Various: Oak Ash and Thorn – review

Two inspirations lie behind this array of young folk voices. The first is Rudyard Kipling, whose children's poems provide its content; the second is the late Peter Bellamy, a 1960s folk stalwart whose albums of Kipling verses became cult items. The 16 participants add their own flavours to Bellamy's tunes: the Unthanks bring wintry sibling harmonies, Trembling Bells their inventive folk-rock, and Tim Eriksen his New England autoharp. The stand-outs, arguably, come with the pure voices of Olivia Chaney's harp-tinged "The Brookland Road" and Jackie Oates on the fiddle-driven "A Three-Part Song". A rich, varied set that's a showcase for a new generation of folkies.