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Intro: Fairport Convention - Medley: The Lark in the Morning/Rakish Paddy/Fox Hunter’s Jig/Toss The Feathers - Liege & Lief - A&M Records

Pine Hill Project - Battlefield - Tomorrow You're Going - Signature Sounds Recordings www.pinehillproject.bandcamp.com/
Natalie MacMaster & Donnell Leahy - The Chase - ONE - Linus www.nataliemacmaster.com/  www.donnellleahy.com/
Jess Morgan - the lone cashier - Langa Langa - www.jessmorgan.co.uk/

Willie Nelson & Merle Haggard - Live This Long - Django and Jimmie - Sony Legacy  www.willienelson.com/  www.merlehaggard.com/
Spiro - blyth high light - Welcome Joy And Welcome Sorrow - Real World Records www.spiromusic.com/
Sufjan Stevens - Should Have Known Better - Carrie & Lowell - Asthmatic Kitty music.sufjan.com/
Mandala - Midnight Twilight - Midnight Twilight - Autumnsongs Records  www.autumnsongsrecords.com/

Pine Hill Project - Farewell To St. Dolores - Tomorrow You're Going - Signature Sounds Recordings  www.pinehillproject.bandcamp.com/
Natalie MacMaster & Donnell Leahy - Ellin Polka - ONE - Linus www.nataliemacmaster.com/  www.donnellleahy.com/
Jess Morgan - movie scene - Langa Langa - www.jessmorgan.co.uk/

Willie Nelson & Merle Haggard - Where Dreams Come To Die - Django and Jimmie - Sony Legacy  www.willienelson.com/  www.merlehaggard.com/
Spiro - welcome joy and welcome sorrow - Welcome Joy And Welcome Sorrow - Real World Records www.spiromusic.com/
Sufjan Stevens - The Only Thing - Carrie & Lowell - Asthmatic Kitty music.sufjan.com/
Mandala - Fire Is Mine - Midnight Twilight - Autumnsongs Records  www.autumnsongsrecords.com/

Pine Hill Project: well established and respected as solo performers, singer-songwriters Richard Shindell and Lucy Kaplanski dba Pine Hill Project performing some of their personal favorites accompanied by a stellar cast including Larry Campbell and Bill Payne, with material ranging from U2 to Nick Lowe.

Natalie MacMaster & Donnell Leahy: "What an exciting adventure this has been for us! When we married in 2002, we felt there would be some recording project in our future, but we didn't realize it would happen in 2014! 12 years of marriage and 6 children later we've finally documented our musical growth together. This CD is a combination of the old and the new, the original and the traditional, the Cape Breton and the Ontario. It's a musical reflection of us as individuals and as spouses, our influences over the years and our personal interpretations and tastes. It has taken many little twists to finally mold into what you see here … the most wonderful twist being Bob Ezrin. Just when we thought we had it all planned out and ready to record, we met Bob. And through him, Justin. After meeting, we all very quickly realized this project was meant to be a collective effort, a passion shared by all. Creative juices were in full stream and excitement ran high. What a thrill to work with this team. We are ever grateful for their enthusiasm, their natural talent, and their attention to our music. We hope you enjoy One!" - Artists' website

Jess Morgan: 3rd independent release from Norwich, UK Americana-style singer/songwriter with scant info on her website. May or may not have appeared on the Alan Partridge Show :-)

Willie Nelson & Merle Haggard: a gem from the trail-bosses looking back over the many miles they have traveled, friends and fortunes made and lost, and a nod to those who blazed the original trail...

