The Best Albums of 2010: Mike Harding

Another day, another entry in our continuing series of Best Albums of 2010 posts. Today, Mike Harding (find his Wednesday night Radio 2 show here) picks his favourite five albums of 2010. Over to the man himself for an introduction.

"As a general note I can say it was very hard to pick a top five - there were so many great albums produced this year, and some are still to come. I've never known the folk scene to be in such great heart and health."

Chumbawamba - ABCDEFG

All the notes in the musical scale are there in the title and this is an album all about singing and music and why we do it and how we do it and the whole CD is chock full of great songs sung with absolute meaning and total craft.

Read the BBC review and listen to previews

Coope, Boyes & Simpson - As If...

Great voices in harmony with a brilliant collection of songs. A world-class album from the depths of the tradition... English folk music at its very, very best.

Read the BBC review

Danú - Seanchas

One of the greatest Irish bands ever with a brilliant collection of music and songs. Everything flows, nothing jars; there are no bulky seams, yet there is also nothing slick or insincere about this album. A brilliant piece of work.

Danú on BBC Music

Emily Portman - The Glamoury

A terrific young English singer with a majestic voice and a skewed and compelling look at the ballad as a vehicle for magical and mysterious stories. A great CD.

Emily Portman on BBC Music

Pete Carberry - Traditional Irish Music from Co. Longford

Box and banjo player Pete Carberry has produced an album of deeply rooted and unhurried glorious sets of great Irish music - this will be a classic forever. I've played it over and over and over again.

(No BBC profile available)

Read more Best Albums of 2010 entries