Issue 12 12/99

The FolkWorld Top Ten 1999


FolkWorld's Top Tens are designed to help the reader to discover some of the most outstanding new bands of the year. They usually feature more the unknown bands and musicians or the hidden gems of the genre than the big stars.
Featuring a CD Top Ten and a Live Top Ten, compiled by FolkWorld's editors.


The FolkWorld CD Top Ten 1999

A selection of the personal highlights of 1999. Having been a difficult choice, here are the editor's three best CDs and their seven, also highly recommended, follow-ups. In our opinion, these albums are all a 'must' for collectors of European Music CDs.

  1. The best of 99: BEV (BonificaEmilianaVeneta) "Apotropaica"
    BEV CD Cover Italy plays often only a minor role in the European folk music scene, still it has some superb music to offer. BEV's debut album is a real treat of highest quality Italian folk music. Joining old traditional melodies with a modern approach, and bringing back nearly forgotten instruments like the Piva (Italian Pipes) on stage, BEV offer the possibility for a wide audience to discover the old traditions of the Emilia/Veneto region in Northern Italy. BEV's music is both attractive to hardcore trad fans and a new young audience. As the FolkWorld review concluded: "If you are into Italian music, then this one is a "must buy". If you have never heard before Italian music, it is a perfect introduction!"
    You can
    win FolkWorld's best album of 1999 in this issue!
    Read the full FolkWorld review


    Camerata Meiga CD Cover

  2. The second best of 99: Camerata Meiga "Habelas Hailas"
    Galicia sees currently an explosive expansion of the Celtic music scene, creating both superb and commercial low-quality bands. Camerata Meiga are one of the superb ones, with a similar calibre like a Carlos Nuņez Banda, Berrogüetto or Milladoiro. This album represents the full beauty of Galician music with its many cultural influences. It offers a lot of variety, a perfect ensemble playing, great vocals, combined with a high quality production and an attractive, tri-langual (Galician, Spanish, English) booklet. 10 out of 10 points for this brillant album!
    Read the full FolkWorld review


  3. The third best of 99: Niamh Parsons "Blackbirds & Thrushes"
    Niamh Parsons CD Cover Another real gem from Ireland. Niamh Parsons is Ireland's best female traditional singer, having a very rich and mature voice, and the skill to let the full beauty of any song flourish. This is a pure traditional album, and without doubt Niamh's best album yet. The wonderful voice of Niamh is the main feature of "Blackbirds & Thrushes"; still Niamh has invited a couple of great Irish musicians adding a subtle beautiful accompaniment to some the songs.
    "This album is simply too beautiful to express the feeling and quality in words, so I can only recommend to get the album and listen to one of the best traditional Irish albums of this decade..." is how the FolkWorld review closes...
    Read the full FolkWorld review


  4. Crasdant "Welsh Traditional Music"
    Highly enjoyable traditional instrumental four piece from Wales with beautiful music on harp, fiddle/accordion/whistle, flute, guitar and step dance.
    Read the FolkWorld review

  5. Susana Seivane
    Young female piper from Galicia, representing the high quality aspect of the young Northern Spanish scene.
    Read the FolkWorld review

  6. Añjel I.K. "Attitude Trad et Grooves explosivs"
    New Breton music combining traditional songs with modern grooves.
    Read the FolkWorld review

  7. Gerry O'Beirne "Half Moon Bay"
    The famous Irish guitarist/singer/songwriter with his sensitive debut solo album.
    Read the FolkWorld review

  8. Liisa Matveinen & Tellu Virkkala "Mateli"
    Two beautiful Finnish voices sing the songs of a Karelian Rune singer from the 18th/19th century.
    Read the FolkWorld review

  9. Bachué "A Certain Smile"
    Young Scottish duo (harp and piano/guitar) inventing new sounds of trad music.
    Read the FolkWorld review

  10. Dereelium "Millvalley"
    Superb exponents of Continental Celts - a German Irish folk band.
    Read the FolkWorld review

The FolkWorld Live Act Top Ten 1999
Flashback on the most memorable concerts of 1999. These acts are great craic and high quality entertainment.

