The third single by Sharon Lazibyrd from her upcoming album due later this year. The song features Sharon Lazibyrd on vocals, ukulele, viola and cowbell and she is joined by Damon Bridge (accordion), Kate Bridge (backing vocals), … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, Single and EP reviews | Tagged Don't Worry, folk, pop, review, Sharon Lazibyrd, singer songwriter, single, ska | Leave a comment

Quick plays: EMPIRE, LAST BULLET, TOM RUSSELL, DICK

Posted on July 21, 2017 by jason

EMPIRE The Raven Ride Pride & Joy Music [Release date 18.08.17] Pride & Joy Music continue their Empire re-issues and here we have the band’s third album which was originally released in 2006. Former Black Sabbath vocalist Tony Martin sang … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Quick Plays | Tagged album, Americana, country, Dangerous Dreams, Dick, Empire, folk, Folk Hotel, Juanita Stein, Last Bullet, metal, review, rock, Rolf Munkes, Tom Russell, Tony Martin | Leave a comment

Album review: ELEANOR McEVOY – The Thomas Moore Project

Posted on July 17, 2017 by GRTR! HQ

MOSCODISC [Release date o4.08.17] First the history lesson – Thomas Moore was an 18/19th century Irish poet, singer, songwriter, and entertainer. Once celebrated, but largely overlooked today, Eleanor McEvoy looks to put that right by taking some of his best … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged acoustic, album, Eleanor McEvoy, folk, Irish, jazz, review, singer, songwriter, The Thomas Moore Project, Thomas Moore | Leave a comment

Album review: HAT FITZ AND CARA – After The Rain

Posted on June 15, 2017 by petefeenstra

Self release [Release date: 11.11.16] The Irish-Australian duo of Hat Fitz and Cara stand out among their contemporaries because of their hill country grooves, their bluesy minimalism, some well crafted folky songs, occasional great hooks and an essential contrasting dynamic … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged After The Rain, album, Aretha Franklin, blues, Cara Robinson, folk, Govinda Doyle, guitar, Hat Fitz, Hat Fitz And Cara, hill country, metal, Peter Green, review, roots, vocal | Leave a comment

Gig review: FAIRPORT CONVENTION – Union Chapel, London, 27 May 2017

Posted on May 28, 2017 by jason

Fairport Convention - Cropredy, 13-15 August 2015

Folk-rock pioneers Fairport Convention have never been a band to shy away from celebrating their own legacy. When they decided to split in 1979 they held a big outdoor farewell gig in Cropredy, Oxfordshire that proved so successful they decided … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS | Tagged 50th anniversary, Cropredy, Dave Pegg, Fairport Convention, folk, folk rock, gig, London 27 May 2017, review, Simon Nicol, Union Chapel | Leave a comment

Quick plays: LOVED ONES, DAVEY DODDS

Posted on May 16, 2017 by jason

LOVED ONES Harness Blood Records [Release date 05.05.17] Loved Ones are on ‘that difficult second album’, or so the theory goes, however this band have no qualms on that score as they have a plethora of musical ideas to share … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Quick Plays | Tagged albums, alt rock, Davey Dodds, DC Cooper, Fire In The Radio, folk, Last Giant, Loved Ones, New Air, pop punk, prog, prog metal, Quick Play, Red Jasper, reviews, rock, Royal Hunt, symphonic metal | Leave a comment

Quick plays: BURNT OUT WRECK, CHESS ROCK ‘N’ ROLL

Posted on April 27, 2017 by jason

BURNT OUT WRECK Swallow Cherry Red Records [Release date 24.03.17] Gary Moat was the drummer with Scottish rockers Heavy Pettin’ and for his new band, Burnt Out Wreck, he leaves his drum kit behind to head for the mic stand. … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Quick Plays | Tagged AC/DC, album, alternative, Anna Coogan, Bo Diddley, Burnt Out Wreck, Chess, Chuck Berry, compilation, country, folk, For All Our Sins, Gary Moat, Heavy Pettin', Just Go Wild Over Rock 'N' Roll, KROKUS, review, rock, rock 'n' roll, Sound of the Sirens, Swallow, The Lonely Cry of Space and Time | Leave a comment

Album review: BIG BIG TRAIN – Grimspound

Posted on April 27, 2017 by jason

English Electric Recordings [Release date 28.04.17] www.bigbigtrain.com Following hot on the heels of last year’s excellent ‘Folklore’ album Big Big Train are back with another album featuring tales of national heroes, the countryside and family dramas. This album also sees … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Big Big Train, David Longdon, Fairport Convention, folk, Greg Spawton, Grimspound, Judy Dyble, prog rock, progressive, review | Leave a comment

EP review: INDIA ELECTRIC CO. – ECM1

Posted on April 18, 2017 by jason

www.indiaelectricco.com [Release date 05.05.17] India Electric Co. are Cole Stacey and Joseph O’Keefe, who released their debut album, ‘The Girl Left Behind Me’ in 2015 and gained rave reviews for it, including airplay on BBC Radio 2, 3 and 6. … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, Single and EP reviews | Tagged Cole Stacey, ECM1, electronic, EP, folk, India Electric Co., jazz, Joseph O'Keefe, review, world music | Leave a comment

Album review: COLIN HARPER – Titanium Flag (Remastered & Expanded Edition)

Posted on March 31, 2017 by GRTR! HQ

Market Square Records [Release date 24.04.17] The sad thing about this album is that most punters will be drawn in primarily by Track 3 which features legendary Dutch guitarist Jan Akkerman. In fairness, back in 2010 when this was released … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged acoustic, album, ambient, Andy Roberts, Colin Harper, Cormac O'Kane, Focus, folk, instrumental, Jan Akkerman, jazz, Liverpool Scene, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Phil Shiva Jones, Premik Russell Tubbs, Quintessence, review, Titanium Flag | Leave a comment

Album review: MALCOLM HOLCOMBE – Pretty Little Troubles

Posted on March 29, 2017 by GRTR! HQ

Gypsy Eyes Music [Release date 26.05.17] As a co-reviewer pointed out to me, I have previously reviewed an album by ‘old soul and modern day southern blues poet’ Malcolm Holcombe back in 2011 (To Drink To The Rain). But, falling … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, blues, country, folk, Malcolm Holcombe, Pretty Little Troubles, review, roots, singer, songwriter | Leave a comment

Quick plays: HARROW FAIR, OH SUSANNA

Posted on March 29, 2017 by GRTR! HQ

HARROW FAIR Call To Arms Roraing Girl Records [Release date 19.05.17] Deploying that now familiar White Stripes, unaccompanied two piece modus operandi, Canadian duo Miranda Mulholland and Andrew Penner let loose a kick drum fuelled debut laced with rootsy guitar … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged A Girl In Teen City, acoustic, album, Call To Arms, country, folk, Harrow Fair, Oh Susanna, pop, review, rock, roots, singer, songwriter, Suzie Ungerleider | Leave a comment

Album review: JETHRO TULL – The String Quartets (Ian Anderson)

Posted on March 20, 2017 by petefeenstra

Pete Feenstra chatted to Ian Anderson for his Feature show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio and played tracks from the new album. First broadcast 12 March 2017. BMG Rights Management [Release date 24.03.17] ‘Jethro Tull: The String Quartets’ is … Continue reading →