The Zawose Queens: Maisha review – vocal power and family stories
Pendo and Leah, daughter and granddaughter of Tanzanian musician Hukwe Zawose, use mesmerising thumb piano and shifting polyphony to create stirring songs
Richard Thompson: Ship to Shore review – another collection of beautifully gruelling material
Life gives more grist to the mill of the veteran singer-songwriter, whose guitar playing remains as eloquent as ever
Landless: Lúireach review – fans of Celtic music should flock to this stunning sound
Four powerful voices weave tender yet disquieting harmonies on a second album that honours bold women
Richard Thompson review – a showcase for decades of exquisite craft
In a sublime concert full of banter, storytelling and guitar virtuosity, the 75-year-old surrenders himself completely to each moment
Kaia Kater: Strange Medicine review – Canadian banjo virtuoso packs a powerful punch
The Canadian-Grenadian singer-songwriter’s phenomenal playing underscores strongly personal and political themes on her superb fourth album
Sean Khan: Sean Khan Presents the Modern Jazz and Folk Ensemble review – classics reinvigorated
A collective of genre-straddling talents give new life to songs by Nick Drake, John Martyn and Sandy Denny
Goblin Band: Come Slack Your Horse! review – rowdy, flamboyant folk
Born out of a London musical instruments shop where members worked, the Paul McCartney-approved band’s first EP is eager and theatrical, sometimes to a fault
Jess Ribeiro: Summer of Love review – a balm for anxious times
With expansive, experimental instrumentation, the Melbourne musician’s fourth album records our contemporary chaos – and finds a glimmer of hope
Fran & Flora: Precious Collection review – strings, shimmer and siren song whip up a desirous mood
This spirited adventure in the avant garde is as experimental as it is accessible, delving into hot-blooded Sirba and Transylvanian epics
Julie Abbé: Out of the Ashes review – a beautiful expression of the grieving process
The UK-based French folk singer embellishes her trad leanings with sultry blues and upbeat swing on a poignant and poetic second album
Sam Lee: songdreaming review – a moving tribute to Albion’s troubled soul
Disquiet pervades the folk singer’s self-written fourth album, with romantic love and awe of nature holding out against ecological collapse
Kacey Musgraves: Deeper Well review – folk-pop that’s high on life and pure as mountain air
The crossover star’s sixth album opens with a spectacular one-two of the most beautiful songs you’ll hear all year – but the loved-up mood and back-to-nature wonder becomes twee
Various artists: Africatown, AL: Ancestor Sounds review – music that defies the darkest of pasts
From blues to industrial and rap, these extraordinary recordings showcase the community of descendants of the last slavers’ ship to the US
Hurray for the Riff Raff: The Past Is Still Alive review – a time-shifting personal journey
The US singer-songwriter reminisces about their runaway past and loved ones lost on their folk-inflected ninth album
Daymé Arocena: Alkemi review – propulsive Cuban folk-pop
The singer trades acoustic improvisation for intricate, infectious hooks, with flavours of bossa nova, neo-soul and doo-wop