Album Reviews
Going 4th - On to New Horizons - Sandwitch resurgent (March 01, 2010)
I first heard Sandwitch at the Cropredy
Festival in 2001, then around the folk scene for a while, then no more. Now,
I’m pleased to say that Sandwitch are alive and well and working their magic
once again. Buddy and Angela Freebury, for they are Sandwitch, have a new album
‘Going 4th ... On to New Horizons’ (release date 4th
March 2010.)
There are certainties in life beyond taxes and death. There’s
the invigorating smell of burning apple wood, there’s encouraging
sunlight after rain and there’s the truth of life in the mountains. There’s
also the certainty that good music will lift your soul and that’s exactly what
you get from ‘Going 4th - On to New
Horizons’. Their break from recording has obviously done Buddy and
Andrea no end of good.
 ‘The Blackleg Miner’ a well-known,
oft-played traditional song opens the album. And yes there is room for yet
one more rendition - listen to this. Moving from ‘trad’ to self-penned, ‘My Father was a Hero’ is one of those intensely personal
songs that allow the listener to share private emotion. Too often such songs become
mawkish – not this one, it’s exactly right. Andrea displays the same deft
touch that Carolyn Evans of Red
Shoes brought to her song about her father.
The anthemic ‘Going 4th ... On to New Horizons’ narrates their
musical resurgence over the last few years and do you know what? I can hear
this drifting over the hills of Cropredy in the future with ‘the crowd’ joining
in - it’s that beguiling – and the electric guitar is spot-on. To
exercise their instrumental dexterity, Sandwitch captivate with ‘Aonach Eagach’
an emotive trio of tunes written by Buddy.
‘Moonstruck’ is another of Andrea’s intimate
songs. This one full of hope designed to raise your spirits. ‘Seasons’ another Sandwitch composition, takes you on a gentle wander
round the changing seasons - a superb journey, even down to the accent of
Morris bells. The album closes with ‘Just
Another Grey Day’ – once again proving that Buddy and Andrea can write fine songs
with tempting lyrics, distinctive instrumentation and sympathetic harmonies
that entice you into their world.
It’s risky to applaud an
album before recognition translates into appreciation. And yes there's some tweaks they might make on the way, but ‘Going 4th ... On to New Horizons’ has the
hallmark of a fine folk album.
Click here to return to the Album Reviews page
Powered by Create
|
