Album of The Week
From the heart of Burns Country in southwest Scotland, Flew The Arrow is the poetic embodiment of folk singer, guitarist and songwriter, Lee McGilvray. Lee has forged a path in the Scottish folk scene for the past decade, having immersed himself in its festival culture while performing to audiences throughout, connecting his resonance and […]
The Locker Sessions is the first release from The Mairs Family Band, a family who have been at the forefront of Scottish bluegrass for decades. Alan and Louise Mairs were previously members of Scotland’s premier bluegrass group, Old Hickory, performing alongside Alan’s brothers Rob and Ian Mairs. They were known for their tight family […]
This deeply personal collection with country, rock, blues and folk in a compelling mix reveals a songwriter at the top of her game. The arrangements flow, her vocals grab attention and the overall feel is passion with a genuine spirit while Emma said the album was ‘a joy to create’ – and that is […]
Gaelic singer Mairi McGillivray is from Islay off the west coast of Scotland and uses her heritage and a dynamic range of musical influences to put her own style this debut album. Mo Thìr – My Land – is a collection of songs that shaped Mairi as a singer and connected her more deeply […]
This latest collaboration between DONALD WG LINDSAY and ROO GEDDES demonstrates so effectively two top-class musicians whose approaches to Scottish traditional music are rooted in a deep understanding while being fully open to exploration. Donald WG Lindsay has long been recognised for his innovative work with the Scottish smallpipes, pushing the instrument into new […]
This is a wonderful throwback to one of the early incarnations of this band featuring Paul McKenna, David McNee, Sean Gray, Ewan Baird and Mike Vass. It was recorded live during their 2012 tour of Germany by Guntmar Feuerstein. For years nothing was done with it until Guntmar came across it on his computer […]
Our next Album of the Week is this distinctive album celebrating the musical legacy of Maggie MacInness’ mother, Flora MacNeil MBE, and the tradition bearers of Barra whose voices shaped generations of Gaelic song. The songs come directly from recordings made of Flora MacNeil between 1955 and 1961 by Australian-born folklorist, Dr James Kalokerinos. […]
This is a striking and imaginative work bridging centuries of musical tradition. It is inspired by a medieval manuscript associated with the monastic history of Inchcolm, an island in the Firth of Forth. Fraser Fifield has taken the fragments of Scotland’s oldest known musical manuscript written around 1340 as liturgical services for the feasts […]
Twenty years ago, jazz trumpeter Colin Steele, put together a rather unusual band, featuring several of Scotland’s top musicians from the World of Jazz, Folk and Classical, to record the album Stramash, a fusion of Jazz and Folk. For his latest release Stramash II, he’s brought the band back together for a vibrant fusion of […]
On her second album Permutations Clementine Lovell offers the folk tradition treated as a living and breathing thing. The release is a striking re-imagining of traditional folk songs with a collection of old ballads taking on a new life. Working with multi-instrumentalist, Gergely Nagy, she uses electronics to blend piano, strings and accordion to […]
