Folk albums of 2007

Subject: RE: Folk albums of 2007
From: BusyBee Paul
Date: 24 Oct 07 - 08:55 AM

Cragrat: I HAVE listened to Duncan McFarlane's electric band CD "All Rogues and Villians" and it's on permanent repeat in the house and car.

That about says it all really!.

Actually, I envy you - you've still got the delight of hearing it for the first time to come.

BBP

Subject: RE: Folk albums of 2007
From: GUEST
Date: 24 Oct 07 - 08:45 AM

C Ham: James Keelaghan's UK rep assures me she received the album in 2007. I certainly received my copy this year. Could it have come out across the Atlantic first and not hit the UK until his tour?

Cragrat/Nigel Spencer
       Sharron Kraus has eluded me so far but I am inspired by your recommendations andwill certainly explore.

ps to cragrat: Your last few words suit me as an epitaph. they almost made me feel guilty about cutting my link to the Telegraph. If you ever felt like doing it, a piece from you challenging my likes and dislikes, and arguing the "dull year" case (I think the opposite) would sail onto the pages of Salut! Live. [e-mail] if you want to take me up on it.

Subject: RE: Folk albums of 2007
From: GUEST,Nicholas Waller
Date: 24 Oct 07 - 08:20 AM

Cragrat: I hadn't heard of The Owl Service either until a few days ago, when I noticed a free £7 voucher from Woven Wheat Whispers (the folk music download shop) in my email box (you have to have been already registered with WWW). I went to the site, The Owl Service's Garland of Song is their featured album, I liked what I heard of the samples they had, and so I got it (£5) and like it a lot (also comes with a bonus EP).

Click on the album for more info and samples of 6 tracks.

Also, here's some blurb from their Myspace site:

"The Owl Service formed through a mutual love of British films and television of the 1960s and 70s, the great outdoors and {of course} the sound of the English folk revival. No retro obsessives, The Owl Service simply believe that music production peaked around 1969 and they merely seek to perfectly encapsulate the influence of the greatest albums and artists of that time. Beautiful music, simply arranged, exquisitely executed and captured on tape with authentic warmth".

Subject: RE: Folk albums of 2007
From: mattkeen
Date: 24 Oct 07 - 06:03 AM

OOps sorry about that

Subject: RE: Folk albums of 2007
From: Folkiedave
Date: 24 Oct 07 - 05:47 AM

Van Eyken was last year.

Subject: RE: Folk albums of 2007
From: GUEST,Cragrat
Date: 24 Oct 07 - 04:47 AM

Hello Mr Spencer.

I've never heard of The Owl Service but naming yourselves after Alan Garner is very cool, indeed. Who are they?

As for folk-rock album of the year,, I haven't got it yetbut I suspect that the new Duncan McFarlane Band album will be hard to beat.

Subject: RE: Folk albums of 2007
From: mattkeen
Date: 24 Oct 07 - 04:45 AM

Oh and van eyken "stiffs lovers holymen thieves"

Subject: RE: Folk albums of 2007
From: mattkeen
Date: 24 Oct 07 - 04:40 AM

Chris Wood "Trespasser"

Only got my copy this week

Subject: RE: Folk albums of 2007
From: Declan
Date: 23 Oct 07 - 07:44 PM

Colin,

I'm currently sorting through my CD purchases this year to come up with my pick of the year. This isn't something I publish anywhere but tends the basis for some recordings I do for some friends of mine, to give them an idea of what I'm listening to.

So far my favourite CDs are "Prodigal Son" and "There's gangs of them digging" which is a retrospective album of Songs of Irish Labour recorded by the late lamented Dublin Singer Frank Harte. There are some other candidates, but I haven't come to any conclusions on overall albums yet. I may post again in a while when I've come to more definite conclusions.

Subject: RE: Folk albums of 2007
From: GUEST,Gerry
Date: 23 Oct 07 - 07:43 PM

Kate Burke & Ruth Hazelton, Summer's Lonesome Tale.

Subject: RE: Folk albums of 2007
From: Giant Folk Eyeball (inactive)
Date: 23 Oct 07 - 07:14 PM

Cragrat - I'm with you on Sharron Kraus - it's her best album yet. She's an underrated treasure of the contemporary UK folk scene and by rights should be made compulsory. I'd also nominate Anahata and Mary Humphreys' 'Fenlandia' and the Askew Sisters' 'All in a Garden Green' as my two favourite trad albums of the year, and the Owl Service's 'Garland of Song' as the best folk rock album.

Cheers

Nigel

Subject: RE: Folk albums of 2007
From: RTim
Date: 23 Oct 07 - 07:12 PM

As usual in the field of Folk Music, particularly Traditional Folk Music -Marketing & Production out does real talent!

Tim R

Subject: RE: Folk albums of 2007
From: Jack Campin
Date: 23 Oct 07 - 06:08 PM

"Songs of Defiance", traditional music from Chechnya and the North Caucasus:

http://music.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,2108464,00.html

Subject: RE: Folk albums of 2007
From: C. Ham
Date: 23 Oct 07 - 06:03 PM

The James Keelaghan album mentioned is from 2006.

Among the great albums of 2007 that immediately come to mind are:

Ry Cooder- My name Is Buddy

Bruce Springsteen- Live in Dublin

Uncle Earl- Waterloo, Tennessee

Maria Muldaur- Naughty, Bawdy & Blue

Joel Mabus- The Banjo Monlologues

David Francey- Right of Passage

Jimmy LaFave- Cimarron Manifesto

Hans Theessink- Slow Train.

Subject: RE: Folk albums of 2007
From: GUEST,Cragrat
Date: 23 Oct 07 - 01:57 PM

I think that so far 2007 has been a pretty dull year for folk music. I haven't heard Prodigal Son yet but Mr Keelaghan's album, while it remains listenable, is clearly a filler release and not up to his usual high standard. (He's recorded so few of his own songs recently, that I wonder whether he has writer's block). The Bairns is okay but just sticks to that pop/folk groove that blights so many albums these days.

One album that does warrant a mention is Sharron Kraus' Right Wantonly A Mumming (Bo Weavil25cd)which is a fresh and exciting look at that hoary old subject, the seasons. Her own songs feel as old as church yews and the singing is magnificent but this is the only folk album this year to really make me play on repeat. Sad days.

By the way, Mr Randall, I don't always or even often agree with your opinions (although we're both fond of Seth Lakeman's music) but thank you for promoting folk music in a national newspaper. You're practically a one man band!

Subject: Folk albums of 2007
From: GUEST,Colin Randall
Date: 23 Oct 07 - 10:22 AM

It's only late October, and I'm really only a fan with a platform (I had two until a new job overseas caused me to stop filing reviews to the Daily Telegraph) but I have used Salut! Live to list my folk albums of 2007.
Subject to something unexpected happening between now and Dec 31, Martin Simpson's Prodigal Son is my clear winner, followed by a dark horse, James Keelaghan (A few Simple Verses), and Rachel Unthank & The Winterset's The Bairns.
Full list, including separate nominations (for compilation, boxed set, retrospective), at my site but any thoughts on my top three?