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Critics Award |
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Eliza Carthy (England)
Song : Worcester Park Nominated album : Anglicana (Topic records)
Elsewhere in BBCi : Eliza's story | Eliza's concert with refugees
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Here comes Eliza, back from her adventures in the corporate pop
world, to re-state her individual crusade for English traditional
music with the bullishly titled Anglicana.
In truth this is the more exciting of the two. Eliza has invested so
much energy and imagination into finding different ways of presenting
the tradition to a new generation, her role as a champion of English
song has often overshadowed her credentials as a performer of it.
Let
there be no doubt this is her most majestic and mature solo album
yet, as she gets to the heart of a succession of big ballads, in a
heartfelt manner that has direct lineage to those great old singers
featured on The Voice Of The People, yet still reflects the freshness
of youth with subtle, original and sensitive arrangements. The
snail-paced treatment of Just As The Tide Was Flowing is an
exceptional heartbreaker and Little Gypsy Girl has some delicious
harmonies from mum Norma and cousin Maria and an irresistible raggedy
spirit. An odd, industrial percusssion rhythm lifts Pretty Ploughboy
with its haunting chorus, recently used so effectively by
Chumbawamba.
Eliza gives a bravura vocal performance on Bold
Privateer over a brilliant Tim Van Eyken guitar arrangement, and
there's a beautiful fiddle/ guitar duet with her old man on Dr Mcmbe
(think about it), written in honour of his 60th birthday. Yet perhaps
the most compelling of all is Worcester City, featuring John Spiers &
Jon Boden as on several other tracks, with a driving drumbeat and
fiddle line of such intensity it recalls the spirit of vintage
Fairport, Sandy Denny and all.
Colin Irwin for fRoots magazine 2002
Read your comments on Eliza Carthy
More folk music on Radio 3:
Fiddle playing in Halifax
English folk guitar in Leicester
English folk singing in Manchester
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