Celtic Connections highlights for 2018

COURTNEY Marie Andrews is a highly-rated singer songwriter, of whom a leading English broadsheet said this month: “[Her] voice is pure and sweet with nuanced warbles and flutters and a little break on the top notes, bringing to mind the tremulous flow of Emmylou Harris with hints of Joni Mitchell’s worldly wisdom, while the poetic economy of her lyrics is right up there with such masters of the country vignette as Guy Clark and John Prine.” O2 ABC, Jan 31

B

EDINBURGH’S Blue Rose Code (Ross Wilson) makes up a terrific double-bill with Beth Orton; Wilson’s heady mix of jazz, pop, soul and pop is evident on his well-received latest album, The Water of Leith, which is, according to the Americana UK site, “a work laden with beauty, possessed of depth, heart and soul, and sounds simply gorgeous.” O2 ABC, Feb 2

C

SHAWN Colvin’s 1997 breakthrough, platinum-selling album, A Few Small Repairs (with great songs such as Sunny Came Home) last year received the 20th anniversary expanded-edition treatment. It’s an irresistible reminder of her prowess as a melodically gifted songwriter, and her inimitable voice. Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Jan 21

D

JERRY Douglas, a spellbinding player of the dobro, and a 14-time Grammy winner, has, with Aly Bain, overseen the eagerly-awaited, all-star Transatlantic Sessions, which this year feature Suzy Bogguss, The Secret Sisters (Lydia and Laura Rogers), Shawn Camp and Julie Fowlis, amongst many others. Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Feb 2 and 4.

E

SINCE 1997 the Hebridean island of Eigg has been owned by a heritage trust, in the wake of a successful community buy-out. This concert features the musicians, all of whom have Eigg connections and took part in last summer’s 20th anniversary concert, among them Pictish Trail, DJ Dolphin Boy, Massacre Cave and Ja’Ma’Tha Ceilidh Band. Drygate, Jan 28.

F

GAELIC singer Julie Fowlis, whose brilliant new album, alterum, includes songs in English and Galician, crops up several times at this year’s festival – in her own right (City Halls, Jan 20), in Songs of the Gael (with the BBC SSO, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Jan 26) and the Transatlantic Sessions (Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Feb 2 and 4).

G

GRIT Orchestra remembers the late, great Martyn Bennett’s second album, Bothy Culture, for which he drew on Punjabi, Scandinavian, Turkish and Irish cultures, as well as rave, techno and hiphop. This world premiere is orchestrated by violinist Greg Lawson and features a special appearance by stunt cyclist Danny MacAskill, plus Skye outfit Niteworks. SSE Hydro, Jan 27

H

“I DON’T know a single peer of mine who has sold as few records as I have and still continues to do what they want to do,” Joe Henry, the American singer-songwriter and producer, said last year. Nevertheless, he persists in making great music, as his 14th album, Thrum, demonstrates. He says he is moving away from his original musical influences and more toward true alignment with the mystic poets Rainer Maria Rilke, Walt Whitman and Arthur Rimbaud. The Mackintosh Church, Feb 2.

I

THE Glasgow-based five-piece instrumental group, Ímar, had a hugely productive 2017, with a raft of gigs and critical acclaim at home and abroad, and two nominations in the 2017 MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards, for Album of the Year (for their debut, Afterlight), and Live Act of the Year. Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Strathclyde Suite, Jan 31.

J

KATHRYN Joseph, winner of the 2015 Scottish Album of the Year award, for her album Bones You Have Thrown at Me, And Blood I’ve Spilled, joined the Twilight Sad’s James Graham and producer Marcus Mackay in a collaborative project, Out Lines, commissioned by Easterhouse’s Platform arts centre. The album, Conflats, turned local residents’ stories into songs. “One of 2017’s most sublime and affecting albums,” said The Herald’s Nicola Meighan. Saint Luke’s, Feb 4.

K

EUGENE Kelly – he of The Vaselines (some of whose songs were famously covered by Nirvana) and Eugenius, and an all-round excellent songwriter – hosts this show, in which he plays a range of Vaselines songs as well as some solo material. Hug and Pint, Jan 29

L

THE Alabama-born sisters Shelby Lynne + Allison Moorer have enjoyed separate, stellar careers in country music/Americana, but last year they came together for the first time, for Not Dark Yet, a well-received album of covers in which their distinctive harmonies graced songs by such people as Bob Dylan, The Killers and Nick Cave. City Halls, Jan 27.

M

DOUGIE MacLean has been authoritatively described as “a Scottish phenomenon … with his exquisite guitar style, expressive voice and honest performance.” His best-known songs include Caledonia, of course, but his extensive set-list is a forceful reminder of how tirelessly creative he has been over the decades. Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Jan 24.

