Loosely Connected
Artist: Niamh Parsons
Community Score: 8.00

A splendid collection of traditional and new Irish music from Parsons and her band (with help from a few friends). The songs are centered mainly around Parsons' dramatic, quavering voice, but the instrumentation gets a grand workout, too, with plenty of tin whistle and uilleann pipe work scattered throughout; the opening "Katie Campbell's... Read More

The Spellbound: The Best of Sharon Shannon
Artist: Sharon Shannon

All of the albums that Sharon Shannon recorded for Green Linnet in the '90s are worth owning, but if you've never experienced the pleasures of her neo-Celtic experiments, Spellbound would be the most logical starting point. This CD, which spans 1989-1998, isn't the last word on the experimental button accordionist, but it can still serve as an... Read More

Neighborhood Watch
Artist: Kevin Kane

Kevin Kane's solo debut is an understated, quiet album that doesn't fare well with one spin -- it's an album that takes several listens to appreciate, especially when compared to his more accessible Grapes of Wrath work. Kane continues to bare his soul, but Neighborhood Watch is slightly more subdued, serious and introspective than his previous... Read More

Blow Your Horn/Brixton Cat
Artist: Rico

Containing both of Rico and the Rudies' studio LPs, Blow Your Horn/Brixton Cat is an easy way to get caught up on the group's brand of reggae. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide Read More

For the Family
Artist: Stan Rogers
Community Score: 6.00

This album was originally released on the Folk Tradition label in 1983, shortly before Rogers' tragic death in an airplane crash; it was reissued on CD by the small but very cool Gadfly label in 1996. Rogers had a deep, rich singing voice and an amazing melodic talent; his original songs are of legendary quality. But this album consists of songs... Read More

Gin Palace
Artist: Barney Bentall
Hang Up Sorrow & Care
Artist: Maddy Prior

Maddy Prior and the Carnival Band have made a real party album, of witty, upbeat traditional songs from the British Isles. As with her other recordings with the Carnival Band, this work is more restrained and distinctly historically authentic than Prior's work with Steeleye Span -- William Bradley plays electric guitar on some cuts, to be sure,... Read More

Live Wired
Artist: Chris Daniels & The Kings

Daniels and various forms of his bands caught live in Colorado, Holland, the Netherlands and Italy. More than 70 minutes of hard-working blues/R&B entertainment. If you like your blues to be live, raucous and sweaty, this album's for you. Daniels and his band deliver the goods full-tilt. ~ Steven McDonald, All Music Guide Read More

Lead the Knave
Artist: Arty McGlynn

On Lead the Knave, guitarist McGlynn is joined by his wife, renowned fiddler Casey, for the couple's first studio album after years of joint session work and touring. The all-instrumental material is composed of traditional Celtic reels, jigs and airs -- with a Balkan song tossed in for good measure -- and is skillfully and thoughtfully played... Read More

Dansoozies
Artist: Poozies