Various Artists
Album: Folk Awards 2013
Label: Proper
Tracks: 10+11+10
Website: http://proper-records.co.uk

For me the arrival through the letterbox of the Folk Awards cd box set is a sure indication that the year is now well under way. Whilst, like its predecessors, "Folk Awards 2013" always features some of the best artists of last twelve months, I always make a beeline for the bonus 3rd cd, which is the top 10 acts from the BBC Radio Two Young Folk Award contenders, the future of the music that we all hold dear.

Whilst the winner will be drawn from Luke Jackson, who also picks up an Horizon Award Nomination in the main awards section, Graham Mackenzie & Ciorstaidh Beaton, Thall and Greg Russell & Ciaran Algar, you cannot fail to be impressed by, not only their quality, but that of all the final ten. The playing and singing from Mae Bradbury, Jack Pout, Rosie Hodgson, The Crosstown Trio and fiddle player Matt Tighe really does deserve your attention, because it's a n incredibly fine disk.

The "Folk Awards 2013" highlights just what talent there is for us to listen to and serves as an excellent entry point into the genre as it covers such diversity amongst the performs and emphasises what a broad church the folk movement is in this country.

Across the 21 tracks in the main body of the work you have music from pretty much all four corners of the UK, together with its heart and spirit. With a few notable exceptions, this is also the youngest set on nominees that I can remember in a while, many of the previous recipients and nominees for Horizon Award in the past now stepping up to nominations in Best Album, Folk Singer Of The Year etc.

As with all awards there are names missing that might justifiably be stood along the four nominated for each award that aren't three, but ask a cross section of folk fans who should be you'll get a different selection of names every time. This is a cd of the crème and it delivers with knobs on.

Neil King