Category Archives: Music

Last Night’s Fun’s Tempered

Posted on 24th March 2023 by Peter Massey

To my knowledge, Chris Sherburn and Denny Bartley have graced the guest list for my local Folk Festival more times than I have changed the strings on my guitar over the past 10 years, and now joined with Nick Scott … Continue reading →

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Glengarry Bhoys’ Mountain Road, Crookshank’s Crookshank, and Various artists’ Cold Blow These Winter Winds

Posted on 24th March 2023 by John O'Regan

This omnibus, while detailing Celtic releases of an ensemble nature, finds three releases with their own individual approach, style and sound. The result is a mix of solid Celtic rock, experimental Celtic and medieval cum renaissance strains, and a novel … Continue reading →

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Battlefield Band’s Time & Tide

Posted on 24th March 2023 by John O'Regan

One of the longest running Scottish folk bands, Battlefield Band celebrates three decades of music touring and recording. Time & Tide, their latest album, again sees a change in the lineup with the departures of Karine Polward and John McCusker. … Continue reading →

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Various artists’ Evelyn: Music from the Motion Picture

Posted on 24th March 2023 by John O'Regan

Soundtrack albums are an aural companion to the visual aspect of a movie; once one has seen the movie then a reasoned judgement may be reached as to the effectiveness of the soundtrack within the context of the film itself. … Continue reading →

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Various artists’ Kickin’ The 3: The Best of Organ Trio Jazz

Posted on 24th March 2023 by Diverse Voices

Danny Cohen wrote this review. The Hammond B-3 organ is one of the most expressive and versatile instruments in popular music today. It can go from a whisper to a scream, take you to church, play lush ethereal chords or … Continue reading →

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Scree’s Jasmine on a Night in July

Posted on 23rd March 2023 by Gary Whitehouse

Jasmine on a Night in July is the debut studio full-length from the trio that calls itself Scree. They’re led by Arab-American guitarist Ryan El-Solh in creation of a unique melding of American exotica, minimalist jazz and El-Solh’s Lebanese and Palestinian … Continue reading →

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Ben Sands’ Take Your Time, and Roots & Branches

Posted on 23rd March 2023 by Diverse Voices

Judith Gennett wrote this review. Ben Sands, from the legendary Sands Family, is from Newry, County Down in Northern Ireland. He sings and sometimes writes gentle songs that can have a punch beyond their subtlety. These two albums Take Your … Continue reading →

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Celtic Fiddle Festival’s Play On, Drones & Bellows/Dragseth Duo’s Hiimstoun, Smoky Finish’s Tune the Speed, various artists’ The Independence Suite, and various artists’ A Highland Journey in Music

Posted on 27th February 2023 by Diverse Voices

Alistair Brown wrote this review. Play On is the fourth release from a group of musicians who had no real intention of continuing as such beyond a one-off concert series in 1993. The project featured three of the Celtic world’s … Continue reading →

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Kevin Burke’s In Concert

Posted on 20th February 2023 by Diverse Voices

No’am Newman wrote this review. This recording was made over the course of two evenings shortly before Christmas 1998 in Portland, Oregon, which is where the London-born Sligo-style fiddler Burke has lived for the past twenty years. Although Burke has … Continue reading →

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Various artists’ Gaelic Voices

Posted on 20th February 2023 by Diverse Voices

Patrick O’Donnell wrote this review. The Gaelic languages are, to my ears, the most beautiful in the world. I don’t think any of the Romance languages can hold a candle to the poetry, grace and strength contained in a single … Continue reading →

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