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DAMIEN BARBER "Boxed" DJC RECORDS DJC 012

Damien Barber sings in the traditional style of East Anglia. His concertina accompaniments are so appropriate that his performances on Boxed have a marvellous authentic, mature quality about them. This authenticity is not diminished even when the songs are not "truly traditional" but are modern compositions. I think this is no mean achievement. Damien's rendition of Al Stewart's '"Nostradamus" is very effective in the simplicity of its performance, and I particularly like Chris Sugden's "Confidence" at my age I would wouldn't I? All the songs are well performed, no duds here. Boxed also includes several instrumental tracks which show off Damien's skill on the concertina nicely. On some tracks Damien is joined by guest musicians Denny Bartley - guitar, Chris Sherburn - anglo concertina and Alistair Russell - guitar. Of these instrumental tracks my favourites are the duets with Chris Sherburn. Boxed is a re-release of Damien's first CD, a fact that is easily overlooked because of its freshness and maturity If you didn't purchase Boxed first time around I recommend that you don't miss out this time. A most enjoyable CD.

Danny Saunders

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This album was reviewed in Issue 43 of The Living Tradition magazine.