Spiro: "Spiro are something of a slippery beast when it comes to being contained by mere words. Guitarist Jon Hunt has a go. “We've got as much to do with minimalist classical and dance music as we have with folk. Even though we use folk tunes, they're raw materials that the rest of the sound is built around.” One thing is certain – Spiro are their own people, commendably operating in their own sphere and at their own pace. This contemporary acoustic ensemble first came together through Bristol's folk sessions scene in 1993, trading under the name of The Famous Five. Now, a full 16 years later, they've only just got around to releasing their third album. Their first for Real World Records, Lightbox is an extraordinarily stirring record. Recorded over four days at Real World Studios in Box and largely produced by Simon Emmerson (the chief architect behind the Afro Celt Sound System and The Imagined Village projects), it showcases a highly imaginative and highly disciplined group with a sound that's unified but never uniform. All four members, all four instruments, pull in the same direction, creating music that's intricate yet so full of momentum. These are hurrying, scurrying soundscapes that sweep majestically with cinematic presence, echoing – at various points – the work of Steve Reich, Michael Nyman and the Penguin Café Orchestra. But, kindred spirits aside, this is the music of Spiro – undeniably English, undeniably theirs. Despite a slew of work for theatre, film and television, Spiro remain something of an enigma, a well-kept secret that's only now starting to spread. Even in their hometown of Bristol, they're decidedly inconspicuous, thanks to their gentle, organic and snail-slow blooming. “There was never a grand plan,” explains Jon. “It's just evolved. Some kind of magic thing happened between us that wasn't necessarily expected. It was quite serendipitous. We're all quite different as musicians and we each brought in particular passions and visions. It's all been about the interaction of those visions.” Their individual backgrounds are wide-reaching. Jane studied classical violin in Japan under the legendary Shinichi Suzuki and grew up “listening to a lot of vaguely modern classical stuff like Bartok and Stravinsky and Britten so I've got a lot of time for dissonance and strange harmonies and counter rhythms”. She's also a sucker for dance music, “repetitive tunes that are really free and ecstatic”. Accordionist Jason Sparkes began his own classical training during his pre-school years before taking up folk at the start of his teens, inspired by his morris-dancing father. Alex Vann was the drummer in a punk band before taking up the electric guitar and then graduating to his weapon of choice – the mandolin. Jon Hunt has also done his time in punk bands, someone who took an unusual route from pop to folk to punk to post-punk/new wave but emerged with “this preserved love and fascination for traditional English music.” - Artists' website

Sufjan Stevens: usually albums composed of the "contents of the performer's personal diary in search of catharsis" send me promptly to Fairport's "Liege and Lief" or Steve Ashley's "Stroll On",  comfort-albums from my youth, to cleanse my acoustic palate anew, but "Carrie and Lowell" kept me rivetted to the spot! and off in search of other releases from this splendid singer/songwriter/family historian and Master of his own vessel... ... this is a musical masterpiece being word and note perfect in need of neither addition nor subtraction. A haunting, terrible beauty - not for the squeamish! FCC alert track 10...

Mandala: "Eighteen years in the making, Mandala’s forthcoming debut album, ‘Midnight Twilight’, is an exhilarating combination of western and eastern folk music, mixed with heavier forms of progressive rock, all wrapped in an early-seventies glow. Mandala was formed in London in 1997, by Rhys Marsh (voice, guitar), Francis Booth (bass) and Will Spurling (drums). After playing hundreds of concerts across Europe and North America, though never recording an album, they disbanded in 2006. Now, they’re back together and are ready to present their debut album, featuring songs written during their first time around, between 1997—2005, and recorded in 2014. The main tracks were recorded live in the studio, in Autumnsongs Recording Studio in Norway, with overdubs being added both there and in London. As soon as you push the play button, the blistering energy explodes from the speakers. This is what they were known and loved for, and this is exactly what they captured on tape. It’s not often that a debut album could’ve been a greatest hits album, but having played these songs to hundreds of audiences, this is what ‘Midnight Twilight’ is set to become to those who’ve followed the band since its inception." - Artists' websiteExcellent musicianship and execution, but whatever 'western and eastern folk music' that may have underpined the tracks was long ago buried beneath the 'heavier sounds' of prog-rock to my old ears.



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