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‘Ring Around the Land’ from Red Shoes ... gorgeous! (June 03, 2009) There are some albums that touch you from the first second
you hear them and ‘Ring Around the Land’ from Red Shoes is one of those. Its
touch will bring tears, smiles and wistful longing; prepare yourself this is an
emotional journey. I’ve long said if you get a chance to hear Red Shoes take it. Now you have the opportunity to buy the album – do it – and enjoy some of the most compassionate and emotive acoustic music in the English language.
‘Celtic Moon’ opens the album and immediately you’re immersed in what makes Red Shoes so good. Carolyn’s evocative, poignant voice, combined with Mark’s deft touch on the guitar laid over stunning compositions. (Sure there are comparisons to make and identifiable influences but this music stands fine and proud on its own - no 'sounds like' needed.) Red Shoes maintain the pressure on your emotions with ‘Keep on Loving You’ as it touches that nerve in your body that causes both realisation and longing. The realisation that you’re listening to a pure beautiful song and longing because you so wish you could put such emotion into words. ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’ blends country and folk overtones and wicked harmonica to create a rocky slice of Americana. It’s a tribute to Ray Bradbury’s masterwork about Cooger and Dark’s Pandemonium Shadow Show – don’t know what I’m talking about? Read the book and then imagine this song as the soundtrack – then you’ll know how good it is. In contrast ‘Only a Fool’ and ‘Woman in Love’ lay down a challenge for simplicity in the purity of Carolyn’s vocals combined with Mark’s guitar. Just stunning – listen, and then listen again. Then of course there’s ‘My Father’s Green Beret’. My word, it’s hard to write through a veil of tears but the latent power in this song drives tears to my eyes each time I hear it. If you know Red Shoes you will know Carolyn’s tribute to her father. A song that just gets better each time you hear it. ‘Someday We’ll Meet’ is a gentle touching ballad. Carolyn sings with a depth and sincerity you just know she’s been through those feelings, while Chris’s fiddle is bang on. Then soak up ‘Keep a Hold on Me’ and 'Diamonds She Once Wore' - the sensations just keep coming with each successive song. Don't take my word for it, listen for yourself and unearth your own adjectives to describe the perfection your ears are hearing. The eponymous track ‘Ring Around the Land’ (which segues into the traditional tune 'Shepherd’s Hey') will stay with you for weeks, perhaps months. If there’s any justice this song will become the anthem for Red Shoes that ‘Meet On The Ledge’ has become for another fine band. Believe me, one day when you’re singing this at a festival in the fading summer light as you hold your friends close; remember I told you. And whoever decided to add the Morris bells – what an inspired idea! If you’re human these songs will move you. You will recognise the themes and experience the emotions. You may cry, you may smile, but you’ll enjoy the delicious sadness their songs create, and you’ll feel better for hearing. There are 13 tracks to savour (12 written by Red Shoes plus Dave Swarbrick’s ‘White Dress’) each one is a gem – no fillers or ‘makeweights’ here. This is a finely crafted and performed musical voyage around Carolyn and Mark’s views on the human condition and the love, life, pain and loss it involves. In one album, Red Shoes prove they are a potent force in English acoustic music - ‘Ring Around the Land’ - wonderful lyrics, superb songs, memorable tunes. What more do you need?
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Red Shoes are acoustic duo Carolyn Evans (vocals, guitar)
and Mark Evans (vocals, guitar) – on this, their debut album (produced by Dave
Pegg) they’re joined by some outstanding musical talent. The list of notables includes
Dave Pegg (bass, mandolin, bouzouki) Chris Leslie (fiddle, mandolin, violin,
viola) and PJ Wright (acoustic guitar, dobro, harmonica, bass harmonica) plus Mick
Bullard (drums) and Megan Evans (piano, electric piano).