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Website: http://www.myspace.com/3thirdpart

There is nothing like a bit of mystery surrounding a release. Such as what label is it on, when will it be released and how can I get it. Pip Dylan appears to leave all three questions unanswered. Apparently he no longer likes the name Pip Dylan either, hence the name in the link. Pip does absolutely loads to turn "Parsnips" into one of the most remarkable Americana album I've heard. Not bad for a Scot or at least someone living in Fife. He even learnt to play fiddle so he could get it to sound how he wanted. Bluegrass and mountain music has never sounded like this. Fantastic!!!

Album: Nocturnal Leap

Website: http://www.folkwit.biz/

As singer-songwriters are concerned, girls with guitars are considered a classic combination, but then girls and pianos have got a pretty good fusion going as well. Rebecca Clamp brings all those distinct combinations together delivering an album full of images, people and places. It's like a rich, dark, bitter cookie, deliciously off set with Cornish clotted cream. There's some orange zest sprinkled over the dish, to add and edge that ensures the richness doesn't leave you bloated. Nocturnal Leap makes you want to come back for more, to savour and enjoy

Album: Drawing Clocks

Website: http://www.zenithcafe.co.uk

Hailing from the Western side of the Irish Sea, Lee Rogers sound draws heavily on the music from the Western side of the Atlantic. Elements of Southern acoustic rock infuse the songs with an energy, that give most of "Drawing Clocks" a sense of drive. Unfortunately that's not true for the whole album. There are a couple of songs that sound over polished. That sense of arriving to being as good as the getting there. Fortunately those places are stops on the road and for the most part Lee delivers. "Drawing Clocks" does have that sense of wandering along the open road just taking it in.

Label: Red Berry Records

Website: http://www.maggiereilly.co.uk

It's always good to welcome back Maggie Reilly. You don't get to celebrate 30 odd years as a recording artists without having some serious talent to back it up. "Rowan" shows that Maggie has that talent and has it in abundence. A combination of new songs and songs drawn from traditional sources gives Maggie the chance to showcase the voice that has established her not only as a solo star, but also a collaborater of choice with so many other artists. "Rowan" is a well thought out, well delivered selection of cuts.

Album: Sleep Is For The Week

Label:Xtra Mile Recordings

Website: http://www.myspace.com/frankturner

My first thoughts on hearing "Sleep Is For The Week" was that Frank Turner is a young Robb Johnson(sorry Robb). The delivery and songwriting styles have similarities. Both are social commentry singers and it's here that Frank creates his distinction. His social commentry comes from other events and perspectives. He also blends singer/guitar with more band type tracks. During the course of hearing the album, I re-interpreted the title on at least four occasions. That's the thing about Frank's songwriting. It's not only entertaining, it makes you think as well.

Waking The Witch

Album: Boys From The Abattoir

Label: Witch Records

Website: http://www.wakingthewitch.co.uk

Being in Waking The Witch must be like being in an oestrogen fueled Beatles, with the added advantage that no one has to be Ringo. The band consists of four singer songwriters all vying for slots so the standard of the writing is exceptionally high, as is the singing and performing. "Boys From The Abattoir" comes on the back of a year that has seen Waking The Witch building their reputation both on the back of previous cut, "Hands & Bridges" and Live. This album provides as awsome start to the year. Packed with stunning words and fantastic performance. On the Buy list.

Album: The Great Park

Label: Self Released

Website: http://www.stephenburch.co.uk

I'm a great fan on concept albums, particularly when the concept is built around a place. Places are magnets that draw events and people to them. Carefully observed interactions, real and imagined become tales and stories and ultimately songs. Maids and masters, poachers and gamekeepers. The old tree that's seen it all through hundreds of years. This mini album invents and populates it's own Great Park. Draws on events inspired by conception as to how a place and people react and ultimately turns that into an album allows space for the imagination.

Album:Songs From Under The Table

Label: Self Released

Website: http://www.al-lindsay.co.uk

On hearing the first track, "Number One", I thought "Songs From Under The Table" was going to be an album of well written, but ultimately frothy acoustic pop. It'd make a good single, but misleads as the introduction track. My orginal thoughts that this was an enjoyable album that I could just let wash over me, soon disappaited as I realised that I was being drawn from the shallows into the depths at the album's core. "Songs From Under The Table" counter balances hope with disappointent and dispair. A lightness that serves to create shadow as much as it illuminates.

The Diamond Family Archive

Album: The Diamond Family Archive

Label: Self Released

Website: http://www.myspace.com/thediamondfamilyarchive

"The Diamond Family Archive" has that sparse feel of a pre-dawn stroll across Dorset's remaining heathland. You can see and sense the shapes and sounds around you, but not enough to really see or hear what they are. Your mind fills in the gaps often by adding in chilling details that aren't really there. Then as the sun rises the vague shapes begin to show their proper form. You get to see what they really are. Some are gorse with points that hurt you, some are adders just coming to life. Others are flowers and majestic views. The Diamond Family Archive are that turned to song.

Label: Self Released

Website: http://www.myspace.com/kingsongs

Very few artists are blessed with a distinctive vocal style, Phil, lead singer of King, is one of them. It can be a double edged sword a distinctive voice can polarise opinion more easliy than something of the mainstream. I'm not a huge fan of the vocal style. It grates against me like chalk on blackboard. My partner disagrees. She say's it really gives the songs more of an emotional edge than it might otherwise have. What we both agree on is that "King" is a well written album that draws on well turned phrases, both in the lyric and instrumentation. The hard edge to the sound belies the warm interior.

Eoghan Colgan
EP: I'll Line It Up

Label: Self Released

Website: http://www.myspace.com/eoghancolgan

"I'll Line It Up" builds on the strong marker laid down by Eoghan last cut "That First Time". It gives him two strong, well written releases back to back. It shows a strength of progression. There seems to be a stronger blues undercurrent to the instrumentation on this ep. It enhances the way you relate to Eoghan's voice. Similarly Eoghan also seems to have learnt lessons on the desk. The production is polished without obliterating the parts of a song that give it character by giving it too much shine. Hopefully 2007 will bring the wider success he's striving for.