As well as being likely – as things stand – to win three CDs*, Smiley raises the question of what I should be recommending to people who stray into this site more out of curiosity than because they already enjoy the kind of music I champion.
Well, since I am still struggling a little with the details needed for my decade/century so far idea, it may be useful to list each of the CDs I have reviewed to date during 2007.
I do not expect everyone to agree with my opinions, and that is as it should be. It's good to be fan who happens to have a platform or two, but I am at heart no more than that, whatever knowledge and experience I am able to bring to my reviewing.
By a convenient coincidence, the year started with one important bit of left-over business: declaring my choice of Folk Album for 2006. Read on to discover what I liked so much about Music From a Small Island, by Simon Mayor with Hilary James (pictured above………..
2007 Review extracts Jan 6 – May 26Jan 6 Jan 6 Simon Mayor with Hilary James: Music From a Small Island (Acoustics)
After plugging away for years to boost the image of the mandolin, Mayor's musical odyssey from Dorset to Scotland has everything the discerning listener craves: thoughtfully mixed material, evocative virtuosity and (from Hilary James) faultless singing…..instrumental folk music does not get more cultured than the Wharfedale Suite
Jan 13 Eleanor McEvoy: Out There (Moscodisc)
……the musings of a bright, articulate woman. The classical training provides only one of the obvious influences, with folk, blues, country and jazz all evident, too, while a Dublin brogue enriches the assured delivery…..bags of class but none of the clawing sentiment and melodic clout of her big hit (A Woman's Heart)
. Jan 20 Martha Tilston: Of Milkmaids and Architects (Squiggly)
Like father (Steve), like daughter. Martha Tilston's second album reveals a confident young singer with parental instincts and versatility safely inherited. … for her own songs, a little more work on melody would repay itself. But with so much wit and promise in the writing, and beauty in the singing, Tilston may be no more than a step from greatness.
Jan 27 London Lasses with Pete Quinn: Enchanted Lady (Lo La)
Dotted among the reels, hornpipes and jigs are songs by Kathleen O'Sullivan with a texture that occasionally recalls the Bothy Band's Triona Ni Dhomhnaill. Irish music in London has moved on some way from the impassioned but raw, scratchy days of Paddy in the Smoke.
Feb 3 Maire Ni Chathasaigh and Chris Newman: FireWire (Old Bridge Music)
Ní Chathasaigh naturally seizes centre-stage, weaving busy patterns on harp strings to such delightful effect that the occasional song, however exquisitely delivered, seems to intrude. But Newman's contributions must not be underestimated. The speed and complexity of his guitar-playing is to be marvelled at.
Feb 10 Eddi Reader: Peacetime (Rough Trade)
The trump card, again, is Reader's voice, so clear, comely and expressive that she could probably sing pages from the phone book without losing listeners' attention. That is just as well, since the quality of material is uneven……but if, at its lowest points, Peacetime sounds lightweight and flat, there are memorable peaks that add sparks of imagination to the fabulous singing.
Feb 17 Kris Drever: Black Water (Reveal)
The debut solo album from Kris Drever, who recently won the Horizon prize for best emerging artist at the BBC Folk Awards, sees several giants of folk music gathering round to lend helping hands……Black Water's charm owes less to the quality of the studio crew than to Drever's striking virtues. Maturity and flair flow from every track, from seasoned old ballads – Fause Fause and Patrick Spence – to such contemporary gems as Andy McKay's odd tale of criminality, Poor Man's Son.
Feb 24 Fairport Convention: Sense of Occasion (Matty Grooves)
On first appraisal, there is little here to compare with past glories. But since those glories cannot be detached from the magnificence of the late Sandy Denny, the comparison is unrealistic. Moreover, Sense of Occasion improves with each hearing…..Fairport's average age may creep higher, but the band retains just enough exuberance and excellent playing to ward off the lure of retirement.
to be continued/……… * Plenty of time to challenge Smiley for that prize. Just add your comments to the posting entitled Compete at Salut!
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