Gren Bartley - Winter Fires
Following hard on the footsteps of his previous album - FECD247 - Gren takes another leap forward employing his renowned guitar skills, poetic lyrics and subtly powerful voice with this stunning collection of new songs. "As an acoustic finger picking guitar and banjo player he has few if any equals in his age group; as a rooted-in-folk songwriter he's developed an alarmingly good canon of work" R2 magazine.
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Joe Tilston - Embers
After years on the Punk scene as a member of Random Hand, Joe (son of Steve Tilston and Maggie Boyle) makes his debut as a songwriter and solo performer. This album represents the culmination of 6 years of writing and reflects his influences from growing up in a musical family whilst adding to them his own fresh twist and energy provided by his recent musical experiences. The resulting songs question our humanity and also celebrate it. With help from a few friends to enhance, but not dominate, the arrangements this emerges as a debut album with considerable class.
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Hadrian's Union - In Your Own Time
Stew Simpson has spent the last 10 years developing his art as a songwriter. He saw fiddle player Danny Hart play a Showcase spot at Bramton Live and that resulted in the birth of a duo. For recordings and the occasional 'live' gig they are joined by fretless bassist, Mike France. The songs are ‘contemporary folk songs’ about the world we live in today based on traditional subjects like politics, love, work and observations of people. They are not quasi traditional songs, but songs written in a distinctive style which lifts them above countless other songs which attempt to follow a similar path.
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Peter Bellamy - The Barrack Room Ballads Of Rudyard Kipling
A DOUBLE CD FOR THE PRICE OF ONE. Peter Bellamy made a name for himself setting Rudyard Kipling's poems to music and turning them into rather fine songs. Most of Peter's settings have appeared on CD now, but his classic collection of the Barrack Room ballads has never been reissued in its entirety. Fellside acquired the rights to the master tapes and now presents it in full with the added bonus of a further selection Peter was working on when he died.
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James Findlay - Another Day Another Story
Winner of the 2010 BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Awards James released his debut album (FECD238) to critical acclaim. Living Tradition magazine commented that James is "is a young man whose love and respect for traditional songs shines out" whilst R2 magazine noted that he is "a singer of rare strength and conviction". This new album reveals him in equally fine form with a measured collection of mostly traditional songs.
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Greg Russell & Ciaran Algar - The Queen's Lover
“Greg Russell plays and sings with a maturity and emotion that belies his tender years. It is so rare to find new performers who have the confidence to play with this delicacy of touch and yet to sing in such a heartfelt way. He will, I think, go far”. These comments by BBC Radio 2’s Mark Radcliffe give a very accurate summary of 19 year old Greg. The power and conviction in his delivery is compelling and his teaming up with someone so formidably talented as 16 year old Ciaran bodes well for the future. They combine to provide an accomplished stage presence and come across as likeable performers which translated into the studio setting. Ciaran Algar is a member of the Young Folk Award semi finalist band Tri. Together they draw on a range of influences to create exciting music both with energy and also with delicate feeling when tackling, traditional material, songs by accomplished songwriters as well as their own songs and tunes.
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Ewan McLennan - The Last Bird To Sing
Ewan McLennan released his debut album in 2010 and by the end of the year had been nominated for and later won the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, Horizon Award for the best newcomer, Mojo put the album in its Top Ten Folk Albums of 2010 and in the Fatea Music Awards he was named ‘Best Male Vocalist of the Year'. Ewan now delivers his second album: mainly himself as before with just a little embellishment from John McCusker, Karine Polwart, Martin Simpson and Laurence Blackadder. Amongst his classy interpretations of traditional songs are three of his own compositions with ‘The Last Bird To Sing’ being particularly outstanding and worthy of being hailed as the song of the year. With much to live up to Ewan delivers a class album.
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Grace Notes - 20
Grace Notes perform a cappella and accompanied arrangements of traditional and contemporary songs in three-part harmony and this CD celebrates 20 years of the group – Maggie Boyle, Lynda Hardcastle, Helen Hockenhull. It is a collection of tracks from their four CDs plus 8 specially recorded new songs. They have very distinctive and different qualities to their voices, but they blend so well together. They exhibit that empathy that comes from singing together regularly over a long period. “On CD they’re just as stunning as they are ‘live’: every song is a garden of delights” Taplas
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The Hut People - Picnic
One of the most unlikely duos have taken the Folk scene by storm and become the champions of the standing ovation. The Hut People are rapidly gaining more and more of reputation as one of the hottest & most entertaining world/folk acts touring today. With this, their second CD they take a voyage across the globe with their material: they perform a high-octane unique blend of home-grown tunes mixed with British, Nordic and European folk music, perfectly formed & embellished with the driving accordion and a mind-boggling array of exotic percussion “[The Hut People] create music that’s in turn dramatic, joyous and hypnotically beguiling” R2 Magazine
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Gren Bartley - Songs To Scythe Back The Overgrown
Gifted singer songwriter Gren Bartley carved himself a name in a duo with former BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Awards nominee Tom Kitching (see FECDs 202 & 222), with Maverick magazine describing them as “an excellent twinning of two outstanding rising talents.” Gren Bartley is now striking out solo (Tom is now a member of Pilgrims's Way - FECD239), tapping into his rich and prolific song writing reserves and effortlessly bridging the Atlantic divide with an acoustic spectrum ranging from English folk to moody American blues. The 13-track album is a significant showcase for his sensitive and sometimes quirky song writing. The genre-hopping album demonstrates Bartley’s strong, maturing voice alongside his acclaimed acoustic finger-picking guitar. With clear, driving rhythms and poetic lyrics it shapes a myriad musical landscape of people and places and opens a fresh chapter in Bartley’s career.
