Hope you're not disappointed! Although I doubt you will be. Here's a review of the mag from Jacey Bedford of Artisan/Britfolk

I just had time to sit down and read my advertiser's copy of the new
bi-monthly Rock n Reel magazine and I must admit I'm impressed. The
whole thing seems to strike a nice balance between magazines at either
end of the folk spectrum. On it's first showing I'd say was a serious
contender for being a candidate for a music magazine that serves the
folk world well while covering the wide middle ground between very
traditional and very rootsy.

It certainly doesn't seek to be a copy of either of the two major folk
glossies, but I think it's going to find a big audience.


The first issue under new management - still edited by Sean McGhee with
the usual Cumbrian editorial address, but now published by Richard Ellin
of the Welsh outfit, 'Hand to Mouth Publishing Ltd.' - has articles
about Shane MacGowan, Flogging Molly, Nick Drake, Christy Moore, Arlo
Guthrie, Spiers and Boden, Jacqui McShee, Joe Brown, Dick Gaughan and
Donovan with a healthy hunk of reviews of albums from artists such as
(picked at random) Chris While & Julie Mathews, Sparks, Joe Bonamassa,
Groundhogs, Steve Earle, Rainbow Chasers, Jon Boden, The new Radio
Ballads, Seth Lakeman, Liam Clancy, The Boat Band as well as Deacon
Blue, Sean Lennon, Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel... Show of Hands, in
other words an eclectic mix grouped in categories of Roots, Rock, Folk,
Blues, Singer Songwriter, Country, World, DVDs Books and Live. Dipping
into the reviews at random they seemed intelligently analytical without
the cringeworthy snarkiness of some of the fRoots reviews.


I was surprised to find myself reading some of the articles with
interest that hadn't at first seemed very appealing to me. The articles
about Shane MacGowan and Joe Brown, for instance, both presenting a
fascinating insight into two completely different worlds. And I
thoroughly - and perhaps predictably - enjoyed the Dick Gaughan and
Spiers and Boden articles.


It was also nice to see that the advertisers reflected the content of
the magazine - not specifically act for act, but type for type. There
have been times when the advertising content in fRoots looks like it's
been hijacked from a different magazine, but Rock n Reel seems to have
found its centre. I hope it keeps it.


I always liked the old Rock n Reel magazine, right from the very first
A5 hand-collated and stapled issue which I managed to get because we
were playing a folk club in Cumbria the week it was released, but it's
publishing schedule was - latterly - a little hair-raising until it
disappeared up its own fundamentals. This new revamped issue, with a new
publishing team, is out bang on time. I'm going to subscribe.


Oh, yes, I forgot to mention the covermount CD, which I haven't had time
to listen to yet... There's a covermount CD with every issue and
there's a four compilation CD offer for new subscribers.


Volume 2, No 1 January 2007, out now
www.rock-n-reel.co.uk