N

THE distinctive singer-songwriter Findlay Napier released a brilliant album, Glasgow, just a few months ago, which made you look at the city in an interesting new light. The Mackintosh Church, Jan 20. He also appears with Shake the Chains (Mitchell Theatre, Jan 31) and curates and hosts the Sunday-afternoon Hazy Recollections programme (O2 ABC, Jan 21 and 28, Feb 4)

O

THE soulful, Nigeria-born, Glasgow-based singer-songwriter Unoma Okudo, who has opened for Macy Gray and Alexander O’Neal, showcases her talents in Ladies of Soul, alongside Sharlene-Monique and Glasgow-based groove-jazz-hip hop collective Flembot, who’re fronted by Rachel Lightbody. Oran Mor, Jan 21

P

THE great Tom Petty died, aged 66, last October. This superb Roaming Roots revue, curated by Roddy Hart and the Lonesome Fire, pays tribute to him with a top-flight cast including Natalie Prass, Nerina Pallot and Pictish Trail. Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Jan 27.

Q

THE Glasgow-based Kinnaris Quintet– Fiona MacAskill (fiddle), Laura Wilkie (fiddle), Aileen Gobbi (five-string fiddle), Laura-Beth Salter (mandolin) and Jenn Butterworth (guitar) – specialises in traditional Scottish and Irish music, Bluegrass, Old-Time and Classical, interspersed with self-penned songs. Catch them as they support RURA. Glasgow Royal Concert Hall Strathclyde Suite, Feb 2.

R

THE outstanding composer Max Richter has devised distinctive scores for films (Miss Sloane, Hostiles), ballet, TV, opera and conceptual art shows; this appearance, with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, highlights his striking work for the Royal Ballet’s acclaimed ballet, Three Worlds: Music from Woolf Works, based on three novels by Virginia Woolf. Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Jan 23.

S

MARTIN Simpson, no stranger to Glasgow, is one of the world’s finest acoustic and slide-guitar players. His most recent album, Trials and Tribulations, is as good a place as any if you haven’t come across him before and want an ideal introduction. Glasgow Royal Concert Hall Strathclyde Suite, Jan 29.

T

TEDDY Thompson, the son of Richard and Linda Thompson and, in the words of the New York Times, “one of the most gifted singer-songwriters of his generation”, is making two appearances at Celtic Connections – supporting Shelby Lynne and Allison Moorer (City Halls, Jan 27), whose album he produced, and in his own right. Worth catching twice, really. The Mackintosh Church, Jan 25.

U

NORTH Carolina’s Underhill Rose – Eleanor Underhill (banjo/vocals) and Molly Rose (vocals/guitar) – formed in 2009 (the third member is Salley Williamson (upright bass/backing vocals) and have won praise for their “soulful blend of bluegrass-tinged acoustic music.” Oran Mor (supporting The Deslondes), Jan 24.

V

WILLY Vlautin is chiefly known to music fans as founder of the great alt.country band Richmond Fontaine, now sadly no more, but he is also a talented novelist; his fifth book is due out next month. This gig sees him reading from his fiction and playing some Fontaine songs. The Mackintosh Church, Jan 31.

W

SINGER songwriter Kathryn Williams’s most recent album was Songs from the Novel Greatest Hits, a “soundtrack album” to Laura Barnett's book about a fictional singer. Here she will play, backed by a full band, Little Black Numbers, her excellent album from 2000, which earned her a deserved Mercury nomination. Oran Mor, Feb 2.

X

ALEX Rex is the alter ego and new solo project of Alex Neilson, founding member of Trembling Bells. This line-up for this one-off gig includes Stevie Jackson, of Belle and Sebastian, and Dave McGowan, of Teenage Fanclub.(Trembling Bells themselves play the Hug and Pint on Jan 20). Glad Café, Feb 3.

Y

JAMES Yorkston – admired by such luminaries as the late John Peel – is an acclaimed singer-songwriter, a key early member of the influential Fence Collective. Last year saw the release of Neuk Wight Delhi All-Stars, the rather fine second album by Yorkston/Thorne/Khan (with Jon Thorne and Suhail Yusuf Khan). Glad Café, Jan 30.

Z

DAVID Ramirez, the Austin, Texas singer-songwriter, tours his latest album, We’re Not Going Anywhere, a remarkable picture of modern-day America as viewed from his perspective as someone with dual American/Mexican heritage. Broadcast, Jan 19.

Celtic Connections, Jan 19-Feb 4. celticconnections.com. Tickets 0141 353 8000.