“Ffynnon’s new line-up involves founders singer Lynne Denman, Stacey Blythe on harp, accordion and piano, plus fiddler Emma Trend, Matthew Lovett on guitar and bass. A guest appearance by Dylan Fowler on guitar and drum is also featured. If you haven’t come across them before, think early Fernhill and you should have a pretty clear idea of their style.Lynne’s powerful voice always manages to hit the spot, whether it be in a traditional song or in more recent compositions. She has made something of a speciality of her settings of Welsh poetry. Llys Ifor Hael (reprised from their last album), arranged for voice, bass, fiddle and harp, is a dignifoed and moving lament for the ruined court of Ifor the Generous. Denman is equally at home in Welsh, French or English. The Breton dance song En Filant ma Quenouille, with its close harmony singing and infectiously joyous clapping and drum accompaniment, is thoroughly enjoyable. Another highlight is Cherries, a striking setting of a poem by Janet Dubé.A wonderful album of inventive instrumentals and heartfelt and bold songs.”
Taplas  Review Jan 2007 Delyth Jenkins

Ffynnon Adar Gwylltion
“Complex cencept album of simple melodies.
Ffynnon are a four-piece band from South Waleswho play traditional music with jazzy and bluesy inflections. On this album they endeavour to draw out the connections between people, history and the nature of place and language. It begins with a recording of a young girl asking her grandmother to name all her brothers and sisters, she was one of ten children and so her reply is a beautiful litany of Welsh names. There is a grandmother in the second track as well. ‘Cherries’ is a poem by Janet Dubé sketching the life of her grandmother, who had to leave her home and abandon her language to find work. Set to Stacey Blythe’s accordion, Matthew Lovett’s bass and Emma Trend’s violin, it is sung lucidly and straightforwardly by Lynne Denman.
Then comes a set of four 18th century englynion (one of the strict forms of Welsh poetry) followed by a reel played on a low whistle that dissolves into a snatch of women talking (something to do with old age and money) This in turn fades into birds calling over mudflats. There is a spirited piece with lyrics dating from the sixth century lamenting an empty hearth. The album ends with the sound of curlews calling.
In spite of all the loss and leaving in these songs both ancient and modern, people always remain, conversing in their own voices just as the wild birds do. Ffynnon may use traditional instruments but theirs is a modern expression and the music is quite surprisingly so. It’s very impressive and rather beautiful.”

Songlines  Julian May 2007
“The dynamic quartet Ffynnon is based in Wales, a fact that’s not always apparent on the eclectic, crisp and exciting Adar Gwylltion. The title translates as ‘wild birds’, an apt metaphor for the undulating instrumentals of fiddler Emma Trend, bassist Matthew Lovett, multi-instrumentalist Stacey Blythe and the resplendent vocals of Lynne Denman. It’s also an appropriate handle for an album that detours to Quebec for ‘En filant ma quenouille’ a work-tempo spinning song perfect for clogging, and to Brittany for ‘Sept Marins’ whose rhythmic French cadences are delivered with precision, power and hints of pathos by Denman. This is an album of many colors. ‘Cherries’, a poem set to music, tells (in English) the bitter-sweet tale of a resilient Welsh-speaking woman forced by war and circumstance to adapt to a not-always-accepting Anglo world around her. Its mix of contemporary, jazz and Celtic instrumentation is reminiscent of Capercaillie arrangements. Ffynnon follows with a series of Welsh language songs which use strongly accented harp cascades, melancholy fiddle, bouncy bass and dramatic vocals that emphasise consonants in a mix evocative of Scandinavian bands such as Gamarna.
‘Oer’ by contrast is torchy Welsh blues and Denman smokes the vocals. She follows with ‘Elen a’r Eos’ with pain-laced vocals set to Blythe’s doleful accordion, a perfect frame for a song that tells us that talking to nightingales helps cope with a heavy heart. It’s one of several bird-themed songs on an album that would soar without avian assistance”
Sing Out!  Summer 2007  R Weir

