A while ago there was a Folk revival in the UK, springboarded by bands like Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span and Fotheringay. The music was brilliantly played but somehow lost some of the deep emotion and joi de vivre that Folk can transport – a little too true to the original notes and not enough to the spirit. The recent rise in bands like Bellowhead and Lau or the wonderful Seth Lakeman has put much of the true folk spirit back and also given it a sense of the here and now, not just fusty history with a po face. Red Shoes manages to cross both of those timelines by marrying Carolyn & Mark Evans with the legendary Dave Pegg (Fairport Convention & Jethro Tull bassist) and the result really sings to the emotions and to the heart of the music while keeping true to the musical invention and intricacy of the greats.
Carolyn Evans has a stunning voice and on ‘Hidden Name’ you have one of the loveliest ballads I’ve heard in years with her voice underpinned by beautiful violins courtesy of Ric Kelly and Chris Leslie’s bamboo flute. ‘Red Coat Ride’ has a thumping beat and Evans voice has the right tremulousness to carry a horseriding rhythm while she agonises against hunting with hounds – Bev Bevan of the Move on drums here. ‘Sunday Afternoon’ has the feeling of a cross between folk and the more Americana leanings of Tracy Bonham – a surprisingly light and bucolic look at imminent death featuring Dave Pegg and the equally legendary fiddle playing of Dave Swarbrick. ‘Blackberry Way’ is a cover of the Move’s classic and takes it in a totally different musical direction. It is dark and deeply heartwrenching and left me with shivers up and down my spine.
The apparent simplicity of the arrangements and the sparse production on the album adds immeasurably to the impact of the music all through the album but the playing and Carolyn Evans vocal is what stands out.
This is modern British music of the finest quality and one of those albums that you can dip into time and again to find new nuggets just as you think you have them sussed.
