Take A Look Around • One For The Foxes

When three great musicians with solid careers behind them come together to form a trio all their magic crystallizes in albums like Take A Look Around. Two very talented Irish musicians, Dave Curley and Tadhg Ó Meachair, who had been part of major bands of the most recent Irish folk as Goitse or Slide, and an American fiddler, Joanna Hyde, form One For The Foxes.

Each of them brings their magic to this album that is based on traditional Irish music, but does not hesitate to cross the Atlantic to explore its connections with North American root music.

Although all three musics are great instrumentalists, I think Take A Look Around's strong point is its beautiful songs. From the first time I heard Ghost & Dreams (one of the songs they are using to promote the album) I thought that would be one of the great folk songs of 2020, but when I finally heard the album in full I discovered We Wander Through that It is even a prettier song.

You can purchase Take A Look Around here. I think it is a record that will give much to talk throughout this year and that deserves special attention. Then don't say I didn't let you know 😁

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Quarehawk • Michael Walsh

This album co-produced by Michael Walsh and Mike McGoldrick is one of those little musical jewels that 2019 has given us. An album recorded with care, with extreme delicacy and exquisite good taste. Personally I think it is one of the best folk albums that I have been able to listen this year.

Michael Walsh has put his whole soul into a job in which his Irish musical heritage, his stay in Asturies and Michael's memories of his father, Patrick Walsh, are interwoven. The result is a music capable of touching our soul, it goes one step beyond virtuosity (and in this album there are many front-line musicians as McGoldrick, Kepa Junkera, Rubén Bada, Simon Bradley, Liz Hanks, Paul Daly...). It's not only about gifted musicians performing traditional music, Quarehawk tells us a story and it tells us about Michael's memories of his father, in that sense we can almost see it as a conceptual album.

As I said before, this is one of the essential albums of 2019.
You can buy Quarehawk here.

4th. Willos'

Celtic music has the ability to surprise in many ways, listening to Willos' will surprise you because their music will make you think of Ireland, maybe Scotland... but in reality you will be listening to music made in Tuscany. I recognize that, at least, I was surprised by their mastery in playing and singing Irish repertoire. I don't know the Italian folk scene very well and that ignorance allows me, from time to time, to discover small musical jewels like 4th, the latest Willos' EP.

Willos' is a band from Siena that was formed in 2001 and has specialized in playing Irish music, the true Irish accent they can boast is provided by their violinist, Stephanie Martin, and vocalist, Angelica McGlynn. Three albums published before this and more than 500 concerts in Italy, Switzerland, France and Ireland are an enviable curriculum that indicates that we are not talking about an amateur band. This EP, 4th,  that they now present to us supposes a return to the stages after a stop of almost six years, a return with renewed spirits and with a tremendous desire to conquer the heart of all those who love this kind of music. The EP has 5 cuts: a set of reels; a set of jigs and three songs, one of them, Ballysillan, acts as a single of this recording and it's an original composition by Steph Martin on some verses written by his grandfather. This EP is available in streaming on platforms like Spotify and SoundCloud. 

Many thanks to Giulio and Steph for telling me about this beautiful recording 😉

The Left & The Leaving. KERN

Almost three years have passed after the publication of his first album False Deceiver that was acclaimed unanimously by critics. Now, Kern, presents his new album The Left & The Leaving, an album produced by Trevor Hutchinson (Lúnasa, The Waterboys). 

A second album in which Kern strengthen the musical proposal that was guessed in their first work. A mature and direct sound supported by the musical virtuosity of Barry Kieran and Brendan McCreanor, a deep knowledge of the traditional repertoire of their native Louth plus the original songs composed by the vocalist of the band, SJ McArdle. The most elegant Irish folk music that can be enjoyed today.

You can buy The Left & The Leaving following this link