Luke Daniels - The Mark Radcliffe Folk Sessions

The latest in the series of wonderful EP releases recorded during The Mark Radcliffe Folk Sessions on BBC Radio 2 comes from Luke Daniels, and it is a great snapshot of one of folk’s most interesting characters. Originally a melodeon player, with a fine CV including the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the touring production of Riverdance, he has recently transformed himself into a singer-songwriter, and he seems to be flourishing in that field too.

This EP opens with Way Back Home, which comes from his latest album What’s Here What’s Gone. Despite being live, the performance is incredibly tight, with some predictably fantastic melodeon playing complementing Daniels’ impressive vocal.

The middle track comes from his previous album, Sleeping Giants, and is called Three Servants. This catchy tune shows off the playing of guitarist Ian Stephenson, and sees Daniels put in another expressive and suitably upbeat vocal performance.

How Will I Know, also from the new album, is the closing number. It builds on the strengths of the rest of the set, which overall leaves the impression of Daniels as a talented and exciting singer-songwriter, whose presence on the folk scene can surely only continue to grow.