This review is written by Dai Woosnam, daigress@hotmail.com, 11/04
This English band never disappoint. They always produce albums that are whole-hearted and all-encompassing.
Now dear North Americans, excuse me if I use a British sporting metaphor!
If this band were a cricketer, they could dash off the fastest hundred
of the season, bowl a spirited fast medium (and also fall back upon
off-breaks when another spinner was called for), field anywhere
(including donning the wicket-keeper’s pads), and even have the
humility to bring out the drinks as twelfth man. Correction: there is one role they couldn’t adopt. They couldn’t
stonewall à la Trevor Bailey to save a game: that is not their
style.
Their style is to entertain. And here as usual we have something for
everyone interested in Traditional Folk Music.Tim Laycock sings as
effortlessly as ever; and this time I was particularly taken by Sharon
Lindo’s genuine Shirley Collins-ish pure/innocent voice of Olde
England.
(Not the faux-naïve voice demonstrated by some women on the UK Folk Scene.)
And Brian Gulland’s array of wind instruments also impressed.
Two of my all time favourite songs are here. “I Live Not Where I Love”
and “The Hard Times of Old England”. But my favourite cut was their
version of that grand old song I had not heard in an age: “The Friar in
The Well”.
Naughty, but very nice.
Decent liner notes too. Black print on a white background: you cannot beat it. And good informative artwork to boot.
Website: www.new-scorpion-band.com
Dai Woosnam
Grimsby, England
daigress@hotmail.com
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