Reviews
Finn Collinson Album: Byway
Label: Old School Music
Tracks: 9
Website: https://www.finncollinson.com/
There's a particular kind of joy that comes when a musician doesn't just play folk music, but lives it lets it seep into their bones, their travels, their sense of place. Finn Collinson has long been one of those rare artists, and with Byway, his third album and first fully instrumental offering, he steps even more assuredly into that lineage. This is a record shaped by the land itself: by lanes and coastlines, by the hush of old churches, by the pulse of dance tunes carried across centuries. And at its centre is Collinson's unmistakable recorder playing earthy, agile, and steeped in the acoustic traditions that first set him on his path.
Reuniting with trusted collaborators Archie Churchill Moss on guitar and Evan Carson on bodhrán, Collinson crafts a sound world that feels both rooted and exploratory. You can hear the trio's shared history in every turn of phrase: the easy interplay, the instinctive lift and fall of the tunes. Though the album draws on the shapes of traditional dance music, it also bears the fingerprints of Baroque ornamentation, chamber textures, and the restless energy of indie and modern folk. It's the work of a musician unafraid to wander, to gather influences like stones in a pocket, and to let them colour his journey.
That journey, mixed with characteristic clarity by Jim Moray, winds from Suffolk to the West Country, across Wales and up into the Highlands. Each track feels like a postcard from a different corner of the isles, carrying with it themes of wildlife, weather, memory, and family lore. The opener, Tara, strides forward with a rhythmic confidence that sets the tone, while The Complaint broods in darker hues. And then there is Tune for the Linnet, a moment of pure stillness: an 18th?century melody captured in a single take in the church opposite Collinson's childhood home. It's as if the past breathes directly into the present.
Since The Threshold in 2022, Collinson has deepened his presence on the folk circuit, touring widely, leading ceilidhs, shaping theatre music, and teaching the next generation. Byway feels like the natural culmination of that period: a reinvention of the recorder's role in English folk, and a testament to Collinson's quiet, determined artistry. With singles Tara and Bicknoller Hill paving the way, the album's release on 20 February marks another milestone in a career defined by curiosity, craftsmanship, and heartfelt musical storytelling.
Angie Ingrams
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