Jez Hellard & The Djukella Orchestra
Album: Infinite Sky
Label: Djukella
Tracks: 10
Website: http://www.jezhellard.com

Folk music has always had a grand association with politics on both sides of the Atlantic and Jez Hellard & The Djukella Orchestra draw heavily on those songs on "Blood & Honey", a debut album recorded between the Balkans, Britain and Canada.

In many ways, this is a fire brand of an album, blending protest songs with gypsy rhythms and attitude with protest songs, both traditional and more contemporary. Hellard has chosen his songs well featuring songs from the likes of Leon Rollelson, Rory McLeod, Woody Guthrie, Nancy Kerr and Boo Hewedine, all delivered with passion and spirit.

The album has a live feel to it, rough around the edges, hard hitting and delivered with an energy that seems to have been fed on a diet of festivals and social anguish.

The instrumentation is such that this album could have been recorded without the need for amplification, two fiddles, bass, accordion, percussion, guitars and harmonica, with band leader Jez delivering the last two in addition to his vocals.

"Blood & Honey" is one of those albums that is more than the sum of their parts, Jez Hellard & The Djukella Orchestra may not be the finest purveyors of their instruments, but they definitely know their way around them and in combination with enthusiasm and a sense of social justice they've produced a really top draw album.

Neil King