Seedlings All - Josienne Clarke & Ben Walker (23/03/18)
- Artist: Josienne Clarke & Ben Walker
- Release Date: 23rd March, 2018
- Genre: Folk
- Record Label: Rough Trade Records
- Tracks: 11
- Website:
By The Way, I Forgive You - Brandi Carlile (16/02/18)
- Artist: Brandi Carlile
- Release Date: 16th February, 2018
- Genre: Country, Singer-Songwriter
- Record Label: Elektra/Asylum Records
- Tracks: 10
- Website: http://bytheway.brandicarlile.com/
Ruins - First Aid Kit (19/01/18)
- Artist: First Aid Kit
- Release Date: 19th January, 2018
- Genre: Folk, Americana, Alt-Rock, Pop
- Record Label: Columbia
- Tracks: 10
- Website:
Whistle Down The Wind - Joan Baez (02/03/18)
- Artist: Joan Baez
- Release Date: 2nd March, 2018
- Genre: Folk
- Record Label: Proper Records
- Tracks: 10
- Website: http://www.joanbaez.com/
Legendary singer, songwriter, activist and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Joan Baez' brand new album Whistle Down The Wind . Produced by three-time Grammy® Award winner Joe Henry and recorded over ten days of sessions in Los Angeles, Whistle Down The Wind gathers material by some of Baez's favourite composers.
Whistle Down The Wind is Joan's first new studio album in a decade, since 2008's critically acclaimed, Grammy®-nominated Day After Tomorrow, which was produced by Steve Earle. Its release ignited an extraordinary decade of achievement by Joan, including: the PBS American Masters series premiere of her life story, Joan Baez: How Sweet The Sound (2009), which underscored the 50th anniversary of Joan's debut at the 1959 Newport Folk Festival. Joan's seminal debut album of 1960 was honoured by the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences in 2011, which inducted it into the Grammy® Hall Of Fame; and subsequently by the Library of Congress in 2015, which selected it to be preserved in the National Recording Registry. That same year, Amnesty International bestowed its highest honour on Joan, the Ambassador of Conscience Award, in recognition of her exceptional leadership in the fight for human rights and she was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in April 2017.
Joan Baez remains a musical force of nature of incalculable influence. She marched on the front line of the civil rights movement with Martin Luther King, shined a spotlight on the Free Speech Movement, took to the fields with Cesar Chavez, organized resistance to the Vietnam War, inspired Vaclav Havel in his fight for a Czech Republic, saluted the Dixie Chicks for their courage to protest the Iraq war, and stood with old friend Nelson Mandela in London's Hyde Park as the world celebrated his 90th birthday. Joan's earliest recordings fed a host of traditional ballads into the rock vernacular, before she unselfconsciously introduced Bob Dylan to the world in 1963. Thus began a tradition of mutual mentoring that continues on Whistle Down The Wind, and which will reverberate long into the future across Joan's lifetime of recordings.
Hallelujah Nights - LANCO (19/01/18)
- Artist: LANCO
- Release Date: 19th January, 2018
- Genre: Country
- Record Label: Sony Music Cmg
- Tracks: 11
- Website: http://www.lancomusic.com/
Rooted in the southern storytelling of Country music with the modern punch of rock & roll, 'Hallelujah Nights' serves as LANCO's coming-of-age debut album, confirmed for release worldwide on 19th January 2018, including CD & digital formats in the UK, and is available to pre-order now. Equal parts nostalgic and forward-thinking, lead singer Brandon Lancaster wrote all eleven songs and found success breathing new life into universal themes. Simultaneously, LANCO’s first-ever #1 'Greatest Love Story' - certified Gold in the US - reigned at the top of the Billboard Country Airplay chart for the last two weeks of November, and remains in the top five on that chart, as well as on Hot Country Songs (which blends radio play, sales and streaming data).
Wild Silence - The Wandering Hearts (09/02/18)
- Artist: The Wandering Hearts
- Release Date: 9th February, 2017
- Genre: Country, Folk-Rock
- Record Label: Decca
- Tracks: 11
- Website: http://www.thewanderinghearts.com/
There’s no doubt that 2017 has been a whirlwind year for folk-Americana group The Wandering Hearts. Having released their first EP Burning Bridges in November, and with a string of high profile performances under their belt, The Wandering Hearts are now kicking off 2018 with their debut album Wild Silence, out on Decca Records on 9 February 2018.
