THERE was a time when listening to folk music required facial hair, elbow patches and a fondness for smoking a pipe.

Three years ago Mumford & Sons changed all that with their award-winning debut, Sigh No More.

Bringing folk music back into the mainstream, Mumford & Sons return with Babel, which has been produced once again by the magical Markus Dravs.

Marriage to Oscar-nominated actress Carey Mulligan has somewhat mellowed frontman Marcus Mumford, as heard on the band’s next single, I Will Wait, being a tender love song.

Songs such as Holland Road and Ghosts That We Knew show he hasn’t lost all his angst and anger.

There are less traditional English folk and more American folk rock influences on Babel, with tracks such as Lover Of The Light and Hopeless Wanderer sounding very Bruce Springsteen-esque in style.

Nevertheless, the foursome – including Country Winston Marshall, Ben Lovett and Ted Dwane – have, thankfully, stuck to what they are good at, and that’s writing and performing beautifully written, rousing folk songs.