Dartmoor is the inspiration for West-Devon based folk artist Seth Lakeman’s latest album released tomorrow, Valentine’s Day.

The Granite Way has been released on his own record label Honour Oak Records as he heads out on tour, to share songs inspired by the rich folk heritage of the area with a wider audience.

He will be playing one gig on home turf, at Exeter Cathedral on Saturday, February 22.

Seth, from the Horrabridge area, is one of three musical brothers.

It was his second album Kitty Jay, itself inspired by one of the most famous Dartmoor folk tales, which catapulted him into the spotlight after it received a nomination for the Mercury Music Prize in 2005. In recent years he has toured with Van Morrison, among others.

Folk tales of Dartmoor are once again the focus of his new collection, recorded in a week with his long-time band of musicians.

"I had written the stories and songs beforehand and had the melodic tunes ready for us all to explore when we recorded in the room, and the musical interplay between this lineup really displays their appetite for sounds and subjects within the folk tradition," he says.

"With very little rehearsal beforehand the songs evolved quickly and naturally - there was no fixed arrangement until we finally recorded."

The album opens with the joyous ‘Louisa’ about the lifeboat journeying by land to Porlock Weir from Lynmouth on Exmoor. Then there’s the more sober ‘Charlotte Dymond’ and ‘Gallows Tree’, the former telling of a woman murdered on Bodmin Moor by her farmhand, the latter recounting of a condemned man reflecting his fate.

The eerie ‘Huntsman and the Moon’ is about the mythical Old Crockern, otherwise known as the Huntsman Devil of Dartmoor. while The Black Fox’, tells of the Black Fox of Dartmoor, believed to be a supernatural guardian of the moors.

While all the tracks on The Granite Way were written and produced by Seth Lakeman himself, the album was recorded with a group of musicans he has long taken part in .

They are Benji Kirkpatrick (electric guitar, acoustic guitar, banjo, mandolin and harmonica), Ben Nicholls (double bass and electric bass), Cormac Byrne (percussion and bodhrán) and Alex Hart (vocals), with additional studio contributions from Archie Churchill Moss on accordion and Dany Crimp on whistles.

The chemistry between band members is important. Seth said: ‘In an effort to keep the excitement of a touring band, we recorded everything together so we can recreate all of the songs from The Granite Way live. There are plenty of upbeat melodic tunes and rhythms that will be exciting to play and explore.’

See www.sethlakeman.co.uk