SARA GREY WITH KIERON MEANS - Down In Old Dolores
Fellside Recordings FECD259
This is the sixth album from this well-established mother and son musical tag team, tramping the oft trod byways of Trad Americana, with customary nods towards Woody Guthrie and other American sources, where known. The erstwhile title song, Old Dolores, is an unaccompanied triumph from Sara and purports to be an old Western song, but I’m sure I recognise the tune from a couple of Australian bushwack songs (which probably means they were previously British broadsides…). The Merry Willow Tree is another Golden Vanity variant, but none the worse for that. On the accompanied tracks, Sara Grey’s solid banjo playing steers a true course, while Kieron Means plays discreet but effective guitar behind. Ben Paley plays a mean fiddle on several tracks – notably on Cherry River Line and Black Bear On The Mountain.
Resident in the UK for 38 years, mostly in Scotland, Sara Grey has been a feature of the club scene for as long as I’ve been attending and is worth seeking out for a relaxed evening of song with her famous knowledgeable introductions and stories, although all her scheduled appearances are currently back home in the US. The CD itself is well packaged, with well-informed information about the songs, tunes and their origins. Producer Paul Adams has teased out another gem from Ms Grey, as usual.
www.saragrey.net
Grem Devlin
 |
Buy
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 99 of The Living Tradition magazine. |