SUE BROWN & LORRAINE IRWING - The 13th Bedroom
RootBeat Records RBRCD14
This Oxford-based close harmony twosome have been singing together for years, although this is only their second release after 1996’s Call And Cry. Yet the lengthy gestation period is surely no bad thing if it has produced such a well-polished jewel as this.
The album’s mysteriously alluring title is taken from Mr Fox, the contemporary fable of child abduction rife with sexual symbolism, from the pens of John Pole and Terry Yarnell. Sue and Lorraine’s rendition replaces the fire and brimstone of Frankie Armstrong’s trademark version with an eerie restraint, setting the stage for an array of mostly unaccompanied traditional song with occasional use of guitar, Appalacian dulcimer and shruti box in well-judged touches. But of all the 16 tracks on here, perhaps the jewels among them are those which recast the ancient anew. Lorraine’s own tunes for and arrangements of Lady Gay (a setting of the Wife Of Usher’s Well) and medieval carol Nay Ivy Nay possess an elemental starkness that is truly astonishing. Lorraine’s tones, a mix of husky vulnerability and latent power, sit lushly atop Sue’s sure, straight sword of a voice. Like the best harmony singers, they know when to give each other space, at times singing solo or in unison before dovetailing together, using their harmonies with an artist’s skill, to add meaning, depth and colour.
This album has been well worth the wait – so with that, I urge you to disobey Mr Fox’s orders and open the door to the 13th bedroom…
Clare Button
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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 92 of The Living Tradition magazine. |