Michael Jonathon "Afterburn: Folk at Arena Level"
Own label, 2021
Folk music is important, has influenced many other styles of music, says Michael Jonathon from the USA, which is why folk should have ist place in the huge arenas. Jonathon draws lines of development from Woody Guthrie to Bob Dylan, and of course he does not forget that also Woody Guthre got his music from somewhere. Folk is lovely on your front porch but even better in a stadium, and who are we to contradict? On this album he demonstrates what folk to fill arenas can sound like. Very good, which is proven here. Unlike Woody Guthrie he likes to be accompanied by a big orchestra, but that does not spoil the fun. He starts forcefully with a wall of sound, only to join in with guitar and voice. With a new version of old favourite „Paddy works on the railway“, but this new song is about the US presidency election since Richard Nixon, and it’s great. He has written all songs himself, with the exception of the last one, „Shady Grove“, a love song which he sings to a more catchy tune than normally, even though it’s about a star-crossed lover. Amazong, as mentioned before!
© Gabriele Haefs
Neear Nesañ "Beyond the pier"
Own label, 2022
Neear Nesañ is a band of four who dedicates their work to the musicof Brittany and the Isle of Man, Ellan Vannin. They sing in the language of this island, Manx or Gaelg, which is closely related to Irish and Scottish Gaelic, but spelt entirely differently. On this album we can hear how wonderful Manx sounds – as does, of course, Breton. Both languages come into their own here, and the CD also presents instrumentals from both countries and even a tango, which proves that Ellan Vannin does not need to shy a comparison with Argentina or Finnland. The pier which the title refers to is in Peel on Man, homestead of, so they claim, 176 Gaelg-speakers, in spite of all English attempts to declare the language dead. A wonderful album with great songs and instrumental parts (especially Mera Royle’s harp and David Kilgallon’s fiddle), the reviewers favourite of the season, which cannont be recommended hotly enough.
© Gabriele Haefs
The Celtic Duo "The Celtic Duo"
Own label, 2021
In their Swedish home country these two gentlemen call themselves Keltiska Duon, internationally they seem to prefer the English version. Both can appear slightly exaggerated, even at first sight we understand: not one single song in a Celtic language.
At second sight we find an English song, an Australian song … Irritation at this false labelling disappears soon, though, since they do make lovely music. The two in the duo are Jonas Liljeström who turns out to be a truly devillish fiddler, and Emil Bernblad, who plays guitar and bouzouki. We also have to mention their studio guest Johan Asplund with his flügelhorn. Together they play instrumentals, mainly from Scotland, one from Wales and a bit from Carolan. Everything played beautifully, a joy to the ear. They also sing, in English, of course, and the singer at times has bad problem with the pronunciaton. But never mind, the next track is an instrumental again and again a great joy.
© Gabriele Haefs
Tobias Bäckstrand "Heal"
Paraply Records, 2022
Tobias Bäckstrand is from Sweden, plays guitar and bouzouki and sings, and most songs on this album were written by himself. At least the booklet gives some reason to suppose this, it truly deserves an award for illegibility and confusion. He has invited many studio guests, for example flutist Magdalena Gerberg, who also has written one song. Whenever she raises the flute to her lips the music is a dream. Tobias Bäckstrand navigated leisurely through the styles, international songwriter style, Rock, music of the renaissance, country, everything is played with the same skill, and he sings in Swedish and English. A detour into Eastern Asian music is dedicated to his wife Xiaohong and called „Gao Shan Liu Shui“.
© Gabriele Haefs
James Keelaghan "Second Hand"
Borealis Records, 2022
Fans of Gordon Lightfoot, take a deep breath now: Canada’s finest songwriter presents a new album, and the man’s name is James Keelaghan. The bit about him being Canada’s finest songwriter hails from the info sheet and we simply pass it on. With a shrug. But the album is well worth listening to, James Keelaghan truly deserves to be listened too much more over here. He plays guitar, sings in a bluesy style, sometimes you hear a bit of gospel, then, suddenly, it gets very folky, and he takes up problems of today, like illness, depression, being forced always to carry on („The Benefits of Surrender“). About his song „Before the morning sun“ he says it could have been sung by Johnny Cash. It’s about someone who took the law into his own hands and now has to watch from his prison cell while the gallows is being built, and indeed, it would have been a song for Johnny Cash. A high praise! Then there is „Alberta“ which has nothing to do with Leadbelly, but is a declaration of love for his Canadian home province. Truly a very interesting acquaintance.
