Juniper Leaf
I love it when an album gets stuck in my head like an ear worm burrowing it’s self into my every waking moment – sometimes they even get into my dreams. Juniper Leaf’s album Broom, Briars, Torches from the Fire has done this to me in a big way – I can’t stop playing it and singing it! Rupert Brown’s voice is so unique but so familiar, I feel as if it takes me back to somewhere, but I can’t remember where and maybe I never will. Musically, Juniper Leaf will take you from traditional British folk to folk rock/surf, if you know what I mean! Sometimes this can be very scary – like being stuck on a fairground ride with the music hurting your spinning ears, but in a macabre way you know you want to hear more and more. The tracks that I love the most are ‘Witch’s Book’, ‘Bushes and Briars’, and the outstanding ‘Lighthouse’.
Broom, Briars, Torches from the Fire is available on Singaround Records
Check out the album HERE
Nina Walsh
I’m so glad that Nina Walsh has a track on her album Bright Lights and Filthy Nights called ‘Industrial Folk’, because that’s a great way of describing some of the tracks on the new disc. Nina has managed to create a very warm modern folk record that reminds me of nothing else. I’m sure a lot of old folk fans would be up in arms over Nina’s use of electric sounds in her folk soundscapes, but this is the modern world and some folkies need to move on. In years to come, musicians like Nina will be recognised as having recorded and performed during a great moment in the world of folk music.
This is a beautifully crafted album, with so many elements that you can miss them even on the ninth or nineteenth listen. Don’t get me wrong however, as there are plenty of traditional instruments being used here – and even a pedal bin! Buy this record and you will soon fall for Nina Walsh’s sounds. The standout tracks include ‘Bright Lights and Filthy Nights’, ‘Industrial Folk’, and ‘Goodnight My Sweet’ – a track that demands to be played until its very end as it runs on into some more great sounds.
Bright Lights and Filthy Nights is available on Malicious Damage Records
Mark Harrison
Mark Harrison has some fine friends playing with him on his toe-tapping, head-swaying debut album, Watching The Parade. If you fancy tapping your toes, swaying your head and tuning in to some great acoustic blues that aren’t trying to be something they’re not, then this album is for you. Mark has a sweet voice and his guitar playing is as fine as anyone who came out of the Delta in the 1920’s.
There are so many blues players around singing like Otto Man from The Simpsons that it’s such a relief to hear a fresh British blues man who’s simply being himself, and that’s what makes this such a lovely record, along with the sheer musical talent of Mark and his band. His songs pull you into a space that’s hard to define, but wherever it is, it’s a real and true place that Mark has spent plenty of time in. If you like cowboy hats and strats blues don’t buy this album, but if you like honesty you will love it. The disc’s outstanding tracks include ‘Easy Does It Now’, ‘5000 Days’, and ‘Primrose Hill Street Blues’.
Check out Watching The Parade HERE
Bob’s Folk Show, Tuesdays 9pm www.radiowey.co.uk
