![]() ![]() Tackling topics related to war, their working class background or a brutal “honour killing” in Pakistan, the lyrics are well crafted and will grip the listener. Picking topics that matter to them, they tell their stories in songs that sound as if they were traditional English – and who knows they may well enter the English tradition in due course. Their speciality is three-way a capella singing, and their songwriting talent is impressive. Recently crowned Best Group in the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, this English trio is quickly becoming a household name on the English folk scene. The press notes do not exaggerate with their statement that “Reg is one of this country’s greatest songwriters at the very top of his game”, and I feel glad that, after nine albums, I have finally discovered him. Backed by guitar/banjo, accordion, drums/percussion, dobro and fiddle, the music has a contemporary yet folky and definitely English feel to it. The lyrics are superb in the way that they tell stories that evoke emotions, yet the songs still can make enjoyable and light hearted listening. The self-penned songs on this album are about big topics – be it about the tragic nature of dementia, Tony Benn’s secretly erected plaque to commemorate the suffragette Emily Davison, the lifes of inmates of a mental asylum in the 1950s, an account of the only Englishwoman to engage in active combat in WW1, or, in the title track, an observation of traditional English values and today’s society and politics.ĭespite focussed on difficult societal issues, Reg’s songs never sound dogmatic they have a warmth in the way they observe the world, and Reg’s singing voice emphasises this warmth further. This is apparently already the 10th album of brilliant singer/songwriter Reg Meuross – and amazingly this is the first time I have heard of this Englishman. Overall though an interesting album with some great material. The last track on the album I found plainly odd – for the first 6 minutes the track features not much more than a quiet hum, before reciting a Persian poem. Some songs have Arabic or Flamenco influences, and some of the music may sound quite raw and archaic, while others sounds more contemporary. Or “Los Negros de Castilla”, a paso doble rhythm that transports the listener to sunny Cuban and African shores. There is some great material on this album – for example a traditional Spanish bread making song, with male and female interacting singing, accompanied barely by table percussion and clapping. This album is subtitled an “Iberian Roots Project”, and describes itself as “not a fusion but musical archaeology”, thus playing authentic historic music of the different traditions found in Spain. While I appreciate the vocal talent of the girls, it is some of the instrumental arrangements of harp and fiddle which I really enjoy. ![]() The album has a strong focus on harmony arrangements, sometimes more of harmony soundscapes, of the two voices. A young Scottish female duo, of Catriona Price (fiddle, vocals) and Esther Swift (pedal harp, clarsach, vocals). ![]()
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