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June Tabor & Oysterband
JUNE TABOR & OYSTERBAND Ragged Kingdom Topic TSCD585
Never go back, that’s what they say, isn’t it? Then again, They say a lot of things and They often talk a lot of
tosh. And this is one reunion that works so magnificently it even overshadows the magi- cal memories of their previous collaboration 21 years ago.
Life, of course, was very different in 1990
when June Tabor and Oysterband somewhat surprisingly amalgamated their considerable varied talents on Freedom & Rain, an album that still retains the aura of a British folk clas- sic. Since then both parties have built on their formidable reputations for excellence and adventure – Tabor recently released the majestic solo album Ashore – but a cameo reunion celebrating fRoots’ 30th birthday show at London’s Roundhouse last year trig- gered all the old creative juices and the unthinkable notion of making a brand new album together began to form.
As then, 21 years ago, as now, they sound absolutely made for one another, for however powerful and defined they remain as their own entities, something special and something very different emerges when they pool their tal- ents. That’s what happens here anyway.
Opening with a simmering arrangement
of Bonny Bunch Of Roses, it dips into some bold territories – an impassioned version of PJ Harvey’s That Was My Veil, a stark treatment of Shel Silverstein’s dark American civil war tale Hills Of Shiloh, a swinging interpretation of Dylan’s Seven Curses and an absolutely gorgeous acoustic take on the song that stopped the show at the Roundhouse that
night, Joy Division’s Love Will Tear Us Apart, the Tabor-John Jones duet wrenching every drop of emotion from the loaded lyrics over Ray Cooper’s bewitching cello.
What they leave out plays as big a part as what they put in to make this such a com- pelling album. Given a formidable electric band and two singers of such exceptional strength and character you anticipate a grandstanding fireworks show in every groove. Yet while they certainly rock at strategic points – a driving If My Love Loves Me (heard on this issue’s fRoots 36 compila- tion) and a rousing Fountains Flowing (or if you prefer Our Captain Cried All Hands/Fight- ing For Strangers/To Be A Pilgrim) – it’s a very restrained Oysters, who offer thoughtful and often subtle accompaniments which not only showcase Tabor’s peerless voice in its most seductive light, but sensitively reflect the nuances of the carefully selected material they’ve chosen. When Jones and Tabor duet on Dark End Of The Street over lamenting melodeon and fiddle, the song’s inner des- peration is suddenly exposed anew and you completely forget its celebrated and much- covered history as a soul standard.
The quiet gospel flavour hinted by the chorus backing vocals behind Tabor’s other- wise unaccompanied (When I Was No) But Sweet Sixteen similarly reinvents a traditional song associated with the great Scottish travel- ling singer Jeannie Robertson and, if it feels like they miss an opportunity to really explode and show their muscle on Judas (Was A Red- Headed Man), the combination of Alan Pross- er’s ghostly guitar and Ian Telfer’s wailing fid- dle do create an unworldly atmosphere.
It’s an album made with such a level of care and attention it’s hard to see how it can fail to at least match the impact of its prede- cessor two decades ago. Beautifully produced by Al Scott, it sounds and looks great, includ-
Mamani Keita
ing an impressive digipak and booklet with some particularly striking Judith Burrows photos. It’s not officially released until September 19th but you might want to put those pre-orders in now.
www.oysterband.co.uk Colin Irwin MAMANI KEITA
Gagner L’Argent Francais No Format! NOF.17
VIEUX FARKA TOURÉ The Secret Six Degrees 65703611792
Paris-based Malian Mamani Keita’s sec- ond album with gui- tarist and arranger Nicolas Repac picks
up the trail set by her previous album, Yelema (also Repac-guided), once again providing a composite mix of West African acoustic instrumentation and subtle electronic colouration, only this time with a more direct application of electric guitar, drums and bass (Jérôme Goldet laying down an economical pulse throughout).
Mamani is slightly more strident vocally than previously, in line with the tougher sonic landscape, still engagingly high and nasal at times but more likely where necessary to vary and strengthen her tone. This deepens the textures, particularly when ngoni and flute up the African ante, leaving the appealing backing singers to provide the childlike counter-melodies.
Opener and title track – a springy, dance- able statement of intent – is a tough act to fol- low. But Doussou’s pretty melody, Nenibali’s Yelema-like mesh of crushed beats, currents of
Photo: Judith Burrows
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