What does it sound like?:
Well, hold the fecking front page, fellas, those jaded with the school of Bargey sponsored progsnorathons, wake well up, cos this is a dangringing snorter and offers a late and worthy contender to the recent ‘Greatest Female Vocalist’ thread. Hyperbole? Hell, yeah, but if you don’t listen you don’t get.
Now Mr B sent me this a couple of weeks back, citing my potential interest as an acknowledged folkie-americana aficionado. At first the name meant nowt, until I recalled an album I had e-musiced a year or 2 back, by the then just Hannah Sanders, Charm Against Sorrow, 2015, an exquisite revisioning of trad. arr. faithfuls such as A Sailors’s Life and Bonnie Bunch Of Roses, owing deep homage to the schools of Denny and, if there is, similar. No, come back, this is not more of, this is true progression, as she has now hooked up with a Ben Savage, another east anglian, yet steeped in appalachian styled stringed instruments and ambience. This is apparently their 2nd joint venture, the earlier having passed me by, but is a corker. Yes, this girl, OK, woman, can sing like the proverbial lark, the tracks that open the album, especially opener, The Selkie, are jaw-droppers (and sadly not on you-tube), with exquisite backing of dobro, by Ben, and her own dulcimer. The record is a mix of self-penned songs and standards, such as a the song offered her in the clip, a song only capable of bringing off if sung perfectly: Hannah, or by a well-meaning foghorn, Billy Bragg, as in the original song to the Guthrie, W words. Backing is complemented by occasional steel, double bass and horns, all seamlessly weaving a classic merge of american and english tradition, totally without the twee that folk orientated x and y, female and male, duos can often slip into. Savage sings a few songs too, a husky hybrid of Teddy Thompson and John Prine. The covers you will know, but the ubiquity of, say Reynardine, via the arrangements, transcend the mere singing of the earlier solo Sanders album, being full-blown de novo interpretations. A final rare treat is the last track, a magnum opus building up from near unadorned vocals, to a sudden and surprising sudden flourish of a drum kit, unheard hitherto until perhaps 4 minutes in to this epic finale. If you don’t immediately play it again you have neither heart nor soul. It is called ‘Reaching’. The record is released on 11/5/18. Listen to that track and/or opener, ‘The Selkie’ however you damn can, Then give ’em your money.
What does it all *mean*?
I am uplift.
Goes well with…
Summer.
Release Date:
Might suit people who like…
Hell, anything from Alison Krauss and Jerry Douglas to Cara Dillon (with all the Lakemans, not just her husband.)
Thanks, Mr B.
I know a stack of you like this sort of stuff and so do you. Go get.
I listened to this and was completely enthralled. It is an excellent song and they completely nail it.
Within the space of five minutes Sanders and Savage have gone from “Never heard of them” to “Please, please, please come to Stockholm!!”.
A bullseye, Retro!
Like it!
Had the pleasure of their company in the school chapel at Warwick Folk Festival a couple of years back. You could say it was a religious conversion.
Yay, welcome back tcc!
Seconded! Nice to see you, Cheshire!
Well thankyou very much. As you can see, I am not exactly on my toes in terms of replying.
Lovely writing, lovely – hallelujah!!
Hannah does indeed have a lovely voice, I guested on microphone-plugging-in and tea-making on some of her early recordings (I don’t know if they were ever released). Ben also plays in Cambridge folk band The Willows with, amongst others, the double bassist from Nizlopi.
They’re on tour in May & June – go see. https://www.hannahbenmusic.com/shows
I sens the Ben and Hannah clip to a friend in the UK and he also very warmly recommended the Willows. How right he and you are, Steve! I’ve just spent a very pleasant hour listening to them on Spotify.
A top notch band!
Fabulous. Promptly pre-ordered.
Good call retro! Cheers, this is something I shall really look forward to hearing.
Pulitzer Prize? Pshaw. THIS is what they ought to be listening to, the silly hostages to fickle fashion.
Lovely. On my must get list as of now. I’m off to see another bunch of talented East Anglians tonight – there must be something in the air down there. Or the mountains. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbncGMmCy_A
The Willows have a song called Gog Magog named after the mountain range (what most of the rest of the country would call a bump) to the south east of Cambridge.
Sounds brown, patched and earnest. Enjoy yourselves. I’ll be standing in a cloud of dry ice contemplating the complexity of the universe (and the time signatures and chord changes music to describe same would require). But it’s all good. We like music, howsoever done.
Like my wax jacket.
Totally rich and beautiful……ordered!