"perfectly played and produced by one of the finest folk voices... a remarkable record"

"she has created a masterpiece"

"a definite five-star rating, no question"

“Five Star ***** Review from The Telegraph for 'The Lament of The Black Sheep' “Ange Hardy perfectly balances the strengths of traditional folk music with fresh writing...There is not a weak track among the 14 on Somerset singer-songwriter Ange Hardy's album The Lament of the Black Sheep””

“'The Lament of the Black Sheep' was BBC Radio Scotland, Iain Anderson : Album of the Week June 2014 & FolkWords, June 2014 : Album of the Month”

“Review of Bare Foot Folk : "An album of new English ballads in traditional style. Ange Hardy is a relatively new voice on the folk scene - and what a lovely warm voice it is. Her CD "Bare Foot Folk" presents her voice in pure form - there are just some vocal harmonies (with voice dubbing) and guitar playing (yet there are also some a capella songs and one accompanied by bodhran). All songs are written by Ange - but many of them would easily get away as traditionals. Even though Ange is from Somerset, many of the songs have a trad Irish feel to them - and there is a reason for this, as Ange learnt to play guitar when she was homeless in Ireland at the age 14. To pull off an album that is so much focussed on a voice and on newly written songs, you need a good voice, excellent vocal skills and songwriting talent. Ange Hardy proves with this album that she has all of these attributes. "”

"Ange’s writing displays an enviable sensitivity in tandem with a simple poetry in its delicacy of imagery...extremely well sung and extremely attractively presented (nay, a work of art): it’s a really special record"

"A really interesting album it is too. She's really very talented. 'The Sailor's Farewell' ...what a beautiful, sad song, really moving I thought."

"Brilliant, the album really is excellent."

"Ange is very well liked among presenters, she's got a lovely voice, she writes her own songs but there's such a traditional feel. Absolutely stunning."

"There are so many fantastic songs on this album that I really struggled to pick the three to play tonight... there's music with an awful lot of soul, there's a depth to Ange's voice which I find really refreshing"

"Is that beautiful, or what? I love Ange Hardy, she's great... I haven't even lined up the next tune I've been so enthralled by that CD!"

"This lady burst into my consciousness very recently, she's called Ange Hardy, The CD's called 'The Lament of The Black Sheep' and this is a lovely one, what a cracker!"

““Isn't it beautiful. I like the fact that you can imagine she was born and raised in her early years in Somerset and then went of to Ireland for a few years and learnt all that craft and then brought it back to Somerset again. It just screams of rural upbringing in England and Ireland as well. Great, and evocative of the old times.””

"Very very lucky, pleased and honoured to have a copy of the album it's absolutely gorgeous. I tell you one thing as well, I strongly recommend that you go on to Ange Hardy's website and look at the section called Ange's story. I don't think I've ever read such an honest open account of someones life laid bare for all to see on a website like that. It explains why her song writing is so stunning because it is just real, like her, she is a phenomenon and the only thing I can follow Ange Hardy with really is another Ange Hardy!"

"You only have to listen to ‘The Lament of The Black Sheep’ to hear the living heart of folk music beating throughout."

"Ange Hardy's one of the bright stars of the new wave of folk singers. What I like about her work is that while it is all new, all new written stuff, it seems deeply rooted in the story telling tradition. It doesn't have any element at all of pastiche it just seems to work incredibly well. She tells new stories in an age old way, I think it works terrifically well."

"Bare Foot Folk and is full of really interesting songs, Ange Hardy takes folk tales and creates new folk songs that sound traditional around the story. This is one she's called mother willow tree, it's beautiful"

“Fatea is proud to announce the shortlists for the Fatea Awards. The awards are nominated by the Fatea team and recognise excellence over 2013. The awards come with plenty of kudos and merit, but sadly no big tv show, speeches and trophies. This year though they do come with their own awards show, which will be broadcast on www.acoustic-spectrum.co.uk starting at 8pm on Wednesday 8th of January. Female Vocalist Of The Year 2013 Nominees Ange Hardy Emily Barker Lucy Ward”

“ANGE HARDY - Bare Foot Folk Four stars **** "Ange Hardy's second studio album is a pleasing collection of unfailingly listenable, self-penned acoustic songs. Amongst this charming assortment of melodies we are treated to highly catchy tunes, some nods to ancient times as well as choice references to the present day."”

