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JAMES FINDLAY, BELLA HARDY, BRIAN PETERS, LUCY WARD - The Liberty To Choose

JAMES FINDLAY, BELLA HARDY, BRIAN PETERS, LUCY WARD - The Liberty To Choose
Fellside Recordings FECD257

As this CD’s subtitle tells us, this is “A Selection of Songs from The New Penguin Book of English Folk Songs”. The original collection, published in 1959, contained 70 songs, in a reasonably priced edition which became the source book for professional and amateur singers in the sixties. The newly published hardback edition extends the collection to 150 songs, from which this new recording offers 16 songs.

Fellside has a long tradition of involvement with the collection. In 2003, the label reissued Bert Lloyd’s original album on CD. In 1986, it brought together Martin Carthy, Roy Harris, Jez Lowe, Linda Adams and newcomer(!) Jon Bowden, to create new versions of a dozen of the songs. This collection repeats the process. Paul Adams, as producer, took the decision to have the four contributors collaborate in the studio, ensuring that what was produced is a collaborative album, rather than just a ‘various artists’ collection.

The result is a thoroughly satisfying selection, rich in not only inventive approaches but also some imaginative surprises that define the project: Lucy and Bella with the duet a cappella version of The Trees They Do Grow High; a Cajun version of Daddy Fox; the four part harmony arrangement of The Moon Shines Bright.

While the tracklist might suggest a lot of the choices are the result of playing safe (Barbara Allen, Claudy Banks, Rambleaway etc.), the point of the new collection and this set is that different sources have been accessed. Track 2 sets the tone: it’s a version of Seeds Of Love, famously the first song Cecil Sharp ever collected, here set to a totally different tune, collected from Mrs Baker of Sussex.

Treating the songs with respect, but not deference, never mistaking gimmickry for innovation, this collection, like its predecessors is an album which consistently entertains yet still remains a valid source of reference to which one is sure to return frequently. Generally, when one reviews a ‘various artists’ album, one can recommend certain tracks to download: in this case it’s easy – all of them!

Nigel Schofield

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This album was reviewed in Issue 97 of The Living Tradition magazine.