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MARTIN SIMPSON
Kind Letters
Topic Records TSCD553
The itinerant Mr Simpson has relocated to South Yorkshire, where he's obviously thriving: Kind Letters is the work of a man happy with life and his chosen musical journey. 2003's gorgeously swampy Righteousness & Humidity reflected the influence of his decade-or-so American residency; now back in Blighty (for good, one suspects), it's time again for further exposition of his native folk music.
In the same vein as 2001's Bramble Briar, Kind Letters features classics of the English traditional repertoire, beautifully crafted and delivered. With texts and tunes derived from tradition bearers such as The Copper Family, Dick Gaughan, Roy Bailey, Phoebe Smith and Martin Carthy, there's a real feel of appraisal and celebration of the influences on Simpson's persona and career.
Although it's his guitar virtuosity that's frequently lauded, it's as an interpreter of song that Martin Simpson really scores. Like Martin Carthy, Simpson delivers narratives with colour and conviction, vividly placing each tale's characters at centre stage. Indeed, deep homage is paid to Carthy and the Watersons via Simpson's sleevenotes, material and, occasionally, delivery - listen out for bits of vocal influence from the delightful Mike Waterson - though his fluid guitar arrangements and engaging vocal style remain strongly his own. There's a similarity, too, in both men's attention to detail and meticulous attributions that's born of the same deep appreciation of the source.
Adept at commandeering sympathetic musicians to spice his albums, this time out Simpson snaffles some corkers. Superb Irish band Danú spin beautifully warm textures, especially on the stately When First I Came To Caledonia, while fiddle and bouzouki from Nancy Kerr and James Fagan drive the intricate, re-Anglicised Hedy West version of Child Ballad Love Henry. You can positively hear the grins as accordion monster Chris Parkinson brings out the humour in Simpson's own instrumental Bareback to Bullhassocks while the ear constantly pricks, too, at Simpson's own playing: superb banjo on House Carpenter, haunting slide guitar on A Blacksmith Courted Me (in a gripping duet with Kerr's viola/violin). Fittingly be-gonged several times at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, Martin Simpson is taking his place, not just as a hero for guitar-besotted acolytes but as one of the national treasures of English traditional music.
Mel McClellan - February 2005
See also:
More Martin Simpson in our reviews archive.
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Folk & Acoustic
