This review is written by Dai Woosnam, daigress@hotmail.com, 10/04
Well, there are fine charity causes, and fine
compilation 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 UK’s 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. It is all the
brainchild of Les Worrall of the Market Rasen Folk Club, ably assisted
by Tom Lane, the well-known folk radio presenter.
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
Grimsby, England
daigress@hotmail.com
Copyright © 1998-2008 Kevin & Maxine’s Celtic & Folk Music CD Reviews. All rights reserved.
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