Category Archives: Music

Various artists’ Cairde

Sean Laffey wrote this review. Pomp and circumstance don’t figure in Irish history; the Beal bocht, famine, emigration, colonisation and the cultural ravages of Anglicisation have all shaped both a home and away view of what it is to be … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged | Comments Off on Various artists’ Cairde

burtschi brothers’ ain’t being treated right

Asher Black wrote this review. That’s right, like e.e. cummings, neither the title, nor the band, nor the songs are capitalized, and the band-album-title is meant to be read both as a sentence and an attitude: “had my fill of … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged | Comments Off on burtschi brothers’ ain’t being treated right

Travis Linville & The Burtschi Brothers’ Uncertain Texas

Asher Black wrote this review. As the Burtschi Brothers are preparing to release their next CD in February 2002, it seems fitting to take a good look at the undeserved obscurity of their previous one. One of the reasons for … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged | Comments Off on Travis Linville & The Burtschi Brothers’ Uncertain Texas

Bonnie Rideout Scottish Reflections

Bonnie Rideout is a fiddle player with a hugely impressive pedigree. She initially trained in Michigan as a classical orchestral player of both violin and viola, before embarking on a musical and cultural exploration of her Scots ancestry. She has … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged | Comments Off on Bonnie Rideout Scottish Reflections

Naaljos Ljom’s 2

Cutting edge electro-acoustic Nordic folk is as close as I can come to putting the music of Naaljos Ljom in a category. But why categorize, why not just listen? “Microtonal folk music mixed with electronics and noise” is the description … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Naaljos Ljom’s 2

Richard & Linda Thompson’s Hokey Pokey

It’s probably going too far to say that Hokey Pokey is an overlooked gem in the Richard Thompson catalog. But this, the second of six studio albums released by Richard and Linda Thompson between 1974 and 1982, generally doesn’t receive … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged , | Comments Off on Richard & Linda Thompson’s Hokey Pokey

A year-end 2023 World Roots music omnibus review: Sigrid Moldestad’s Breim, Alba Careta and Henrio’s Càntut, Johanna Juhola’s A Brighter Future, Madera Viva Trío’s Senderos, and Los Ruphay’s The Three Seasons Of The Andes

Sigrid Moldestad’s Breim Acclaimed Norwegian singer and songwriter Sigrid Moldestad’s sixth album on Grappa, seventh overall, is something different: Breim is a deep dive into her cultural heritage. And rather than playing and singing her own songs, she focuses this … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged , , | Comments Off on A year-end 2023 World Roots music omnibus review: Sigrid Moldestad’s Breim, Alba Careta and Henrio’s Càntut, Johanna Juhola’s A Brighter Future, Madera Viva Trío’s Senderos, and Los Ruphay’s The Three Seasons Of The Andes

Knut Kjøk and Dag Gården’s Frå Folk Te’ Folk

2L is a relatively new label from Norway started by engineer Morten Lindberg. With around a dozen releases to date, the company is off to a fine start based on the two CDs I have in my hand. The one … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged | Comments Off on Knut Kjøk and Dag Gården’s Frå Folk Te’ Folk

The Hush’s Dark to the Sky

After many years on the folk music scene Bob Fox‘s status was boosted by his appearance as special guest on the Fairport Convention 2000 Winter Tour. Later that year he recorded an album with the band accompanying him, almost making … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged | Comments Off on The Hush’s Dark to the Sky

Tony Reidy’s The Coldest Day in Winter

This album is an independent release by Tony Reidy, a singer-songwriter from Ireland, and was recorded and engineered by Brendan Minish at Raheens, Castlebar, Ireland. Tony Reidy writes all the songs bar one. As a rule I like to listen … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged , | Comments Off on Tony Reidy’s The Coldest Day in Winter