© Gabriele Haefs
Happy Traum "There’s a bright side somewhere"
Own label, 2022
Happy Traum, such lovely memories this name bringt! From the time about 50 years ago when we thought it was a typical band name from hippietimes. Big was the surprise when he came to Europe (for example to the legendary festival of Kertalg in 1974) and turned out to be just one, and that this really is his name! By now he is well into his eighties, and it is wonderful to learn that he is still going strong! His voice sounds older than in 1974 when he charmed his audience with „When I paint my masterpiece“, but is as fascinating as ever. On the new album he demonstrates his amazing fingerpicking and sings songs by among others Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Brownie McGhee, as well as traditionals and his own compositions. With a grin (which we have to imagine) he tells us on the info sheet that the songs are even older than he is. They have not turned rusty, though, as little as has indestructible Happy Traum whom we owe thanks for this musical reminder of his existence.
© Gabriele Haefs
Peter Mulvey & Sista Strings "Love is the only thing"
Own label, 2022
The info sheet calls this „The album for the summer“ …but when the CD only gets to you in autumn, what then? Then we find it’s lovely listening also when rain and fog dominate your day. Peter Mulvey, songwriter from the USA, meets with duo Sista Strings (cellist Monique Ross and fiddler Chauntie Ross), and together they introduce us to Mulvey’s songs. But not only to those, they start of with well-known „Shenandoah“, a song perfecly suits his slightly brittle voice. (It’s not easy after all to sing this song without stepping with one foot into the kitsch-bucket) Then there is the wonderful fiddle-accompaniment by Chauntie Ross. His own songs deal with smalltown mentality, which unfortunately is just as common in big towns, about intolerance and arguments spawned by too much beer. They are about Covid and the vain hope that the virus might disappear as soon as a vaccine is found. They are about Michal Brown, one of the many victims of police violence, and again and again they tell us of disparing about the situation the US have brought unto themselves. Absolutely well worth listening to.
© Gabriele Haefs
Barry Oreck "Leap Year"
Own label, 2022
Two years it’s taken until the release of Barry Oreck’s leap year music, so now we receive it exactly between two leap years which somehow seems symbolical. Barry Orecks tells us about meeting a lot of friends in Manhattan, on leap day of the year 2020, they wanted to party and play music, and they all embraced and kissed each other, as you have to at a great gathering of friends. They had heard rumours about a new plague which was said to come nearer and nearer, but they decided not to bother. Which means that they took the leap year literally and made a great leap into the uncertain, and this leap is described on the album. All songs were written by Barry Oreck, but on the album a lot of guests play their part, so many that their names take more space on the cover than the info about the CD. On the first track we hear Jesse Miller with his wonderful mandoline, and the music continues as wonderful as that. Barry Oreck has a talent for memorable tunes, all the time you think „but I know this song“, but it really was written by him, and simply is unforgettable.
© Gabriele Haefs
Ticket to Happiness "Roaming Riders"
Own label, 2022
Rogue Country from Siegen and Münster, well, from where else? All songs were written by the Bandmembers themselves, in English or Spanish, not a mean feat, but, as we said, Siegen and Münster. The album starts with the Western ballad „Videosa“, firy and dramatic, but whenever you think now you’ve anderstood Ticket’s style they change: Spanish influences, trumpets, tango, sentimental love, talkind titles such as „Sheer Ecstacy“ or „Mutiny“, at the end „Bedlam“, so called after the London asylum of the 17th century, it is very confusing altogether, the best advice: just listen, don’t ask questions, and whenever it turns Spanish you’ll get that good old El Paso feeling.
© Gabriele Haefs
Giulia Millanta "Woman on the Moon"
Own label, 2022
On the cover she looks into the camera with an angry glare, as if she already knew about the results of the elections in her old home country when the photograph was taken. The signora is originally from Florence, but has been living in Austin, Texas, for quite a while now. Which is why she writes her songs in Engish, with only some Italien words here and there. And now she presents her solo album nr. 8, the one with the angry glare. In spite of the glare she sings in a tender, friendly style, with a voice as bright as a bell – why some reviewer called her a „female Tom Waits“ which the press sheets proudly tells us, remains the secret of the aforementioned reviewer. At times the music turns dramatic, like in „Run away“, where a drum beats a threatening rhythm. The album’s title must not be taken literally, this is not about a female astronaut, but about the universe in ourselves and the „route between stars and sunrise“. An album with a lot of imagination and fine sounds.
