Recorded Music has announced Reb Fountain, Albi & The Wolves and Candice Milner as finalists for the 2018 Best Folk Artist Tui.

They will be celebrated at the Auckland Folk Festival 2018 on January 28 where the award is traditionally given out.

Reb Fountain released her third studio album ‘Little Arrows’ in September 2017. The album is a collaboration between her, the late Sam Prebble (Bond St Bridge, The Broken Heartbreakers) and Dylan Storey (The Dylan Storey Band), blending of folk, rock and Americana.

Albi & The Wolves play a mix of folk, soul, bluegrass and rock, creating an engaging live experience full of sing-alongs and wild dancing. As to be expected from a seasoned live band, they’ve been touring their debut studio album ‘One Eye Open’ heavily since its release in December 2016.

Candice Milner has been writing and recording since the age of 14, with her first single Helping Hands being released to support the youth cancer charity CanTeen NZ in 2015. Working with local producer Ben Edwards (Tami Neilson, Marlon Williams, Nadia Reid), ‘Evergreen’ is an collection of songs spanning country, folk and pop-rock.

Tickets for the Auckland Folk Festival are available from http://aucklandfolkfestival.co.nz/.

Recent previous winners of the Tui for Best Folk Album:

• 2013 – Great North – ‘Halves’
• 2014 – Tattletale Saints – ‘How Red Is the Blood’
• 2015 – Great North – ‘Up In Smoke’
• 2016 – Holly Arrowsmith – ‘For The Weary Traveller’
• 2017 – Guy Wishart – ‘West By North’