Condensing the best of a full year of new releases into one program is always a challenge because there is more good music that can be fit into a single broadcast. However, I take this as an exercise and a challenge in looking past the "obvious" albums and artists to focus on what, in my opinion, is the most creative and most interesting traditional music produced in 2019 (with a few interlopers from 2018 that came to my attention last year).
Along the way I'll be flagging 5 albums as Gold Star Releases ⭐ and 5 as Honourable Mention 👈 to reflect my absolute top picks, but in my view all the albums below deserve your consideration as the best traditional music of 2019.
| Before we get into the best of 2019, I think it's important to mark the passing of Neil Peart of Rush, one of Canada's great lyricists. Although much of Rush's music is not in character for Music from the Glen, I've chosen one song whose lyrics have a traditional feel, and whose arrangement is characteristic of the multi-movement progressive rock tradition that Rush helps to define. |
| The trees Rush - Hemispheres - Mercury 
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| Best albums of 2019 |
| Crossing the water Thom Ashworth - Head canon 👈 - Self |
| Rare ones Bene & Cormac - Wavelength - Self |
| Give me back my heart again Bird in the belly - The crowing 👈 - GFM Records |
| Berkshire tragedy Joshua Burnell - The road to horn fair ⭐ - Misted Valley |
| A bhriogais uallach / Highean donn nan gobhar Brìghde Chaimbeul - The reeling 👈 - River Lea |
| The capable wife Còig - Ashlar ⭐ - Self
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| Beir Soiridh Eabhal - This is how the ladies dance 👈 - Self |
| We out here now Elephant sessions - What makes you ⭐ - Self |
| The bunting fund / The ocean child Flook - Ancora - Flatfish |
| Seven gypsies Claire Hastings - Those who roam ⭐ - Luckenbooth |
| Molly apple pye Leveret - Diversions - Rootbeat |
| Ollie's tune Graham Lindsey - Tradhead - Wavelength Media
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| Bold Lovell Jim Moray - The outlander - NIAG |
| Hushabye birdie / Hexham lasses Kathryn Tickell - Hollowbone - Self |
| Gloria The trials of Cato - Hide and hair ⭐ - Self |
| Le pays de samuel Le vent du nord - Territoires - Borealis
|
| The island Ben Walker (ft. Bella Hardy) - Echo 👈 - Folkroom |
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Great choices!
1:31 PM, January 12th, 2020