OK, so I realise that this is a pretty bloody wide topic to say ‘I’m loving’, and frankly, I’m hardly qualified to make any kind of comment at all on it, given that my own eclectic music tastes hop around like an overexcited magpie on speed, ranging wildly from Maroon 5 to Emeli Sande to Glee (yes, I know) to Imelda May to Ella Fitzgerald to Peggy Lee to Stevie Wonder to Alanis Morrisette to Rihanna to Phil Collins to Elton John to Tinie Tempah (again, I know) to Lady Gaga and back again via a whole load more (OK, you get it), as well as folk.

Recently though, I’ve had the chance to see several open-air performances of some truly talented folk musicians, and in doing so have discovered quite a few new artists, while appreciating artists I already knew about even more.

And I’ve found myself absolutely loving it on a deeper level than something to just have a dance or a sing to…and what’s more, I’ve gone from not especially liking live music (never as well-mixed or easy to listen to as the recorded version) to thinking that it’s really quite fab (chilled, more atmospheric, and SO MUCH FUN).

For some reason, as I said to a friend recently, it feels like ‘I’m coming home’. Whatever that means, I’m not entirely sure, as ‘home’ for me is a sketchy concept at best, and certainly wouldn’t include a folk music history in any case, but, no matter – in no particular order, here’s the Top 10 of the songs I’ve had on repeat for the past few weeks.

The first few are the folky/acoustic ones I’ve been loving but after that it kind of descends into slightly less-focused madness…(but for that I make no apology…this is my blog and I get to decide its soundtrack 🙂 )

1. Fuel Up by Stornoway (discovered and fell in love with at Wilderness Festival this year…)

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2. Zorbing by Stornoway (am loving Stornoway so much that twice this week I’ve been listening to it on the Tube and missed my stop; one time it took 2 more stops before I even noticed. Now that’s special. Honestly, would be a serious pain in the arse if I wasn’t enjoying it so much)

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3. The Lass of Glenshee by Cara Dillon

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4. The Parting Glass by Cara Dillon

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5. Country Life by Show of Hands (were headline act at Folk by the Oak this year – put on an amazing show )

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6. Roots by Show of Hands

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7. Sovereign Light Cafe by Keane

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8. Underneath the Stars by Kate Rusby (old favourite but had it on the iPod again recently)

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9. Read All About It Part III by Emeli Sande

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10. Wherever You Will Go by Charlene Soraia (brilliantly touching cover of old, moody classic 🙂 )