Utopia & Wasteland - Greg Russell & Ciaran Algar (13/04/18)
- Artist: Greg Russell & Ciaran Algar
- Release Date: 13th April, 2018
- Genre: Folk
- Record Label: Rootbeat
- Tracks: 11
- Website: http://www.russellalgar.co.uk/
It could be their pull-no-punches songwriting. It could be Russell's remarkable voice and Algar's distinctive, fluid fiddle. It could be their inventive takes on traditional songs, their unseen empathy, infectious tune sets or the way they tackle topical issues. Whatever it is, Greg Russell and Ciaran Algar have got it, making a huge impact from the first moment they emerged on the UK folk scene.
Still only 24 and 22, Greg and Ciaran released their first album The Queen's Lover in 2012 and enjoyed a remarkable rise, landing the Young Folk Award at the 2013 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. In 2014, they found themselves at the Royal Albert Hall clinching the Horizon Award and in 2015 they were nominated for Best Duo.
Drawing on a range of influences, Russell and Algar released their second album The Call in 2014 and, in 2016, the acclaimed The Silent Majority. Now with solo albums under their belts and performances in other line-ups (Algar with Sam Kelly's The Lost Boys and Russell in The Transports and his own multi-artist protest song project Shake the Chains) they are back. Utopia and Wasteland marks another milestone in their short but exceptional career. Recorded at The Green Room Studio, Devon, producer Mark Tucker adds percussion, bass and backing vocals to Greg's unmistakable voice and acoustic guitar and Ciaran's fiddle, tenor banjo, electric tenor guitar, bodhran and vocals. 9 of the 11 tracks are originals, marking a bold departure from their largely traditional back catalog
