Rating: 5/5
Review:
Fantastic
Gosh, this is good! I missed Lady Maisery's first album but I'm very glad I've caught up with them now. This is a remarkable album of really enjoyable music which is also full of passion, originality and political commitment.
The material is a mixture of traditional and new songs, all of which are excellent and beautifully performed. Instrumentation is restrained, well played and varied but the real point of Lady Maisery's music is their vocal performance. They sing wonderfully together in three part harmony producing a fabulous sound with some original harmonies. There's nothing clashingly harsh, but there is some innovative stuff here and the effect is terrific, really giving the songs depth and meaning. It's extremely impressive stuff.
All the songs have a traditional feel and style, even new and radical ones like the brilliant Palaces Of Gold, an a capella denunciation of social inequality. The whole album is a quality performance with real substance and genuine musical merit, as well as being a thoroughly enjoyable listen.
It is over 40 years since I began going to smoky folk clubs, dancing the Morris and so on. I drifted away from English folk music for a long time but have begun to return and am delighted to find it in the hands of so many excellent women. Maddy Prior, for example, is still making great albums, people like the Unthanks are doing wonders to keep the traditions alive and a fabulous crop of women are producing things like Laylam and this album. It does a grumpy old git's heart good to see such quality and this album is among the best of it. Very warmly recommended.
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