It’s a fine collection of vowels and consonants that adorns our banner this time – a band who surely organised their names to raise a wry smile, and another who sound suspiciously like a firm of solicitors. Fear not – folk bands and artists through and through. We might even discover a theme as we pick our way through them. Or maybe not.
House of Hamill are a true product of folk coincidence – at the 2014 Folk Alliance International conference Rose Baldino’s band were delayed and so she formed an impromptu duo with Brian Buchanan whom she knew from Canadian celtic rock band Enter the Haggis. Four years of playing together later they were doing a big festival show, hired a drummer and bassist who were flight delayed and so called on Caroline Browning, who clicked so well she became part of the band. On their new album ‘Wildfire‘ they bring some ardour to their playing whether it is on a lively jig such as the opener ‘Ausable‘ or the murder ballad ‘Banks of the Brandywine.‘ Elsewhere they take a modern folk approach to songs like ‘Silver Dagger‘ which has some pop polish to it, whilst ‘The Highwayman‘ is a surprisingly straight acoustic rendering of Jimmy Webb’s classic song. Their take on ‘Unquiet Grave ‘ has more speed and brio, refreshing since this is a song so often taken at a dirge pace. House of Hamill’s folk is far from traditional, they have pop leanings and stomping percussion and tight harmony vocals are their standout moves, which are best appreciated on the title song. Overall though worth a try. (6/10)
Dartmoor duo Dave Harbottle and Freya Jonas have in ‘Wild Geese‘ their fifth album under the duo name of Harbottle & Jonas and their eleventh under all previously used band names. It’s a modern folk album – acoustic instruments and lovely harmony vocals are further backed up with synthesizers and effects like recorded bird song. The majority of the music draws on a view of an idyllic family life on Dartmoor, the latter most clearly on ‘God’s Idea‘ where Jonas sings of the joys of pregnancy and the elation and excitement of birth bringing more love into the world. ‘Traveling Family Band’ celebrates the joys of the duo’s musical life “our lives are just as we planned” to which is appended “the family is the band.” It is all quite cozy and shows, intentionally or otherwise, a shared lineage and influence with Mumford & Sons – albeit with less bombast. Other points of familiarity might be Megson and Sean Lakeman & Kathryn Roberts.
‘As I Walk Into The Day’ is a more modest reflection on the healing properties of a day’s journey across the moors – from morning to night, which shimmers like a warm day. Everything on ‘Wild Goose‘ is well played, the production is crisp, but where there is passion it is a homely, comfortable passion. All very pleasant. (5/10)
Anthea Fever‘s album ‘Summer’s Morning‘ has just been released and it finds the Ontarian singer in fine voice on a selection of new and traditional songs. It’s a record which truly reflects its cover – there’s an attractive old time feel to the songs, even the new writes, which fits well with the guitar and fiddle accompaniment augmented with touches of restrained brushed drumming, viola and bass and just a little tuba all supporting Anthea Fever’s unaffected vocals which are breathlessly intimate. The title song is an appropriately dreamy love song with a quiet passion – a repeated ‘I want to lie in your arms again‘ leading to the declaration ‘And watch the sun rise and fall again.’
‘This Whole World (Bringing Me Down)‘ couldn’t be gentler even as it makes some swinging criticism of the way the world is going, whether it’s the mistake of leaving a drowned world to the coming generations or the current difficulties of a minimum wage economy or new laws to regulate what choices a woman can make for herself.
Traditional songs covered here include ‘Geordie‘ where the hanging judge remains inflexible to all entreaties and a lovely ‘Come All Ye Fair and Tender Maidens‘ sung to a banjo accompaniment that is only a shade, if that, from ‘Silver Dagger‘. It’s a really moving rendition – not something easy to do with a well-known song. Anthea Fever is one to watch. (8/10)
‘Flowers‘ is the debut release from trio Michell, Pfeiffer & Kulesh who are a trio of singers from England (Odette Michell ), Russia (Daria Kulesh) and Germany (Karen Pfeiffer). ‘Flowers‘ features a mix of traditional and more recently – although not newly – penned songs on a general theme of warfare and the waste it is, with a side-order of the untrustworthiness of men. The trio blend their vocals beautifully, and have as their main unique feature songs sung in all three native languages, on several occasions with different verses in different languages within the single song. This doesn’t always work well – especially when they adopt a more cabaret approach, piano-led and sounding as if they are all in evening dress as stand-ins for Fascinating Aida – one can almost see Dillie Keane making a suggestive wink in the chorus of ‘Those Were The Days.‘ It’s also questionable as to whether a tri-lingual ‘Where Have All The Flowers Gone‘ is really what the world needs now. When they take a more traditional approach to folk – they play, between them, bouzouki, guitar, accordion, bodhran, shruti box, percussion and Irish flute and recorders – the result are far more successful. Rather than dwell on any shortcomings, here’s the trio at their best (5/10).
Sam Carter returns with his fifth full-length release, which finds him collaborating with a number of folk luminaries on songs that are not spartan but quite uncluttered in their arrangements. ‘Silver Horizon‘ features bassist Ben Nicholls, drummer Evan Jenkins, guitarist Stuart McCallum and additional vocals from Rowan Rheingans and Ian Stephenson on harmonium. The eleven songs on ‘Silver Horizon‘ mostly have the form of a series of slow ballads, a dwelling on different aspects of love and changing relationships and life steps. There are other meanings, apparently, ‘If You Set Me Free‘ is an examination of a Stockholm Syndrome – that it sounds just like a torch song in the Scott Walker mould does serve to disguise it as a relating of an obsessional love. ‘Boxes & Bags‘ is a leaving home tale, not necessarily through choice as the song’s narrator continues to cling to the familial scene. ‘Good Enough‘ starts from a slow point and then explodes into a pop song on optimistically trying for the out of reach prize, even when you already have all you need. Sitting on big drum rhythms and multitracked vocals it’s all Eighties sheen and polish. That is rather the feeling of the album – mostly low key ballads that wouldn’t be out of place on a retro chart rundown – there’s certainly a feel that it’s trying for something more, but only one or two songs stand out at all (there’s more passion and a little less polish on the duet ‘We’re Still Here‘ for example) and that’s the main weakness of the album. It’s a bit samey. (6/10)
It’s a bit of an understatement to say that ‘Labor Day’ is an album by Si Kahn and George Mann – since it has a veritable host of other musicians on it – legendary American folk names such as Peggy Seeger, John McCutcheon, Kathy Mattea, Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, Michael Johnathon & Odetta, and Tom Chapin & the Chapin Sisters. And Billy Bragg (also a legend, of course). And what an album it is, honouring Si Kahn’s 80th birthday with selections from his first album ‘New Wood’ and songs from Si’s vast catalogue that have never before been released, not even by Si himself. The album is subtitled ‘A Tribute To Hardworking People Everywhere‘ and the main theme is that there is a power in a union, that the wealth of mankind is poorly distributed and hard work and exploitation do not need to go hand in hand. It’s a great collection, mixing acoustic and electric folk, the strident and the occasionally more sentimental, but throughout ‘Labor Day‘ is inspired and inspiring that features songs that are sadly not dated. Raise a fist in solidarity and cry out “working folk of every colour, union women, union men side by side, stand up for freedom, stand together, until we win!” Obviously, the album of the month. (8/10)
