ALSO RELEASED
Eliza Carthy ★★★★ Restitute TOPIC. CD/DL
We are so conditioned to the all-guns-blazing acts which Carthy is mostly associated with these days, it’s something of a shock to hear her playing completely solo – with sparing contributions from Dave Delarre, Ben Somers, Ben Seal and Jon Boden (a superb unaccompanied duet on Dream Of Napoleon), and her dad. It’s her first album of trad material for 14 years and the spartan environment – mostly recorded in her own bedroom – reminds us with a jolt what a vital singer and fiddle player she still is.
Dervish ★★★ The Great Irish Songbook DECCA. CD/DL/LP
Dervish gather a bunch of famous guests for this somewhat surreal collection – Imelda May singing Molly Malone, Steve Earle’s Galway Shawl, Andrea Corr’s She Moved Through The Fair, Vince Gill’s Raglan Road and Rhiannon Giddens’ The May Morning New. Oddly enough, they’re all blown out of the water by the band’s own Cathy Jordan singing Donal Og; Dervish offer enough thrills not to need this sort of frills.
Flook ★★★ Ancora FLATFISH. CD/DL
The first album in 14 years by the influential flutedriven band who effectively opened the door for wider acceptance of purely instrumental folk music in Britain. Virtuoso playing abounds from flautists Brian Finnegan and Sarah Allen, driven by the guitar of Ed Boyd; but their crowning glory is John Joe Kelly, the most creative bodhran player on the planet. Superb technique plus a genuine feel and some stonking tunes is a powerful recipe.
Rory McLeod ★★★ Gusto! TALKATIVE. CD/DL
You know what you’re getting with Rory McLeod – a roaring full-on one-man band bubbling over with scattergun lyrics, big themes and rampaging melodies. There’s nothing left in the locker here, with barnstorming harmonica, guitar, trombone, footstomps and improvised percussion. Some cracking songs emerge too – notably No Use For A Gun and Galloway Girl – plus a couple of live tracks, including a mighty version of the trad song Berry Fields O’Blair. McLeod wears his heart on his sleeve, his collar, his boots and his top hat too.