© Gabriele Haefs
Doc Taylor and the Redhaired Girl "Around the Irish Sea"
Prosodia, 2022
Doc Taylor, these are the gentlemen Nico Schneider and Tim Liebert, also known as their collaboration with the band Hüsch. Die redhaired lady is from Wales and her name is Jenny Price. On this album she sings in Welsh, a wonderful language which is far too seldom heard over here. Highlights on the album are among others „Sosban fach“ (a song where the little skillet pot on the fire is simmering while a lot of things happen) and „Cyfrir Geif’r“ („Counting goats“), a song full of tongue twisters, but alas, why does the booklet not hold the words of the songs instead of telling us things we don’t need to know, such as that Tim Liebert is one of the few Thuringians who master Welsh tongue twisters, especially since he does nothing to prove his claim? Wonderful are also the instrumentals, the great banjo playing impresses time and time again. English is mainly sung by the men, and they obviously favour shanties like „Haul away Joe“ or „Rolling down to old Maui“ (which apparenty is totally in in today’s shanty scene, and which cannot be heard often enough).
© Gabriele Haefs
Steve Wallis "Nothing stays the same for long"
Own label, 2022
Steve Wallis is from Australia and with a hometown called Byron Bay he simply had to become a poet at one stage. Later on he settled in Paris, but those who now expect Autralian-French fusionmusic will be disappointed, it all sounds very US-folky, and the reviewers don’t compare him to Townes Van Zandt or John Prine without good reason – because of „his works‘ bittersweet sadness“. The album title is law, sort of, nothing can be trusted, and the first song, „The Loneliest“, is a perfect introduction to melancholy for advanced learners. But Steve Wallis does not present a depressing album, his talent and his singing are too convincing, everything sounds too to good to turn sad. Some songs are truly catchy, like „Amsterdam“ or „Starting tomorrow“, ist easy going waltz rhythm is bound to make you feel optimistic.
© Gabriele Haefs
SeeD from Utrecht are probably a five piece ensemble who call their music „pagan folk“. They love colourful and creatively designed, but rather illegible and confusing booklets and websites, hence the „probably“. The reviewer gets into an overcritical mmod and wants to point out that „téigh tri’n doras a leanbh“ absolutely does not meand „come through the door, my child“, but „come through the door, child“ which can make a hell of a distance, depending on the child. But after the initial frown the music is a pleasant surprise. FAE sing in Irish, English and Dutch, the play a multitude of instruments, we hear influences from the music of the renaissance and from Gregorian chants, as well as things Scottish: The instrumental „Twig“ for example consists of variations on the tune of „The Makin‘ o‘ Geordie’s Byre“. On this album FAE play mainly instrumental music, and everything is played beautifully. When FAE sing, they prefer quiet tones, they like to croon, like in prayer or summoning of good or evil. Why this music is pagan is not obvious, each track could easily be played in the esoteric wings of a huge Lutheran church gathering. Lovely music fits in everywhere, after all.
© Gabriele Haefs
Marcas Mac an Tuairnir "Speactram"
Own label, 2022
Marcas Mac an Tuairnir introduces us to GaelPop, which sounds like pop music in Gaelic, but the result is not quite as frightening. „Gael“ also refers to the music, not only to language and singing. Which is why we find quite a few Scottish influences in melodies and singing style. Especially his duet with Rachel Walker sounds ecactly like what we love in Scottish traditional music. But yes, pop is there as well, percussions, sometimes a hammering rhythm, and to complete the mixture at times there’s a dominating saxophone. Marcas Mac an Tuairnir has written all songs himself, saying that he wants to give Gaelic music an „urban sound“. He writes about today’s live, LGBTQI+ and gay life in Scotland are important. The last song on the album, „Érigh!“ („Rise!“) says: rise up and let your voices be heard in the streets of Edinburgh!“ The beginning is made and well worth listening to.
