Listening to Martin Simpson being interviewed and playing on Simon Mayo's show this afternoon, and looking back on the Radio Two Folk Awards last week, I'm left thinking what a great year for folk music 2007 was. I went on at length at how great Cambridge was - given that I saw Lau, Bellowhead, the Winterset, Martin Simpson, John Tams and Julie Fowlis (albeit the last two as part of the Under One Sky collective), of the major winners only The Imagined Village was absent (it was being launched under two feet of mud at Womad that weekend). Some of the choices were close to impossible - how to pick between Lau, The Winterset and Bellowhead for band of the year, but, sticking to the nominated artists, this would have been my choice:
FOLK SINGER OF THE YEAR: Julie Fowlis (no argument there)
BEST DUO: Show of Hands. The bridesmaids again; their two cd retrospective was one of the releases of last year.
BEST GROUP: Rachel Unthank & The Winterset. Impossible choice. Lau are probably better live (though not as good as Bellowhead).
BEST ALBUM: The Bairns (no surprises at all).
BEST ORIGINAL SONG: Never Any Good - Martin Simpson. Bitter Boy is also good, but Kate Rusby's nod is yet to come.
BEST TRADITIONAL TRACK: John Barbury - Kate Rusby. Awkward Annie is Kate's best album for a very long time, and this was a delight.
HORIZON AWARD: Bella Hardy. The worst decision of the night. They had to give Rachel an award, but how can you give a newcomers award to someone whose debut album was Mojo's folk album of 2005? And I really like Bella.
MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR: Martin Simpson. A great album, including a couple of really outstanding songs from one of the country's great guitarists.
BEST LIVE ACT: Bellowhead. Can't disagree at all, though again a great shortlist.
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