Wild Silence promises to be a thrilling debut album from the quartet. With their seamless vocal harmonies, The Wandering Hearts are reminiscent of First Aid Kit and Of Monsters and Men, whilst channelling Fleetwood Mac’s pop sensibility and the storytelling of Chris Stapleton, all the while keeping their British roots at their heart. Band members AJ, Chess, Tim and Tara are all grafters – working hard to hone their skills as musicians and songwriters, and the standard is there to be seen. Their debut album showcases the band’s knack for telling heartfelt stories through their lyrics, and is a perfect balance of catchy, up-tempo numbers, such as ‘Fire & Water’ and ’Rattle’, and flawless harmony-led ballads, such as ‘If I Fall’ and ‘Laid In The Ground’, for which the band have become renowned. The album features previous releases ‘Wish I Could’, ‘Devil’ and ‘Burning Bridges’ which have become rapturously received favourites during the band’s live shows this year.
Tracks
1 Rattle
2 Wish I Could
3 Fire and Water
4 If I Fall
5 Change For The Good
6 Devil
7 Biting Through The Wires
8 Wild Silence
9 Laid In The Ground
10 Burning Bridges
11 Heartbreak Hotel
12 Iona
Headlong - John Smith (29/06/17)
- Artist: John Smith
- Release date: 29th June, 2017
- Genre: Folk, Americana, Singer-Songwriter, Acoustic
- Record Label: Barp Ltd
- Tracks: 11
- Website: http://www.johnsmithjohnsmith.com
It’s all for the love of the guitar. John plays a rumbling fingerstyle and sometimes uses a slide, sometimes plays the guitar on his lap, sometimes he detunes mid-song. His guitar work and honey-on-gravel vocals have brought crowds to pin-drop silence and rapturous applause.
Not by chance is it that John’s new record 'Headlong' comes bearing a title implying impulsive, breakneck motion - written as it was, during various touring stints in North America - with a view ahead, to new horizons and new songs, to new opportunities and new audiences. The album also bears the indelible loss of John’s friend and guitar hero John Renbourn, who called John “the future of folk music” and to whose memory 'Headlong' is dedicated.
John currently has five self-released records out; 'The Fox and the Monk' (2006), 'Map Or Direction' (2009), 'Eavesdropping' (2011) 'Great Lakes' (2013), and 'Headlong' (2017).
Come Back Fighting - Philippa Hanna (24/11/17)
- Artist: Philippa Hanna
- Genre: Country, Gospel
- Release Date: 24th November, 2017
- Record Label: Resound Media
- Tracks: 10
- Website: http://philippahanna.com/
Cold Rooms EP - Ben Morgan Brown (04/12/17)
- Release Date: 4th December, 2017
- Artist: Ben Morgan-Brown
- Genre: Singer-Songwriter, Acoustic, Contemporary Folk
- Record Label: Ben Morgan-Brown
- Tracks: 5
- Website:
Exeter based singer-songwriter & guitarist Ben Morgan-Brown writes intimate & reflective songs heavily informed by the folk-baroque guitarists & singer-songwriters of the late ‘60s & early ‘70s. As a taster of Ben's music we have chosen as our LCM #SongOfTheDay 'No More Fooling' taken from his recently released 'Cold Rooms EP'.
Inspired to pick up the acoustic guitar ten years ago when he first heard Bert Jansch’s seminal debut album, his open-tuned guitar, ethereal vocals & highly personal lyrics tip the hat to Nick Drake, John Martyn, Michael Chapman et al whilst still maintaining a unique musical style & identity.
Having self-recorded his previous two releases (both of which received airplay on BBC Introducing) his new E.P. ‘Cold Rooms’ was recorded by Josh Clark (Kate Rusby, Mike Dawes, Miranda Sykes) and features five songs (with a bonus sixth track only available through Bandcamp) written in the last 18 months, a time during which Ben has reflected upon the past few years of his life, turbulent years that have seen him lose both his grandparents, get married & divorced within two years, spend a month in hospital after catching salmonella in Morocco & which culminated with the death of his father in November 2016.
