The Rankins "Collection" (Rounder, 1999)
A good sampler of the rock-pop tinged folk music made by Cape Breton, Canada's Rankin family. Too goopy for me, and intensely not "Celtic enough," but if you wanna check these folks out, this is the right place to start.

Eddi Reader "Sings The Songs Of Robert Burns" (Compass, 2003)
Scotland's national poet, Robert Burns, has been oft covered in the folk and trad scenes, and remains a solid foundation of the trad canon... These flowery, orchestral, singer-songwriter-y, rock-tinged renditions certainly take a new approach to this old and venerated material. I personally find it a bit too sugary, but it's clearly a fresh approach, and I would recommend it on that basis alone: I probably don't need to listen to this album again, but I'm willing to bet a lot of you folks out there will enjoy it quite a bit.

Alan Reid & Rob Van Sante "Under The Blue" (Red Sands, 2002)
An absolutely lovely, absolutely first-rate, contemporary Scottish folk album featuring Battlefield Band multi-instrumentalist Alan Reid and relative newcomer Rob Van Sante, whose styles mesh perfectly. This is an irresistible album, with beautiful instrumental work and the rich, mellowed vocals that only true Celts can muster. Flawless song selection as well, running the gamut between contemporary and traditional, with none of it sounding the least bit forced. This is an elegant, evocative record, which will hold up well to years of repeated auditions. Recommended!

John Renbourn - see artist profile

Bonnie Rideout "Scottish Reflections" (Maggie's Music, 2002)
A rather staid, slow-paced set of fiddle, viola and bagpipe-based instrumentals... A little too sleepy and ornate for me, though if you wanted to check this artist out, this compilation, which gathers material from 1991-99 is probably the best way to start.

Ridgeriders "Ridgeriders: Songs Of The Southern English Landscape" (HTD, 1995)
Ridgeriders "In Concert" (Talking Elephant, 1996)
Yet another Ashley Hutchings/Albion Band side project, this time a collection of songs written for the popular mid-1990s TV show, Ridegerunners, which explored the local nooks and crannies of the southern English countryside, by way of the ancient ridge roads which have radiated outwards from Salisbury Plain since ancient times. Some of the songs sound traditional, but are actually written by Hutchings and his partners on this project, Phil Beer and Chris While. Generally speaking, I prefer Beer and Hutchings' vocals, While's singing is a bit too mannered and her sensibilities a bit sugary for my tastes. But on the whole, this is a surprisingly vigorous, rewarding project. The concert album repeats about half the songs that appear on the first album, adding many others based on the local histories and lore of the region. Worth checking out!

Jean Ritchie "Ballads From Her Appalachian Family Tradition" (Smithsonian Folkways, 1961)
The great 19th Century American scholar James Francis Child was a bit premature when he proclaimed the British and Irish ballad tradition moribund and fit for a bit of academic taxidermy. The Harvard professor's miscalculation is ably demonstrated in this set of songs that Appalachian folk phenomenon Jean Ritchie learned as a child and committed to to record during the opening days of the Kennedy administration, over a half century after Child concluded his songcatching efforts. All the songs here are versions of tunes gathered in Child's monumental, multi-volume English And Scottish Popular Ballads, but sung in the local variant forms that Ritchie learned from her Kentucky kith and kin. And, man! What great performances. Ritchie sings these old murder ballads and morbid epics with a simplicity and authoritativeness that cuts past the centuries and makes the old tales live again. This is realy storytelling and folklore at its best -- the horrific nature of these old songs, in which sisters kill sisters and jealous, cuckholded husbands hack down their rivals is made magnetic in her chillingly matter-of-fact presentation. These are some of the finest, most engrossing versions of "Little Musgrave," "The Unquiet Grave," "Barbary Allen" and other classics that you will ever hear. A riveting record -- highly recommended!

Alasdair Roberts "Farewell Sorrow" (Drag City, 2002)
The trad ballads ouvre is given a subtle indie facelift by Scottish rocker Alasdair Roberts, who refashions folk-ish material into multi-textured odd-ditties in much the same way Will Oldham has approached American folk music. Indie kids shouldn't be alone in their appreciation of this album: folk purists will hate it, but more open-minded listeners can find a lot to be cheered b here. It's moody, creative, and quite pleasant. Recommended!

Davie Robertson "Star O' The Bar" (Greentrax, 2003)
One of those oddball albums that you just gotta hear to appreciate. Robertson is a Scottish pub singer who writes his own material, taking traditional musical forms and adding his own original lyrics, and though he doesn't actually perform in public that much, he has the sound of a fella who can really rouse a properly lubricated audience... Some are fairly straightforward and traditionally themed, but others, like the comedic "The Hanky," are true kooky gems. And if nothing else, that thick brogue is a thing to treasure!