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Bram Taylor - Jokers & Rogues
Fellside's longest serving artist - 25 years and rising - turns in his 10th album. Over the years Bram has honed his craft, has become part of the backbone of the Folk Club scene, believes in entertainment, knows his audience well and possesses a very fine voice. Bram is a song "carrier" rather than a writer and often champions lesser-known songwriters whose songs he believes ought to be heard. This latest collection covers all the bases including traditional songs as well as a couple of very well known ones.
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Jack McNeill & Charlie Heys - Two Fine Days
Jack and Charlie’s well-known idiosyncratic approach to folk music and song writing has earned them an enviable reputation as two of the most exciting, heartfelt and challenging musicians around. "The Young Folk Awards-nominated duo's free-spirited music sounds centuries old. It's not, and their fresh guitar and violin set-up adds a rare sparkle to traditional hues." Q Magazine
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Fiona Cuthill & Stevie Lawrence - A Cruel Kindness
A new collaboration between two well respected musicians who between them worked with Scottish groups such as Rallion, The Iron Horse, Whirligig Canterach, Abel Ganz, The Wendy Weatherby Band and The Red Hot Chilli Pipers. They have produced a quality album which features many of their own traditional style tunes.
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Elbow Jane - The Boldest Blood
Having picked up plaudits such as "One of the top acoustic acts in the country" (R2), "A thinking man's band that has plenty to say" (Maverick)and "Three fine songwriters...highly skilled instrumental work" (fRoots), Elbow Jane return with their second album for Fellside. Their trademark vibrant sound and soaring harmonies are well to the fore on this set of new songs and given that they've got "two of the best male singers around" (Properganda) what more could you ask for?
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Martin Carthy & Dave Swarbrick - Walnut Creek
Two icons of the English Folk Revival, Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick have had a huge influence individually, as a duo or as individual members of the seminal Folk Rock bands, Steeleye Span and Fairport Convention. In between they have notched up memorable contributions to an array of different groups and projects. Perhaps, though, they will be most remembered for their duo formed in the 1960s, resurrected in 1989 and which has been an on-going occasional outing ever since. What is remarkable is their intuitive almost telepathic connection on stage. This creates a tension and excitement for the audience and really comes to the fore in a ‘live’ setting. This set of ‘live’ performances garnered from various concerts on three continents from 1989 to 1996 perfectly illustrates this. 2011 sees them celebrating their 70th birthdays.
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Hedy West - Ballads & Songs From The Appalachians
DOUBLE CD FOR THE PRICE OF ONE Hedy West was among the best women singers of the American folksong revival. She came to prominence in the middle 1960s. Writers of the time hailed her as “among the most talented and accomplished of our young folk singers” and also commented “there are very few female singers in the English-speaking world who can equal Hedy West for general level of performance”. She came from Georgia in the USA and much of her repertoire came from her family. She stayed in England for a few years, established herself of the European scene and recorded three LPs for the Topic label. All three are contained here. She sings accompanied by her 5-string banjo. From classic ‘big’ ballads like ‘Little Matty Groves’ to lightweight ditties she displays consummate skill. Although she remained active until her death in 2005 (aged 67) she made her last album in 1980. Her albums have become much sought after and she has developed a cult following.
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A L Lloyd - Bramble Briars & Beams Of The Sun
DOUBLE CD FOR THE PRICE OF ONE A L Lloyd, was one of the architects of the UK Folk Revival in the 1950s. He was a writer, broadcaster, folk song collector, folklorist, artistic director of Topic Records and mentor to many aspiring folk musicians. He was also a noted performer in his own right. In the early 1950s he set about recording English versions of the great Folk Ballads to be found in Francis J Child’s five volume monumental work ‘English & Scottish Popular Ballads’. The complete set of recordings is on this double CD collection. It is handsomely packaged with an extended booklet written by Dr Vic Gammon, former Director of the Folk Music Degree course at Newcastle University, which gives a fascinating insight to the ballads and Lloyd’s singing of them. Despite its seemingly scholarly approach Lloyd’s obvious enjoyment and the relish with which he sings these songs make it a highly listenable set.
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