Category Archives: Music

The Horse’s Ha’s Waterdrawn

Waterdrawn from The Horse’s Ha seems like a good companion piece to Anais Mitchell’s 2012 Child Ballads. Most of the songs and the entire spirit of this project are drawn from the same well as those old Anglo-American ballads with … Continue reading

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Sam Amidon’s Bright Sunny South

Sam Amidon is a Vermont native formerly active in the New England folk scene, now based in London. Bright Sunny South is his fourth full-length release but his first on a major label. In addition to his solo work, he … Continue reading

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Maya and the Ruins’ Take This Song With You

It’s always exciting to find a fresh new voice, and that’s exactly what Maya Lerman is: fresh, new and utterly charming. The young singer and songwriter from Virginia sings in a style that is at once old-time and refreshing as … Continue reading

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Vishtèn’s Mosaïk

Among what is now a plethora of artists and groups playing the traditional music of Francophone Canada, the trio Vishtèn is taking things in a different direction. Their release Mosaïk could maybe be described as progressive Acadian, in much the … Continue reading

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Cesaria Évora’s Mae Carinhosa

Cesaria Évora died in 2011 at the age of 70, having spent most of her life singing. This posthumous release gathers a baker’s dozen tracks she recorded over her career but which never ended up on any of her 11 … Continue reading

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Anaïs Mitchell & Jefferson Hamer’s Child Ballads

The songs known as Child Ballads were collected by the American scholar Francis James Child in England, Scotland and America in the late 19th century. They have influenced the folk music of Britain and America ever since, forming the backbone … Continue reading

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Mary Jane Lamond & Wendy MacIsaac’s Seinn

It’s hard to believe that, as I write this, it’s been just over 10 years since I experienced the music of Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton Island in its own environment, at the International Celtic Colours Festival in 2002. I wasn’t … Continue reading

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Richard Thompson’s Electric

Electric which someone calculates to be Richard Thompson’s 40th release, features the English folk-rock icon in a power trio setting, with plenty of power provided by drummer Michael Jerome and bassist Taras Prodaniuk, both of whom have been playing with … Continue reading

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Richard Thompson’s Strict Tempo!

Lately, every time Richard Thompson issues a new recording, a spate of interviews appears in print and online media, conducted by writers of varying familiarity with his extensive oeuvre. Inevitably, one of more of them will ask him about his … Continue reading

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Carthy, Hardy, Farrell & Young’s Laylam

Eliza Carthy was a young up-and-comer when I first encountered her playing fiddle and singing backup in 1996 on her mother Norma Waterson’s self-titled solo album. In the ensuing couple of decades she has become one of the leading forces … Continue reading

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