a music blog
Isobel Campbell’s new album There is No Other is a hushed moment of calm serenity that seeks to make sense of the noise and confusion of the world we live in. The album has been stuck in record label hell for a while, so it’s good to finally have a chance to hear new music from one of Scottish music’s best talents. Continue reading “Album Review: Isobel Campbell – There is No Other”
Scottish singer-songwriter Rachel Sermanni launched her upcoming album So It Turns last night at Summerhall in Edinburgh, surrounded by a crowd of adoring fans and a supporting cast of impressively talented musicians who all made this evening a truly special treat. Continue reading “Live Review: Rachel Sermanni @ Summerhall, Edinburgh”
Karine Polwart has an artist’s eye for detail, a poet’s way with words and a classic folk singer’s voice. Following on from the powerful Wind Resistance project and Laws of Motion album, to release a collection of covers might seem like an odd turn to the lighter side of music. This new album came from a live show at the International Festival where she performed a number of contemporary Scottish songs, in celebration of our country’s talented songwriters. Rest assured this is not karaoke – these songs have been carefully chosen and majestically arranged. Polwart asks us to think about how songs gain meaning by connecting them to the place they come from. Continue reading “Album Review: Karine Polwart’s Scottish Songbook”
Scottish singer Iona Marshall has entirely written, performed and self produced her new album Higher than The Leaves, released earlier this year. It almost defies categorisation, mixing folk and Celtic music with modern and experimental soundscapes to create a distinctive and unusual album. Continue reading “Album Review: Iona Marshall – Higher Than The Leaves”
The iconic Transatlantic Sessions has a long history of connecting artists from both sides of the pond in an evening of collaboration and mutual appreciation for traditional music. Those who have taken part in the show in the past have included Emmylou Harris, Rosanne Cash, Julie Fowlis, The Secret Sisters, Sarah Jaroz, Aoife O’Donovan, Eddi Reader and Alison Krauss. This year’s show saw guests Gretchen Peters, Cara Dillon, Molly Tuttle, Paul McKenna and Tim O’Brien grace the legendary stage. Continue reading “Live Review – Transatlantic Sessions 2019 @ Celtic Connections”
Talented young Aberdeenshire singer Iona Fyfe released her debut album Away From My Window last year to great acclaim and recently won the MG Alba Scots Singer of the Year award. She begins 2019 by releasing a new E.P. ‘Dark Turn Of Mind’, named after the Gillian Welch song which features on the release. Having been raised in the north-east folk tradition of Doric songs, Fyfe uses this EP to expand her recording repertoire and sing songs in English – including modern folk songs and Appalachian ballads. Continue reading “E.P. Review: Iona Fyfe – Dark Turn Of Mind”
Following a project as powerful and successful as Wind Resistance might have been daunting to some, but the success of that work seems instead to have given Karine Polwart continued confidence and freedom to fully realise her artistic vision. On this new album ‘Laws of Motion’ she confronts the modern world and its destructive forces with an unflinching eye. In the music and the message there is much quiet empathy to admire. Continue reading “Album Review: Karine Polwart – Laws of Motion”
With the nights starting to draw in and the clocks soon to go back we all could do with some warmth on the stereo to help us coorie doon for winter (as we say in Scotland). Step forward Scottish singer-songwriter Martha L. Healy and her engaging new album ‘Keep The Flame Alight’, which is the perfect soundtrack to whisky-tinged evenings in front of glowing fires. Continue reading “Album Review – Martha L. Healy – Keep The Flame Alight”
Iona Fyfe is from Huntly in the North East of Scotland and has been performing folk music since she was a young child. Her debut album Away From My Window is a mix of traditional folk songs, interpretations of modern Scottish songwriters, as well as self-penned work and showcases her stunning vocal talent throughout. Still only twenty years old, Iona has been balancing full time study with her music commitments and was recently awarded the Alasdair Gray Bursary which helped to fund this project. Continue reading “Album Review: Iona Fyfe – Away From My Window”
Highway Queens 