FFYNNON - Adar Gwylltion  Taith Records - TRCD003
“What a joy to encounter a CD which requires the listener to do a little work and to find that the effort put in is rewarded on so many levels. I tend to recoil at music labelled ‘fusion' because it brings to mind my first experience of the cocktail ‘Black Velvet' (Guinness and Champagne) which I felt was a ruination of two fine drinks. But this ‘jazz-soaked Celtic folk music' (a quote from Radio 2) is something else.
Ffynnon are Lynne Denman (vocals), Stacey Blythe (just about any instrument you can name), Emma Trend (fiddle) and Matthew Lovett (guitar and bass). Dylan Fowler also features on guitar and drum and the album was recorded at his Stiwdio Felin Fach in South Wales. I have loved Lynne's voice since first hearing her in a duo performance with the late and much missed bassist Dave Reid in about 2002. She has a jazz-tinged voice with power and subtlety in equal measure and she could sing the instructions from a workshop manual and I would enjoy it. Stacey also has a fine voice and is a multi-instrumentalist who brings influences from the many genres of music in which she has worked. Emma's fiddle playing adds welcome colour and Matthew's dark brooding bass makes the hair on my neck stand on end.
Do you get the idea I like this one? You bet. And I think I know why. Much of the singing is in Welsh (with a little French and English here and there). No explanations, apologies, translations or compromises (and quite right, too!). Sleeve notes are sparse. There is even a little humorous story told by Ethel Fronhaul (how did she get in?) and various other sound effects, noises off and snippets of conversation. I don't know why they are there but they seem to fit. Perhaps my lack of understanding of the words makes it easier to suspend one level of judgement and simply treat the voices as the beautiful instruments they are. This album reeks of jazz but feels like folk. I think it would be wrong to single out tracks. But I will. Listen to the jazzy Oer (which means ‘cold' in Welsh), and then check out Stacey's own composition, Iain's Reel, featuring the low whistle. The contrast is astounding. Listen to it all, and then listen again. I did.”
Phil Thomas

Ffynnon - 'Adar Gwylltion'
“Ffynnon are a four piece based in Cardiff, although relatively unknown this side of the big pond, which is perhaps a symptom of the lack of acknowledgement given to the Welsh contribution to the folk arts in these islands, the band were signed to the Green Linnet label in the states as a result of a demo tape sent through the post, following this up they have performed succesful concerts across the US. The band started life as a trio consisting of Dave Reid, Lynne Denman and Stacy Blythe, Read was well know on the Jazz scene both in London and Wales and his Guitar playing bought a special element to the original trio when combined with the more 'folky' elements of Denman's vocals and Blyth's accordian and harp. Although sadly Reid suffered a fatal heart attack in 2003 his influences can still be felt in the bands sound. After this tragedy and loss the band re-organised and recruited two new members, Fiddler Emma Trend and Guitarist Matthew Lovett who like Read has a background in the Jazz scene and indeed plays with the BBC Not NOW Jazz Ensemble.
'Adar Gwylltion' is one of those CD's where it is hard to identify a particular highlight or two, indeed without fail every track is a highlight in its own unique right. The quartet experiment, improvise, include other traditions and put their own mark on each track whether instrumental or song based. Indeed the 13 full tracks include both instrumental and vocal based tracks and range from Songs taken from the Breton tradition to Welsh poems and elements of the Welsh oral tradition put to song. The two examples of the former are 'En filant ma Quenouille' and 'Septmartins' with the latter being a traditional Breton song concerned with the young women of the village waiting for the return of the sailors, examples of the latter include 'Rheged' which are verses from 'Diffaith aelwyd Rheged', an ancient Welsh poem lamenting the betrayal which lead to the loss of the ancient British lands and 'Llys Ifor Hael' a work by the 17th century poet Ieuan Brydydd Hir. For the most part the songs are in the Welsh Language, the exceptions are the English Language poem by contemporary poet Janet Dubé and part of the final song 'Breuddwyd'. However the strength of this quartet lies precisely in their innovation and absorbing other influences (the Jazz background of one of their members being an obvious example) whilst in no ways losing the essence of their own tradition or for that matter the Breton songs they include on this collection.
Whilst each of the band are busy and are involved in several other projects on the strength of this release I find it hard to believe that Ffynnon will not become more of a 'name' on the folk scene over the next few years. My only criticism are the lack of details on the inlay card either about the band or the songs and poems, although to be fair the lyrics and details of the songs are clearly available online and can be found at ffynnon.com which includes the details you would expect along with short clips from each track on the current CD, sufficient to encourage you to increase your credit card bill I would suspect.”
Folk and Roots