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Railroad Bill Skiffle Group

Album:Still Rolling...

Label:JohnJohnRecords

Website: http://www.myspace.co.uk/railroadbill

In the UK, Skiffle was the bridge between folk 'n' blues and rock 'n' roll. A lot of the instruments were home made, tea chest bass, washboard percussion, the musicians teaching themselves as they went along. From the hundreds of bands that formed some like the Vipers became household names. It was a genre a million miles away from the off novelty record we tend to think of now. More like the punk of it's day, the levellers and diggers to the mainstream cavelliers. Railroad Bill have captured that pioneering spirit to a t. "Still Rolling..." trains, prisons, guns and spirit.

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

It's sickening to think the likes of James Blunt being a household name whilst the likes of Boo Hewerdine exist below the radar of the general public, though most will know at least one Boo Hewerdine song. Unfortunately talent has never been a guage on the perception barometer. The songs on "Toy Box No.2." the second half of the album prove once again what a fantastic songwriter Boo Hewerdine is, if only he wasn't tainted with such modesty. The mini album features regular co-conspiritor Eddi Reader and six stunning short stories disguised as songs.

Album:Crow Coyote Buffalo

Label:Fly Like A Sprite

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

Mama is the pairing of two gate moms who met when picking their kids from school. That one small village in Cornwall had managed to draw in both Zoe 'Sunshine On A Rainy Day' Pollock and Sarah McQuaid shows that fate does work in mysterious ways. "Crow Coyote Buffalo" creates an image of wide open spaces for natures brush to sweep across majestically. Similarly there is something of the wilderness about the songs on the album. There is a sparseness to the sound that tempts you to fill the gaps, hearing that which is not there as well as that which is.

Album:Praying For The Alien

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

There are a couple of tracks where John Ward's voice doesn't cut it. The song and arrangements are almost too delicate for his delivery. It's a shame because it detracts from what is otherwise a good solid album. "Praying For The Alien" sort of sits at the junction where Squeeze meets Richard Hawley, with just a touch of Celtic thrown in. There's a lot of dynamic at play across the album. Ward writes well infusing his songs with a sense of the dramatic. The instrumentation adds to that sense of passion reinforcing the mood to give emphasis to a strong lyrical set.

Album:Emily's Rainbow

Label:Taliesin Musicraft

Website: www.myspace.com/lindawatkins

When you see that an album's got Mike Silver behind the desk, you know that you're going to hear something special. Mike's got a knack of bringing the best out of an artist and Linda Watkin's album, "Emily's Rainbow" is no exception to that rule. Soundwise the album sits on the ritzier side of the folk sound, but it's the sentiment that underpins it. Reflective without being indulgent. The joy of the simple things, playing an album and imagining it's just for you. Reflecting on people no longer with us. Good times and bad times, the different facets that make life what it is and will be.

Album:Knock Me Off My Feet

Label:Matchbox Recordings

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

Wolfstone's Andy Murray always knew how to write and deliver a song, skills that served him well as he immerses him self in "Knock Me Off My Feet" with his new band, Spatial Unity. It's a more mainstream than his previous cuts, dwelling in the sophisticated end of the pop/rock range with a little bit of latin vibe, kicking in under the main sound. Then when you think you've got it sussed it changes on you, flipping into an electronica, chill room vibe. There's a hypnotic quality to both voice and sound it guides you through the album, into the songs and out the other side.

Brick Lane Boogie Boys

Album:Brick Lane Boogie Boys

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

Bar room piano, slap bass, two guitars and one heck of an excuse to boogie. That's the Brick Lane Boogie Boys summed up in a single sentence. This self titled album wouldn't be out of place slipped in amongst a bunch of London American recordings from the late 50s, with a number of the recordings dating from that period and still sounding fresh some fifty years later. Brick Lane Boogie Boys have really caught the sound. Big John Carter's twinkling of the ivories creating a standout sound amongst a recording that could have cinema seats ripped up in tribute.

Album:Wake Up And Sing

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

Ivor Game is not a man that believes in provaricating. None of the songs on "Wake Up And Sing" punch through the two minute mark, but each is it's own little gem. It's not like the songs are over before they start, there's a beginning, middle and end. Space for an accute bit of observation and a chance for you to think about what you've heard. There's a natural cadence to Game's voice that gives the album a gentle rhythm. It's like entering an oasis of calm as the rat race rushes past outside of the bubble he's created. Just don't be fooled into missing the lyrics.

Chris Stuart & Backcountry

Website: http://www.chrisstuart.com

There was a "Crooked Man" and he walked a crooked mile. Chris Stuart et al meanders through a number of American folk styles, drawing on songs that sound like they've been harvested from the Smithsonian, they haven't they've all been penned by Chris and members of the band, but they've caught the spirit of the sounds they've recreated so well, almost too well. It's not until you've played the album through a couple of times and explore some of the more subtle country undertones that you realise this is an album of the here and now as well as way back when.

Album:A Little Bird Told Me

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

"A Little Bird Told Me" sees Julie Collings maturing as a song writer. Her songs seem more assertive as though she's more at ease with her place in the world, happier in her own skin and happy to show more of herself in her songs. Consequently she's written a stronger album, lest whistful, a bit more grit and determination. It's an album that asks more questions. Why don't you fight back? How do you find the strength to move on? Can you really be that green? Why not take a bit of responsibility? The result is an album that moves Julie up a division.

Album:Vertical Variations

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

Dolphin Boy is a remixer whose been given the opportunity to put a new spin on some of Scotlands brightest musicians. It didn't come as a surprise to discover this recording was made with the support of the Martyn Bennet Trust and is dedicated to his memory. It's not an album that's going to appeal to everyone, but this is far more than just sticking beats behind traditional music and calling it fusion. Dolphin Boy, with the exception of a couple of tunes has definitely got a feel for the sounds of a song and a sympathetic approach to overlaying his style.

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

I am proud to say that I discovered the voice that is Lori McKenna before Faith Hill identified with and recorded her music (Fireflies, Stealing Kisses) and gave her greater recognition by taking her on tour with her last year. Lori comes from Stoughton, Massachusets; a wife and mother of five, thus Unglamorous is a fitting CD title. From the very first word, Lori 's unique, distinctive voice draws you in with stories full of emotion, many about her own life. Stand out tracks on the Cd include Unglamorous, Witness to your Life and the achingly beautiful Leaving this Life. (HM)