© Gabriele Haefs
Trio Rop "Mellan oss"
Own label, 2022
Trio Rop is from Sweden and consists of two female singers and one non-binary singing persons, and the three of them sing a-capella of the most beautiful sort. The have their roots in Swedish tradition, sometimes what they sing sounds like age-old cattle calls, aber all songs were written by the trio themselves. And though the music sounds traditional, the texts are about their everyday life in Sweden, about „life around as and about the small human beings“. The trio has been singing together since 2016, and earlier on they issued one EP. And now a whole album, and the album calls for superlatives. The way they hit the very high notes, the way they create the harmonies, the way they blend old Swedish styles with influences from pop and classical music makes each song something for itself, even though Rop’s style cannot be confused with the style of other Swedish singers. So this must be listened to and enjoyed. All three of them also work together with other bands, so we can only hope that they won’t neglect their wonderful trio, but soon surprise us with tours and new albums!
© Gabriele Haefs
Stephen Doster "Over the red sea"
Own label, 2022
Stephen Doster, songwriter from the US, at present living in Austin,Texas, roamed through the world at a young age, went to school in various countries and continents (even in German Taunus-area!) but this did not leave any traces in his music. Doesn't matter, it's only surprising. On his travels he met about everyone of any importance in the world of rockmusic, this we learn on his website. Where he accidentally writes on one the most sexist sentences of the year: He came very close to Blind Faith, standing backstage, and for this he has to thank "Ginger Baker's wife". we can presume that the lady has a name of her own. Other than lots of name-dropping (or not) the website does not offer much information, but Doster's music makes up for a lot. Songs about everyday life, hopes lost and one, the titles of the words speak for themselves: "The Rooster Crows", "We still have today", very US-American and folky, with traces of country, absolutely understandable that he was raised into the Hall of Fame of his home state.
© Gabriele Haefs
John McCutcheon "Leap!"
Own label, 2022
About John McCutcheons previous CD we wrote that this songwriter from the USA seems to nourish a secret love for Roger Whittaker, and the suspicion is strengthened when listening to this year"s album. Some songs really sound the way they could have sounded if Mr Whittaker had not preferred his rather hideous songs. But this time we also are reminded of Gordon Lightfoot (he ooo-ooo-ooo sounds almost as good here as in "Steelrail Blues"). John McCutcheon plays a great guitar and has invited wonderful guest to join him in the studio, to name but a few: fiddler Stuart Duncan, singer Kathy Mattea, and on one song with relation to Northern Ireland Tommy Sands. The song "The Troubles" does not only deal with the Six Counties, we find surprising comparisons: Catholics and Protestants fight each other, as so Fascists and Communists, Republicans and Democrats. The songs on this album are great to listen to, and the words make us think and think again, as this example shows, and wonder what the poet really is trying to tell us.
© Gabriele Haefs
Päivi Hirvonen "Kallio"
Nordic Notes, 2022
The finnish fiddler stands on the cover like a rock in the raging waves - very symbolical, Kallio, as the album is called, means "rock", after all. Hirvonen holds the fiddle in her hand and looks into the distance. The fiddle is to be heard already on the first track, „Kultkijat/Travellers“, at first the singer hums and strums very quietly, then the full power of her voice sets in, fuelled by anger. like in many songs the artist sings and has written herself. Strength is an important word here, so are courage and rage, things the songs want to inspire in their female listeners. She addresses the songs especially to women in the middle of their life, she writes about the rights of girls, about love and friendship about mental health and the eternal responsibilites which threaten to crush women's shoulders. Hope is to be found in solidarity, in remembering our foremothers and their wisdom, and in our own strength. And just by the way, here she shows once again what a brilliant fiddler she is.
© Gabriele Haefs
Günter Gall "… und reisen quer durch die Zeit"
Own label, 2022
Fifty years on stage, time passes so quickly, and Günter Gall presents this new CD to his many fans and his compatriots from the Lower Rhine (such as the reviewer, so please forgive the sentimental tears). The new album shows many facets of his work, but the work is so voluminous that each of us probably would have chosen a different selection. He has written the music to text by famous colleagues, among them Kurt Tucholsky, Erich Kästner, Mascha Koléko or Georg Herwegh, or Bellman, to show that the songs are not all critical and severe. Too much standard German, one might think, but in some songs our native language also is to be heard, like in "Helden", extremely topical again right now, or in Aletta Eßer's "Eugen Pohl". And as our great countryman Hanns Dieter Hüsch said, as quoted in the booklet: "Lower Rhine is everywhere". The album shows the breadth of the work of a great artist, but it's also a mirror of the present, since none of the historical songs is less relevant now than on the day it was written, und those who wish can find huge spoonful of homefeeling in this music.
© Gabriele Haefs