Garnet Rogers & Archie Fisher "Off The Map" (Snow Goose Songs, 1986)
A lovely live album, combining the talents of Glaswegian Archie Fisher and Canadian folkie Garnet Rogers, brother of the late folk crooner, Stan Rogers. This kicks off with a fairly goopy modern folk tune, "Borderland," but quickly settles into more standard, traddish Celtic fare. It's a soft, stately, simply gorgeous album, which shows their mutual warmth and sympathetic musical talents. Probably not out on CD, but definitely worth tracking down.

Leon Rosselson - see artist profile

Kate Rusby "Hourglass" (Pure/Compass, 1995/1998)
A jaw-droppingly gorgeous Celtic trad album, featuring the sugary-silken vocals of Yorkshire, England's Kate Rusby, who rightfully took her place as one of the preeeminent ballad singers of her generation, following the release of this album in the mid-1990s. The musical accompaniment matches her vocals in its sweetness and lush textures... Her longtime partner, Battlefield Band fiddler John McCusker, helps to sculpt this album's sound... It's a partnership that would prove equally rich and enthralling in years to come. Highly recommended!

Kate Rusby & Kathryn Roberts "Kate Rusby & Kathryn Roberts" (Pure/Compass, 1995/1999)
Lovely, though slightly florid, English and Celtic ballads. There are parts of this album that are a little too sugary for my tastes, but at essesnce this is a very solid album, with a strong mix of classic and contemporary material. Rusby's voice is, as ever, quite beautiful... Roberts has a deeper, more solemn voice, quite similar to June Tabor's. (High praise, indeed!) If you're already leaning towards the modernized end of the trad-folk spectrum, then this album should be a real delight.

Kate Rusby "Sleepless" (Pure/Compass, 1999)
An absolutely enchanting album by this rising star on the UK trad scene. Produced by Rusby's boyfriend, Scottish fiddle player John McCusker of the renowned Battlefield Band, this album strikes a perfect balance between traditional sensibilities and the slick style favored by many modern Celtic music fans. Rusby's voice is simply gorgeous, a pleasure to hear throughout the length of the album. Just as striking is her strength as a composer and arranger -- about half this album is traditional material, the other half is stuff Rusby wrote herself, and the two are nearly indistinguishable. She has a golden ear for the material. No instrumentals, just lovely ballads, and hence also no jarring transitions between shrill dance tunes and the songs with vocals. If you're looking for a mellow Celtic folk album you can listen to from start to finish, then this makes a mighty fine choice.

Kate Rusby "Little Lights" (Pure/Compass, 2001)
Improbably, Rusby's voice just keeps getting lovelier and more commanding, as this mellow set of beautiful ballads amply proves. It seems ridiculous, after a certain point, to praise Rusby's work, since it all sounds so sweet. Battlefield's fiddler, John McCusker remains on board as bandmember and co-producer, and their collaborations sound increasingly effortless and relaxed. This is one of Rusby's best albums, full of great original tunes and adaptations of traditional material, as well as a well-chosen Richard Thompson cover. One of the album's oddest inclusions is a curiously doleful version of the normally-bouncy old-time gospel tune "Where The Soul Never Dies" (here listed as "O Canaan"), in a slower arrangement which highlights the somewhat static pacing of this album as a whole. But even with a certain sameness from song to song, (and from album to album) this is an outstanding record, very pleasant and well worth checking out. You'd be hard pressed to find anything nicer to listen to... be it from Edinburgh or anywhere else.

Kate Rusby "10" (Compass, 2003)
Another gorgeous set of richly-arranged Celtic folk ballads from this rising trad-folk star. Rusby's longtime partner John McCusker recently quit his day job as fiddler in the Battlefield Band to devote himself full-time to working with Rusby; his work on fiddle, piano and cittern ably complement her vocals, although really the show is all hers. This album collects or refashions several of her best-known songs... and they are all quite lovely! Rusby has a simply gorgeous voice, one of the best in the acoustic music scene today. Recommended!

