THE HUT PEOPLE - Routes
Fellside Recordings FECD280
This CD, The Hut People’s fourth studio album, is fast becoming one of my favourites so far this year. There’s so much going on that you hear something new each time it is played. Sam Pirt’s accordion leads all the tunes, whilst percussionist extraordinaire Gary Hammond provides an amazing array of textures and colours.
The music is mostly traditional, stunningly arranged by the duo, but in such a way as to give each set a freshness, mainly through the variety of percussion used. If it can be hit or shaken, it is probably on here. Who would think of using latex pigs for instance? And throughout runs the wonderful accordion of Sam, providing tunes from all over the world. There’s music from Belgium, Portugal, Sweden, Quebec and South Africa, as well as from closer to home.
One of my favourite tunes of all time, Tune For A Found Harmonium, gets the Hut People treatment before moving into a lovely version of Sweet Nightingale. Their version of the Morris tune, Brighton Camp, has the feet going whilst the original tune, The Cage, is outstanding. There’s even a tune based around a tap dripping in Whitby Pavilion - hopefully the drip is mended by now.
The whole CD benefits from the clarity of recording provided by Paul Adams, but you wouldn’t expect anything else. Routes certainly brightens up the dull grey days of winter, but will be just as good a listen for the rest of the year.
www.thehutpeople.com
Dave Beeby
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this CD online from The Listening Post The Listening Post is the CD mailorder service of The Living Tradition magazine. This album was reviewed in Issue 118 of The Living Tradition magazine. |