“A review from The Young Folk Ange Hardy is well known for being a brilliant songwriter and singer. Her second album, ‘Bare Foot Folk’, is a collection of 14 beautifully crafted songs written by Ange. All her songs contain interesting and engaging lyrics set to wonderfully fitting tunes, mostly accompanied by her delicate guitar playing. Although none of the songs are from traditional sources, many of them narrate tales and are set to tunes that could easily be mistaken for traditional. The aim of the CD, for me, is very clear – and that is to present stories simply but beautifully and not concentrating on the instrumentation but the tune and the words. Her guitar playing is immaculate and very fitting for the album, with the vocal harmonies at times enhancing the messages that the songs convey. Furthermore, Ange has a beautifully clear voice which is ideal for the story telling aspects of her songs as well as being incredibly pleasant to listen to. Follow link for full rev”

"I've had a good listen to the album, there's some cracking tracks on it. She seems to get folk themes going in her mind, and writes new songs that sound sometimes for all the world as though they are in fact deeply traditional"

“Ange’s songs are enchanting without being twee, and earnest without being po-faced or mannered, and Ange achieves a consistency of invention without predictability of expression. As far as performance style goes, her delicate, melodic and economic guitar accompaniment provides all you need, with never an extraneous note or noodle, while her singing voice is entirely natural, with abundantly clear diction, a good range and smooth coordination of timbre, and is tenderly expressive without a trace of artifice. Her only concession to studio production is the fairly frequent augmentation of her voice with her own uncannily effective (and quite “angelic” – pun intended!) harmonies. All of which adds up to a spellbinding little gem of a disc that positively invites you to play it over again from the start, in its entirety.”

"I always find myself wishing I could be at a live performance of this kind of music. Ange Hardy makes you want to sit at her feet while she takes you into her confidence. Straight and pure singing with a simple effective accompaniment, Ange Hardy has a sweet soft voice and her guitar playing is just right."

"Lush. A lovely thoughtful album, all about roots and about grounding."

“Somerset-born Ange Hardy is a traditional-rooted folk singer-songwriter. On this second album she has stripped her sound back to the basics of just her voice and guitar. The songs don’t belong to the 21st century, they’re story ballads of times long past, people from the pages of history. It is exemplary of Ange to retain this old ballad style from years and years ago. I cannot find fault with her songs at all, they had me gripped to my seat, hanging on to every word. I especially enjoyed the plaintive Away With You Lassie and the jaunty It Can’t Be So with its lush harmonies.”

“Ange has a songbird voice. Smooth and natural, never shrill or indeed, anything less than endearing. This voice is sometimes alone, sometimes layered to create plush harmonies in an otherwise simple orchestration. For the majority of the the album backing for the vocal is achieved by a single, simple acoustic guitar. This consistency achieves a theme for the album musically which binds it together very well. But it is the songs themselves that are allowed to be the stars here. They do give the impression of being traditional when in fact Ange has penned the whole album. They are beautifully told tales of trying to get a son to sleep or a ship lost at sea or an inappropriate Facebook status. All erudite, heartfelt and written with a tenderness that allows you to lose yourself in the vocal delivery. A lovely album.”

"Her music acknowledges and showcases a range of emotions. Her voice is crisp and mesmerising yet familiar, like a warm single malt with a caramel finish"

"An album about loss, love, search for self and belonging, it closes with the lovely Appalachian hymnal Heaven Waits, a ‘called home’ acceptance that, as she puts it, the trials of this life on earth are but a part of our eternity. Having taken time off to raise her family, she’s starting to re-establish herself on the folk circuit again, with an album like this as a calling card, she should have little problem getting bookings."

"The melodies are unadulterated, the guitar work mouth-watering, the vocals enchanting with laid-bare harmonies. What forges the surprise is these are all self-penned songs that are at once ancient then ageless; from three hundred years ago or from yesterday."

"Ange’s sound itself is sweet, that is the only real word for it. Sweet as in pleasant to hear and leaves you wanting to have just one more. The album is all her work so the extra voice dubbing is a good addition as it gives her already strong voice an extra magical hold over the listeners."

"The melodies are unadulterated, the guitar work mouth-watering, the vocals enchanting with laid-bare harmonies. What forges the surprise is these are all self-penned songs that are at once ancient then ageless; from three hundred years ago or from yesterday."

“Ange gave us song upon song from her extensive repertoire. Her take on classics from Elton John and Bob Dylan received huge ovations, but equally impressive were the many numbers from her own 70 creations...The evening can best be summed up by the person who said, 'Ange’s voice moved me to tears”

"Nowadays, it is common for songs to be over-produced, so for me it is comforting to hear the simplicity that can be found in Ange's honest and exposed vocals and lyrics, as well as some nice guitar playing with a very confident delivery."