Here are four short reviews of fairly new acquisitions. They are discussed in Spectrum order, beginning with Irish/Scottish/English Folk.
Park Records, Oxford, England, celebrates their 15th anniversary this year of producing fine traditional folk and folk-inspired rock artists. They sent me Step into the Park, a fine collection of songs from recent releases. Maddy Prior offers the blend of traditional and dance rock elements that Annie Lennox might attempt, but Maddy sounds much more connected to this music. Rock, Salt & Nails sounds equally at home on a set of reels and a singer-songwriter type song (fleshed out with traditional fiddle and guitar). One other track to mention is “Smile,” a song which shows that Rose Kemp is both influenced by the Indigo Girls or other female singer-songwriters while also keeping some traditional roots.
The next CD shouldn’t actually be in this section of the Spectrum. Martin Simpson’s righteousness and humidity is his tribute to the music of the Southern U.S., both traditional tunes and some originals inspired by the blues, folk, country, and Gospel tunes of America. So while it really belongs as an album in the American Folk section, this is Martin Simpson, known for his incredible, eclectic guitar work on traditional songs from the UK and music inspired by such. The other albums that I own, Live and Cool & Unusual, showcase his ability to bring old tunes forward to today.
However, righteousness and humidity not only belongs in the Irish/Scottish/English Folk section because of Simpson’s previous work; it belongs in this section because it shows the connection between the tunes in both parts of the world. The immigrants to America from the British Isles brought the old tunes with them, and while over the years those tunes have grown and expanded into their own genre, inspired by the music of Africa, French Canadians, and other parts of the world, they nonetheless share a common bond with traditional UK folk. Simpson offers this outstanding selection of songs, including some great ballad narrative songs of which Simpson’s performance can never be beat—whether in New Orleans or Oxford. Righteousness & humidity is available from Red House Records in the States and Topic Records in the UK.
Next up are 2 compilations from NorthSide Records, Nordic Roots 2 and Nordic Roots 3. Here we actually more from the Irish/Scottish/English Folk to Nordic Folk. The space between the 2 isn’t big however, because the connections are amazing. While my Grandpa was Norwegian, I never realized in the kitchy Sons of Norway celebrations in Minneapolis that there might be some many musical similarities between that heritage and my Squires side, the English-Irish side of the family. Thanks to NorthSide I have discovered the abounding comparisons in the fiddle, accordion, and guitar tunes.
Maria Kalaniemi & Aldargaz from Finland offer “Ahma,” which clicks along with an accordion lead like found on Solas—the Irish-inspired band. Sweden’s Vasen, a great ensemble with multi-layered instrumentals, is probably the most well-known Nordic band in the states, having been a frequent guest on Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion. Also from Sweden, Hoven Droven take the Nordic tune, kicks in the electric, and moves somewhere between traditional tune and bass-thumping dance track. Garmana goes even more electric in the backing to Emma Härdelin’s enchanting, fluid vocals—contrasting to the angular beats of the drum loops and samples.
We’re back in the UK with Jim Moray’s Sweet England. Traditional English songs make up most of this album. Moray’s voice would be both at home in the cathedral and the street. These are earthy songs, about love and loss and death, but Moray’s voice brings an innocence to the song. Of course, we can’t forget to mention the arrangements: traditional tune sung by Moray as the foundation for drum loops and samples. The arrangements meant that Moray sends us into the Folk-influenced IRE/UK Rock section.
I love how Moray uses these traditional tunes to head in directions that end up being similar to Badly Drawn Boy and Duncan Sheik. It is also nice to hear “Gypsies” and compare it to the Waterboys’ version (“The Raggle Taggle Gypsy”) from their release Room to Roam. Moray’s version starts with a horn section worthy of the Polyphonic Spree.
So, stop buying those silly Soundscapes CDs! Yes, they have those cool displays at Target and the Nature Company. Yes, you can press a button and some Irish-sounding music starts, but there’s nothing innovative about it. That isn’t what you’ll find on these albums—artists who are not only playing traditional folk but also contributing their own elements to that tradition. Pick up a Jim Moray album, and you’ll know what I mean.
