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| Album, Gig and Band Reviews |
Now Then? … Well actually any time for my money. (January 11, 2008)
I spent the tail-end of 2007 listening to the debut CD from Wendy Arrowsmith called Now Then? And I have to tell you it was worth every minute. Wendy has blended a mix of traditional songs with her own work to create an attractive folk collection. Her voice fits perfectly with the tunes and has a depth and accent I could listen to for a long time.
The opening track The Visitor is a great story-telling song. It tells of the brig ‘Visitor’ that ran aground in Robin's Hood Bay, North Yorkshire and Wendy has written a ballad that takes you there among the rain and snow. Stirring stuff indeed. She also proves her song writing talents with Skipio – another fine tale beautifully told. This lady can certainly write a narrative folk song.
The traditional selection includes a haunting version of She Moved Through The Fair, performed with the benefit of some skillful piping on the uilleann pipes from Liam Haicead, who also plays on The Great Silkie. The most outstanding of the traditional songs is MacPherson's Farewell, which Wendy sings with a full-blooded delivery – a real foot-stomper and doubtless a live favourite. For a first album Now Then? has some true quality – I’m sure the next one will be even better.
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