These events led Ben to reevaluate many aspects of his life & in October 2017 he left his job managing a guitar shop deciding it was time to dedicate himself to music. After five years of life-changing events beyond his control, the release of ‘Cold Rooms’ marks yet another significant moment in his life - the moment at which he begins to give his music & talent the attention it deserves.
Encore - Anderson East (12/01/18)
- Release Date: 12th January, 2018
- Artist: Anderson East
- Genre: Southern Rock, Blues, R&B, Rock
- Record Label: Low Country Sound/Elektra
- Tracks: 11
- Website: http://andersoneast.com
Vaquero - Aaron Watson (24/02/17)
- Album: Vaquero
- Artist: Aaron Watson
- Release Date: 24/02/17
- Genre: Country
- Record Label: Big Label Records
- Tracks: 16
- Website: http://www.aaronwatson.com
Groundbreaking independent country artist Aaron Watson continues to chart his own course with the February 24th release of his new album Vaquero (BIG Label Records/Thirty Tigers). Watson made history in 2015 when his 10th studio album, 'The Underdog' debuted at No.1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, marking the first time an independent, male country artist had ever debuted at the coveted top spot. Watson's unprecedented accomplishment turned heads and opened many eyes to what he had been building independently for years. The new 16-song collection finds the Texas native following the trail back to his roots, keying in on his influences and tipping his hat to the fans and family who helped set the foundation for his success. 'Vaquero', which means the "original cowboy". Throughout, he depicts stories of a rugged people, humble but hardworking, like himself. He puts a playful spin on an insider's view on the Texan way of life with 'Amen Amigo' and delivers life lessons courtesy of an old vaquero with the title track. On the poignant 'Diamonds & Daughters', he opens up his heart for his little girl. 'Mariano's Dream' is a companion piece to 'Clear Isabel' and on 'They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To' he sings of the longing for the nostalgia of an earlier time. Watson co-produced Vaquero with award-winning producer Marshall Altman.
Every Soul's A Sailor - Stephen Fearing (05/01/17)
- Artist: Stephen Fearing
- Release Date: 5th January, 2017
- Genre: Singer-songwriter, folk, acoustic
- Record Label: Lowdenproud
- Tracks:
- Website: http://www.stephenfearing.com
Lowdown & Lonesome - Kendell Marvel (13/10/17)
- Artist: Kendall Marvel
- Genre: Country, Americana, Rock
- Release Date: 13th October, 2017.
- Record Label: Big Daddy Records
- Tracks: 10
- Website: http://www.kendellmarvel.com/
Winter Wonderland - Sarah Darling (17/11/17)
- Artist: Sarah Darling
- Release Date: 17th November, 2017
- Genre: Christmas
- Record Label: Be Darling Records
- Tracks: 8
- Website: https://www.sarahdarling.com/
Burning Bridges EP - The Wandering Hearts (17/11/17)
- Artist: The Wandering Hearts
- Genre: Americana, Country, Acoustic
- Release Date: 17th November, 2017
- Record Label: Decca
- Tracks: 4
- Website: http://www.thewanderinghearts.com/music/
The Wandering Hearts are a group from London that came together almost in defiance of the current zeitgest of rhinestone hats and Fender guitar UK country-rock that has jumped onto the proverbial bandwagon in the last two years. The Wandering Hearts demeanour, work ethic and lyrics echo the struggle of a group of musicians who’ve lived the hard pavements of North London.
They have all jobbed it as musicians and the standard is there to be seen, earned through nights of sweat on string, scraping by but smiling alongside the communal friendship that the life brings. They drink at lunchtime, talk of ex partners and the odd Chris Stapleton lyric, and rather than ring contrived it reflects a sense of authenticity to their beautiful harmony laden Alt-Country infused Folk-Americana.
