|
English Songs of Love |
||
| Julie Murphy, Lynne Denman, Joanne Acty | ||
|
CD |
BEJOCD-19 |
|
Searching
for Lambs...The Cuckoo...A Blacksmith Courted Me...The Dark-Eyed Sailor...
these and ten more love songs are among the treasures of the English folk
tradition and wonderfully evoked in this album. Available both on CD and
cassette the collection is presented by three fine interpreters of traditional
song. Fernhill's Julie Murphy is already acknowledged as one of the foremost
singers of her generation - 'a stunning female voice' is how Living
Tradition magazine has described her. Julie has often performed in
partnership with Lynne Denman from the band Ffynnon, and the power of their
vocal harmonies can be heard on the album's fine version of The Banks of
the Sweet Primroses. Joanne Acty from the acclaimed Oxfordshire band Magpie
Lane completes the trio of performers whose voices are enhanced by sensitive
and inventive arrangements on fiddle, guitar, clarinet, accordion, cello,
harpsichord and other instruments.
What the critics
have said...
'Three women singers with fine
voices, eight skilful musicians and fourteen of the most handsome songs
around sounds like a formula for a successful album and it proves to be
so... A gentle album that has many beauties to offer. It really does work.'
Roy Harris, Taplas
'The songs are familiar because
they are pretty much great and generations of people have loved singing
them. The fact that Julie Murphy is here singing quite a lot of them can
only improve matters yet further: her Lowlands of Holland is worth
the price of the record by itself, an exquisite blending of vocal poise
and twin fiddles. The Murphy/Denman unaccompanied harmonies on Sweet
Primroses, perhaps owing more to the Appalachians than the Sussex Downs,
come in a pretty close second, none of which implies any disrespect to
Denman and Acty's strong individual contributions by the way, but these
were the two tracks that struck me.'
Folk Roots
Copyright © 1996/2003 Beautiful Jo Records