Paul Barr
Paul Barr is a former Readings Carlton music specialist
Review — 23 Apr 2014
Beneath The Sun by Tom E Lewis
Born in Arnhem Land, actor and musician Tom E. Lewis has produced two very good albums to date. Sunshine After Rain, from 2006, used spoken word and atmospheric musical…
Review — 29 Apr 2014
The Phoenix And The Turtle by Beverley Martyn
After a long period of illness, Beverley Martyn has re-emerged with another of her sporadic recordings. Martyn is a name remembered by some from the amazingly creative folk–rock period of…
Review — 24 Mar 2014
The Gloaming by The Gloaming
On their debut album, Irish–American five-piece The Gloaming have produced a startling take on Irish traditional music with the addition of minimalist contemporary piano.
All the band members have long…
Review — 23 Mar 2014
Riturnella by Kavisha Mazzella
Riturnella is a beautiful group of Italian folk songs from the 1400s onwards. Here, Kavisha Mazella has returned to a collection of songs she heard many years ago on a…
Review — 19 Feb 2014
Vagabond by Eddi Reader
Glaswegian Eddi Reader has had a long and varied career: busker, actor, backup singer for some big names, including Gang of Four and Eurythmics, brief pop stardom with Fairground Attraction…
Review — 26 Jun 2013
Quercus by June Tabor, Iain Ballamy & Huw Warren
June Tabor has been a mainstay on the English folk scene since the late 60s, along with her longtime saxophonist Iain Ballamy and pianist Huw Warren. The real surprise with…
Review — 7 Apr 2013
Jama Ko by Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba
Mali’s Bassekou Kouyate is a virtuoso on the Ngoni (an African string instrument similar to the lute). Jama Ko was recorded in Kouyate’s house, not far from where last year’s…
Review — 7 Apr 2013
Talé by Salif Keita
Salif Keita does an acoustic album every now and then, but Talé is not one of those. Rather, it’s a contemporary record full of modern dance grooves, a host of…
Review — 24 Feb 2013
Old Yellow Moon by Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell
Long-time friends and musical compadres Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell have finally got round to making a proper album together. Harris signed Crowell up as a member of her band…
Review — 3 Feb 2013
Traveling Alone by Tift Merritt
Texas-born Tift Merrit listened to a lot of Joni Mitchell in her youth before moving to North Carolina and starting out as a singer-songwriter. Merritt is a gifted musician and…