  1. The best of 99: Anam seen at Stonehaven Folk Festival
    Anam's Fiona and Brian; photo by The Mollis Anam have become with their new line-up one of the definite Celtic top bands. They present now a mixture of Scottish and Irish Gaelic songs and magnificent tunes with a very full sound, with influences from all the Celtic regions. Their stage presence has these day a very vibrant approach, with a wild fiddling beautiful girl, Anna Wendy, in the centre, then on both sides of Wendy the other two girls, Fiona on the bodhran and vocals and Treasa on the accordion, and finally on both edges the boys of Anam, Brian on guitar and vocals and Neil on bouzouki.
    Anam's new line-up is stronger than ever, blending diverse Celtic traditions with modern songwriting, well designed to lead Celtic traditional and folk music into the new millennium.
    Read the FolkWorld live review of Stonehaven Folk Festival and the interview with Anam


  2. The second best of 99: Xosé Manuel Budiño seen at Celtic Connections 99 in Glasgow
    Xose Manuel Budino; photo by The Mollis Xose is one of the Galician Gaita players, Whistles and Uilleann Pipes; and his band features superb musicians on percussion, bass, bouzouki, accordeon and bass clarinet. Together, they create a powerful sound, based on beautiful traditional Galician tunes and Xose's own compositions. These six musicians would have been already enough to get any audience up and dancing, being excited and amazed by Xose's music. But Xose still had a very delicious bonbon to add: Mercedes Peón. Mercedes has a totally impressive, powerful voice; she sings her songs full of passion, you sometimes do not believe that it is just one girl singing there. The mixture between beautiful whistle tunes, powerful gaita tunes in more of a folk rock style and these impressive songs of Mercedes made this a most memorable concert.
    Read the FolkWorld live review of the Celtic Connections gig


    Serras; photo by The Mollis

  3. The third best of 99: Serras seen at Tønder Festival
    Serras are an exciting new Danish band around the well-known young fiddler Harald Haugaard. Playing Danish instrumental music from the 1700s, their approach is definitely more from the 1990s: On fiddle, sax, drums, bass, guitar, loops and samples, Serras create an attractive and original blend of old Danish fiddle music, rock, blues-jazz and sample beats from the 90s. Their live performance is extraordinary and drives any audience wild...
    Read the FolkWorld Tønder Review


  4. Kepa Junkera in the Stadtgarten Cologne/Germany.
    The Basque accordionist with band and his unique powerful live performance - great fun!
    Read the FolkWorld live review of the Celtic Connections gig

  5. Pure Irish Drops - Benny McCarthy, Aine Fitzpatrick & Michelle O'Brien in the Sonne pub in Herne / Germany
    Three of the best young traditional musicians from Ireland on accordion, fiddle and flute; brought together by the German Pure Irish Drops Tour project.
    Read the FolkWorld live review

  6. Slàinte Mhath at Celtic Connections in Glasgow.
    Stormy and wild young band from Cape Breton/Canada, offering not only a modern rendition of trad music on fiddles, pipes, piano and percussion, but also some step dancing.
    Read the FolkWorld live review of the Celtic Connections gig

  7. Alain Genty Band at Celtic Connections in Glasgow.
    The French bass player with a huge Breton band featuring even a small pipeband - Breton music of today!
    Read the FolkWorld interview with Alain Genty

  8. The new Niamh Parsons Band at the Irish Folk Festival Tour in Düsseldorf (Tonhalle).
    One of the best Irish trad singers with a wild refreshing band featuring fiddler Daire Bracken, accordionist Dave Munelly and others.
    Read the FolkWorld news feature about the Niamh Parsons Band at the IFF

  9. Leilia at Rudolstadt Festival in Rudolstadt/Germany.
    Five women from Galicia singing with strong voices traditional and contemporary cantigas.
    Read the FolkWorld live review of Rudolstadt Festival

  10. The Farlanders in the Färberei in Wuppertal/Germany.
    Russian band from Moscow presenting Neo Folk from the Edge of Europe.
    Read the FolkWorld live review


The 1999 FolkWorld Competition
What was your favourite Folk CD published in 1999?
Name us your favourite CD of 1999 (please give the name of the artist, of the CD and of the country where the artist is from), and WIN 3 CDS at once (of your choice out of a selection of six folk music (promotional) CDs)!!!!
Answers until 12/2/2000 to FolkWorld.


To the content of FolkWorld online magazine Nr. 12

© The Mollis - Editors of FolkWorld; Published 12/99

All material published in FolkWorld is © The Author via FolkWorld. Storage for private use is allowed and welcome. Reviews and extracts of up to 200 words may be freely quoted and reproduced, if source and author are acknowledged. For any other reproduction please ask the Editors for permission.


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