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KATHRYN ROBERTS & SEAN LAKEMAN Personae I-Scream ISCD16
Kathryn is quite simply one of the most versa- tile singers on the circuit, while Sean’s skills as producer and guitarist are second to none. Furthermore, the couple’s togetherness ensures a close familiarity with, and keen response to each other’s individual strengths. They’re clearly on a continuing creative roll with this new collection which once again demonstrates their talent for conveying a variety of emotional moods while utilising imaginative scoring opportunities.
Like its predecessor, Personae opens with a setting of a traditional ballad; this time it’s a tasty, jangly-rocked-up The Knight’s Ghost, where Kathryn’s joined by guest vocalist Sam Kelly. The only other traditional item is Boney’s Defeat, one of the family of St Hele- na songs, here done a capella by Kathryn with selective use of layered vocal harmonies. All remaining songs bar one (a straightfor- wardly heartfelt treatment of Sandy Denny’s signature song Solo) are jointly-penned origi- nals, embracing an often quirky choices of subject matter and adopting different per- sonae for their perspective.
Likely highlights are Seasons, on which
Kathryn’s bewitchingly sinuous vocal charts the progress of a romance, and the tenderly plaintive Independence, which simply expresses the child’s trust in the parent when finding his/her way in the world. The album thrives on contrasts, from the enigmatically pensive Goddess Made Flesh (with its reso- nances of Candle In The Wind) to the animat- ed bustle of The Street Of The Cats Who Dance (which takes its cue from an obscure instance of late-18th Century Breton law) and Tribute Of Hands (a jig-time retelling of the legend of the founding of the city of Antwerp). The country-waltz-styled Old, Old, Old voices the thoughts of the world’s oldest living land animal (a Seychelles giant tor- toise), while The Poison Club is a rather flip- pant, jaunty come-on, although an entertain- ing enough interlude).
While they continue to produce albums of this stature, Kathryn and Sean need have no fear of losing their reputation as one of the most assured and entertaining duos on the folk scene.
kathrynrobertsandseanlakeman.com David Kidman
SARAH-JANE SUMMERS Solo Dell Daisy Dell008
There are lots of completely solo fiddle albums from Norway and Sweden, but almost, or perhaps actually, none from Scot- tish fiddlers. Until now.
Sarah-Jane Summers, born in Scotland but now living in Norway, has long been deep in Norwegian music and has a Norwe- gian State Academy of Music master’s degree in Norwegian traditional music and free improvisation on hardanger fiddle. She released a solo fiddle and viola improvisa- tion CD Virr in 2017, but for this one, using fiddle and hardanger fiddle, she has focused on her native Scottish tradition. It isn’t, as are some of the Nordic fiddle albums, a string of dance tunes, but a very interesting and varied set, much of it slow tunes, often from 18th and 19th Century collections, including Gaelic song airs.
Opening with one of the latter, Lath’ A’ Siubhal Sleibhe Dhomh from the Angus Fras- er Collection, she plays the melody with her characteristic rich tone, then goes into pibroch territory for rhythmic variations, returning to finish, as in pibroch, on a
Kathryn Roberts & Sean Lakeman
restatement of the air. Two laments are by Donald Riddell, who taught Sarah-Jane before his death in 1992. There’s one compo- sition of her own, as well as a ringing- stringed, cirrus-cloud Norwegian huldrelått on the hardanger, learnt from Håkon Høge- mo, whom she was lucky to have as one of her teachers at the State Academy. There are some up-tempo pieces, too, including several of that uniquely Scottish form, the strath- spey, and a vigorous Scott Skinner march and pipe jig learnt from Donald Riddell.
The album closer, on hardanger fiddle, is a pibroch with powerful fiddle variations, Cumha Mhic A H-Arasaig (MacIntosh’s Lament) from the 1784 Patrick McDonald col- lection, from which come several melodies on the album and is one of the best sources of the older ways of Scottish music.
Some solo fiddle albums come across as many-tracked evidence of a fiddler’s ability, their repertoire or local tradition; often inter- esting enough in their way, and certainly worthwhile, but more of dip-in rather than a listen-through. But Sarah-Jane’s beautiful toned, finely judged playing and acuity in turning music, some from collections relative- ly unexplored by today’s fiddlers, into breath- ing, living, expressive pieces with a musical arc, make this an appealing and satisfying through-listen; nothing more is needed than her fiddle.
sarah-janesummers.com Andrew Cronshaw
R L BOYCE
Roll And TumbleWaxploitation 881034124302
JOHNNY TUCKER Seven Day Blues Highjohn 007
You could argue either that RL Boyce’s Roll And Tumble album is a perfect example of North Mississippi hill country blues in all its lin- ear, mesmerising, hypnotic glory, or that it’s stupefyingly boring, repetitive music that goes absolutely nowhere. RL Boyce has all the right credentials having grown up in Como, Missis- sippi, (home to Fred McDowell) and started out as a drummer with the Rising Star Fife and Drum Band playing alongside Otha Turner (whose son Andre Otha Turner plays bass drum on Boyce’s album). Boyce also played drums
for Jessie Mae Hemphill whose paternal grandfather Sid Hemphill had his own fife and drum band (twice recorded by Alan Lomax). Eventually switching to guitar, Boyce plays and sings just as well as hill country stalwarts Junior Kimbrough and RL Burnside (whose grandson Cedric Burnside plays drums along with his father Calvin Jackson on this CD).
But therein lies the problem of just con- tinuing to plough the same furrow without planting anything new to help the music grow. Produced by David Katznelson and North Mississippi Allstar/Black Crowes mem- ber Luther Dickenson who, along with Light- nin’ Malcolm adds extra layers of guitar, Roll And Tumble was recorded on Boyce’s porch in Como, and in a studio in Hernando, Missis- sippi, which certainly gives the session a heightened ambience and presence that benefits the music being played. Boyce is adept at improvising lyrics while chugging out the endless boogie pattern that’s now the recognised hallmark of hill country blues.
waxploitation.com
By coincidence Johnny Tucker also start- ed out learning to play drums. Moving to LA in 1964, he hooked up with guitarist Phillip Walker’s band, first as a featured vocalist, then as drummer, before going on to per- form with the likes of Johnny Otis, Screaming Jay Hawkins, Floyd Dixon and Robert Cray. As front man and vocalist he recorded his first album Why You Lookin’ At Me? for High John Records in 2002 and now, just sixteen years later, up rolls Seven Day Blues, also for High John. You wouldn’t describe Johnny Tucker as a really great vocalist but his voice is hard, strong and full of character and he doesn’t hold back an inch, putting everything he’s got into each and every song. With strong backing from some choice musicians includ- ing (producer) Big John Atkinson and Scott Smart (guitars), Bob Corritore or Troy Sandow (harmonica), and Malachi Johnson or Marty Dodson (drums)
Seven Day Blues holds the attention with plenty of variation in style and tempo between the different songs, all written by Tucker. Like RL Boyce’s Roll And Tumble, there’s nothing original going on here but a real effort has made by all concerned to make as authentic an ‘old school’ blues record as is possible these days. Oh yeah… the CD is released in mono!
highjohnrecords.com Dave Peabody
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