Kate Rusby "Live From Leeds" (Pure/Compass, 2004)
A must-have for all Kate Rusby fans. This beautifully-produced concert video is a real winner, showcasing Rusby and her band at their best, before an adoring, appreciative English audience. Several things are worth pointing out: first, what a delight to see how friendly and down-to-earth she is, and what a fine performer. Authoritative, yet not stuffy or standoffish in any way, she presents these old trad ballads in a way that makes them seem like the most immediate and compelling of contemporary art... And, of course, the music is simply stunning -- the band plays sweet, but keeps things simple; it's warm and modern without muddling down in crossover pretensions, it's just simply lovely, lovely acoustic music. Finally, there's the experience of seeing Rusby sing: is it possible such a perfect sound is coming out of that everyday-looking lass before you? Guess so. Now I'll have to redouble my efforts to see her when she plays live at a venue near me... I know it'll be a night to remember!

Kate Rusby "The Girl Who Couldn't Fly" (Compass, 2005)
Oh, it's so sweet! I can't help it: I hear a Kate Rusby album and I just melt and get all gushy... She's just really, really good, one of the most striking and creatively vital British folk artists of the last thirty years. This album is no exception... It doesn't blast off in new directions (thank god) but hews close to the winning formula of her last few albums, which is a gorgeous, rich combination of traditional material and original new tunes that have a softness and sleekness that belie the depth of the writing. If you're a fan already you will definitely not be disappointed; if you're new to Rusby's work, this disc is as fine an introduction to her work as you could ask for. Highly recommended!

Cathie Ryan "Cathie Ryan" (Shanachie, 1997)
The first solo album by the bodhran player of Cherish The Ladies, this tilts more towards Irish-stylized contemporary folk material than towards trad. There are Nanci Grifith-ish passages, but also a heavy whiff of coffeehouse confessionalism, particularly on songs such as "Detroit Was Burning," where Ryan writes about being a young child amid the racial tension in the Great lakes region during the 1960s. Seamus Egan of Solas produced and plays on the album, and bandmate Winifred Horan also plays on here... Trad fans will probably want to shy away from this one, but ponytailed folkies might like it a lot.

Cathie Ryan "The Music Of What Happens" (Shanachie, 1998)

Cathie Ryan "Somewhere Along The Road" (Shanachie, 2001)
Ryan ditches most of the Solas crowd on this one, picking up Scottish fiddler John McCusker as her producer, along with Kate Rusby and Karine Polwart to add some high-power vocal assistance... There are still some overly earnest folkie moments (such as "In My Tribe," a lethargic, leaden monologue about Native Americans and ethnic identity...), but in general, this is a much lovelier, more stately album; contemporary, but with more of a timeless, traditional feel. Her vocals are much stronger on here as well... Worth checking out.

Cathie Ryan "The Farthest Shore" (Shanachie, 2005)
Once again, a powerful all-star cast populates a strong offering from Cathie Ryan of the Irish-American supergroup, Cherish The Ladies... Scottish fiddler John McCusker continues in his role as album's producer (having worked with her on previous recordings); other great players such as Phil Cunningham, John Doyle and Alan Kelly add their musical oopmph, while Karine Polwart (recently of the Battlefield Band) sings some fine harmony, and Galway's Sean Keane contributes gripping, gorgeous duet vocals to "What Will You, Love," one of the album's traddest highlights. Overall, I find Ryan's vocals and artistic approach to be a bit stuffy, but anyone looking for modern approaches to Celtic trad would do well to check this album out -- Ryan is innovative and adventurous without resorting to cheesy synths or drum machines... The instruments are all acoustic, and the musicians are all top-flight performers. Not totally my cup of tea, but close!

Mick Ryan & Pete Harris "The Widow's Promise" (Terra Nova, 2002)
A wonderful English trad reissue, collecting material from Ryan and Harris's first two albums, Drink Up The Sun andAnother Place, Another Time. Opening with the delightfully bawdy title track (a Harris original that sounds centuries old), this disc will be a treat for those who enjoy the new-songs-through-an-old-filter approach of Ewan MacColl, Roy Bailey or Nic Jones... Ryan is an accomplished modern songwriter whose material has the grave, throaty appeal of his forebearers. Although many of these songs are of modern vintage, they have a timeless sound. Pete Harris's quiet, stately accompaniment is spot-on perfection. Highly recommended.

Mick Ryan & Pete Harris "Hard Season" (Wild Goose Studios, 1999)
More sonorous, soulfully-sung, throaty English folk balladry. Harris and Ryan mix traditional songs such as "The Recruited Collier and "Spencer The Rover" along with similar-sounding original material, including a couple of tunes from Ryan's A Day's Work, a song-cycle written for a play about the First World War. All the songs tell interesting tales and are intelligently performed; Ryan and Harris also have a wonderful way with a memorable melody, compelling the listener to tune into their old-world vibe. Harris' rich, melodic accompaniment is completely sympathetic to Ryan's husky vocals -- another winning album by this fine trad-oriented duo.

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