
fR355/356, the January/February 2013 double issue
Is despatching to subscribers today. Street date 20th December.
http://www.frootsmag.com
This is our annual Winter Double Issue. It has a major focus on the fRoots Critics’ Poll for Albums Of 2012 - you can find the winners on the web site - and a look at the nominations in the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. We’ve also got features on Korea’s remarkable Geomungo Factory; Scotland’s The Campbells (Mary Ann Kennedy’s family band) and Ewan McLennan; Womex 2012 in Thessaloniki; last summer’s triumphant tour by Nic Jones; Canada’s Bruce Cockburn and Old Man Luedecke; duos Kathryn Roberts & Sean Lakeman, Cath & Phil Tyler and Cavez & Montanaro; hot Zimbabwean band Mokoomba; Narasirato from the Solomon Islands; fine young English singer/songwriter Lori Campbell; Greek politiki lyra master Socratis Sinopoulos; a great spread of 1980s archive photos; and lots more including recent Bellowhead support band Mama Rosin answering our monthly questionaire. Plus our regular colums by Tim Chipping and Elizabeth Kinder, BIFF, our usual unrivalled news and review coverage and much more – including a chance to WIN 90 CDs, all our playlisted ones of 2012!

And! Our latest exclusive free-to-download album fRoots 42 with 16 great tracks from Sekouba Bambino, Sproatly Smith, Kathleen McInnes, Robin Williamson, Geomungo Factory, Ablaye Cissoko & Volker Goetze, Three Cane Whale (preview!), Hladowski & Joynes, Kristi Stassinopoulou & Stathis Kalyviotis (exclusive, otherwise unreleased!), Mama Rosin, Rachel Newton, Serafina Steer (preview!), Monoswezi, Cahalen Morrison & Eli West, Mavrika and Kathryn Tickell. The download includes booklet and label artwork and sleeve notes for those who want to burn to CD.

And! in this issue’s up-front fRoots Playlist, our current favourite new albums on the fRoots player: Anais Mitchell & Jefferson Hamer Child Ballads; Sproatly Smith Times Is 'n' Times Was; Alasdair Roberts A Wonder Working Stone; Ablaye Cissoko & Volker Goetze Amanké Dionti; Sekouba Bambino The Griot's Craft; Serafina Steer The Moths Are Real; Rupa & The April Fishes Build; Malick Pathé Sow & Bao Sissoko Aduna, Cahalen Morrison & Eli West Our Lady Of The Tall Trees and Monoswezi The Village.

Tracks from all those Playlist albums above, plus more from this issue's featured and reviewed artists can be heard on the January fRoots Radio now available via Podomatic - see http://www.podwireless.com.