Seeing them live, and how naturally their voices just ‘fit’ together, one would scarcely believe they met almost by chance through mutual friends in a bar one night less than a year ago, and a love of country music lyric put them together one afternoon in the kitsch empty bar room of the Earl Haig Hall in Crouch End for their first rehearsal.
Side A - Jillian Jacqueline (22/09/17)
- Artist: Jillian Jacqueline
- Genre: Country
- Release Date: 22nd September, 2017
- Record Label: Big Loud Records
- Tracks: 9
- Website: https://www.jillianjacqueline.com/
A Polyphonic Life - Tobias ben Jacob (08/12/17)
- Artist: Tobias ben Jacob
- Genre: Contemporary folk, singer-songwriter
- Release date: 8th December, 2017
- Record Label: Independent
- Tracks: 11
- Website: http://www.tobiasbenjacob.com/
Avenging & Bright - Damien O'Kane (08/12/17)
- Artist: Damien O'Kane
- Genre: Folk
- Release Date: 8th December, 2017
- Record Label: Pure Records
- Tracks:
- Website: http://damienokane.co.uk
Avenging & Bright gets right under the skin of traditional Irish and English folk, seducing it into the realms of rock, jazz and world music - never predictable, always an exciting. An uplifting voyage of discovery delivered by one of the most fearless and clever conjurors of modern folk music.
A Pocket Of Wind Resistance - Karine Polwart with Pippa Murphy (17/11/17)
- Artist: Karine Polwart with Pippa Murphy
- Release Date: 17th November, 2017
- Genre: Folk, Scottish Music, Singer-Songwriter
- Record Label : hudson Records
- Tracks: 14
- Website: https://www.karinepolwart.com/
Karine Polwart is a multi-award-winning Scottish songwriter and musician, as well as a theatre maker, storyteller, spoken-word performer and published essayist. Her songs combine folk influences and myth with themes as diverse as Donald Trump’s corporate megalomania, Charles Darwin’s family life and the complexities of modern parenthood. She sings traditional songs too and writes to commission for theatre, animation and thematic collaborative projects. Karine is five-times winner at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, including twice for Best Original Song.
In association with The Royal Lyceum Theatre and Edinburgh International Festival 2016, Karine wrote, musically directed, and performed Wind Resistance, her critically acclaimed debut work for theatre. A poetic meditation on midwifery, ecology, sanctuary, and solidarity, it combines elements of memoir, essay, myth, sound art and song. Wind Resistance won the BEST MUSIC & SOUND AWARD at the CATS (Critics Awards for Theatre in Scotland) 2017 and Karine was also been shortlisted for the BEST ACTOR 'Scottish Oscar' in the Sunday Herald Culture Awards.
From A Room: Volume Two - Chris Stapleton (01/12/17)
- Artist: Chris Stapleton
- Genre: Country, Americana, Singer-Songwriter
- Release Date: 1st December, 2017
- Record Label: Mercury Records Nashville
- Tracks: 9
- Website: http://www.chrisstapleton.com/
Chris Stapleton’s From A Room: Volume 2 will be released December 1 on Mercury Records Nashville and is now available to pre-order digitally and with exclusive limited-edition bundles. The multiple Grammy, CMA and ACM Award-winning musician first shared the album news from stage during the first of two sold-out shows at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena this past Friday. Of the special hometown concerts, CMT praises, “…cemented his status as one of music’s greatest talents to emerge from the current decade.” The forthcoming album takes its name from Nashville’s historic RCA Studio A (the capital “A” in “From A Room”) where it was recorded over the last year with Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb. Along with Stapleton on vocals and guitar and Cobb on acoustic guitar, the album features Morgane Stapleton on harmony vocals as well as longtime band-members J.T. Cure on bass and Derek Mixon on drums. In addition to seven songs co-written by Stapleton, the album features versions of Kevin Welch’s “Millionaire” and the Homer Banks/Lester Snell-penned song made famous by Pops Staples, “Friendship”
Track Listings
1. Millionaire
2. Hard Livin'
3. Scarecrow in the Garden
4. Nobody's Lonely Tonight
5. Tryin' to Untangle My Mind
6. A Simple Song
7. Midnight Train to Memphis
8. Drunkard's Prayer
9. Friendship