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REVIEW FROM www.livingtradition.co.uk
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VARIOUS
ARTISTES - Yellowbellies BBC Radio Lincolnshire
YBR 101 |
Well, there are
fine charity causes, and fine compilations CDs. Trouble is that the two
are rarely synonymous. I have one or two fine compilation CDs in my possession
that frankly seem to be supporting a less-than-compelling cause. And vice
versa: a wonderful cause let down by a shoddy hastily nailed together
mishmash. And a MISMATCHED mishmash at that.
But here the two come together brilliantly. There can be no greater cause
than the BBC Radio Lincolnshire "Go For Gold" appeal: viz. to send desperately-ill
children to Lapland this year to see Father Christmas, and then couple
it with a CD where Lincolnshire's finest folk musicians waive all royalties
to donate a track. Yellowbellies (the term for natives of England's second-biggest
county) are amongst the staunchest Folk fans in Britain. This album is
already selling well @ £10 each throughout all the folk clubs in the county,
and in a myriad other outlets.
The quality of artiste here could represent BRITAIN, not just Lincolnshire.
The 16 tracks are from 16 different performers (three times that number
had wanted to contribute!): heavyweights like John Conolly and Bill Whaley
& Dave Fletcher are to be found on the CD, but so also are the nationally
lesser-known. Not a weak track there. I would like to mention them all
but space restricts me to just three. The great Brian Dawson's marvellous
delivery of the traditional song The Owls and the Mice"had me in fits;
the astonishing intensity of Kate Abbott's singing of Mark Addison's compelling
Sea Change; and Dave Evardson's Thrown It All Away. He has never written
a better song.
Oh, I cannot end the review without mentioning a fourth song. I haven't
mentioned the best song, because it is one I constantly champion, and
my subconscious told me to "give it a rest". But I cannot. The best song
on an already fine album, is the opening song. Miranda Sykes (another
figure now well-known in folk circles far beyond her native county) sings
her dad's composition "Lincolnshire Song". It is nothing short of a masterpiece
in song composition, and deserves to become officially adopted as the
County's Anthem.
As you will appreciate, outside Lincolnshire you will not easily obtain
this album. But you can get it if you e-mail this lady at Radio Lincolnshire:
maureen.townend@bbc.co.uk
Dai Woosnam
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