Hearts and Flowers - Of Horses, Kids and Forgotten Women

Rating: 4/5

Review:
Enjoyable stuff

This remains a pretty good album. 

I was only vaguely aware of Hearts And Flowers at the time and in a way I can see why; when this was originally released in 1968 there was a lot of music which sounded very like this.  Even now, there are moments which sound very like The Byrds, Gordon Lightfoot, the Beatles (of course) and quite a few other people of the time.  It's slightly generic as a result, without a very distinctive feel of its own, but it's well done and an enjoyable listen.

If you like 60s slightly psych-ish, harmony-driven music, there's a lot here to enjoy and it's definitely worth a try.

Foghat - Original Album Series

Rating: 4/5

Review:
Excellent value

Like so many of this Original Album Series, this is excellent value.  Frankly, the music isn't quite as good as I'd remembered it to be: at this distance, much of it sounds just a little generic and slightly undistinguished, but it's decent enough stuff.  Certainly if you like 70s rock, this is well worth a try; it's all pretty listenable and there's some very good stuff on it (notably the excellent live version of Slow Ride).

For me, this is a nice bit of nostalgia rather than a box of real classics, but at this bargain price it's well worth it.

The albums included are:

Foghat (1972)

Energized (1974)

Fool For The City (1975)

Foghat Live (1977)

Tight Shoes (1980)

Al Stewart - Original Album Series

Rating: 5/5

Review:
An excellent box

This is an excellent box at a real bargain price.  Five of Al Stewart's earliest albums are included, all of which are very good:

Bedsitter Images

Love Chronicles

Zero She Flies

Year Of The Cat

Time Passages

Personally, I'm surprised at the omission of Past, Present & Future, which has always been a favourite of mine, but at this price, I'm not arguing.

Good sound, nice presentation and excellent music.  Don't hesitate.

Gay and Terry Woods - Backwoods

Rating: 4/5

Review:
Still a very good album

Gay and Terry Woods have never quite had the recognition they deserve for their own work and for their role in founding Steeleye Span.  They were fine musicians who made a big contribution to the folk scene and produced some fine albums, of which this is one.

Backwoods was originally released in 1975 and has held up very well, I think.  Largely their own compositions, the material is good and the performances are excellent.  Gay's distinctive vocals are especially notable, I think – I have loved her voice since Hark! The Village Wait, and the style here suits her very well.  While Steeleye Span were by this time sounding more like a folk-influenced rock band, Gay and Terry are still firmly in folk with some electric influence, which is a genre which fits them very well.

I can't say that this is a classic album, but it's a very good one, and I can recommend it warmly to anyone who likes the folk sounds of the mid-70s – or just likes good folk music.

June Tabor - An Introduction to June Tabor

Rating: 5/5

Review:
An excellent introduction

This is an excellent introduction to the work of one of the truly great folk singers of the last 40 years.  Seasoned June Tabor fans like me won't need it because we've already got most or all of her work, but if you're looking for a place to start, this will do you very well. 

There's a good, representative selection from June's extensive catalogue here, from early, unaccompanied classics like the brilliant, haunting And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda, to a great version of The Dark End Of The Street from Ragged Kingdom, her 2011 reunion with the Oysterband.  In between are some absolute gems, like her heart-stoppingly lovely version of Shallow Brown and the beautiful Unicorns. 

There's a wealth of great stuff here.  If you want a way into June Tabor's work or just a selection which represents some of her finest work and great collaborations, don’t hesitate.  This is an outstanding collection.

Julie Fowlis - alterum

Rating: 5/5

Review
Excellent

I agree with the rave reviews that alterum has attracted – it's excellent.  I saw Julie Fowlis as part of the Transatlantic Sessions at the Royal Festival Hall a few days ago and she was brilliant.   The album is just as good.

Fowlis has a wonderful, pure, expressive voice and also has the technique and depth of feeling to create something really special with it.  She sings largely in Scots Gaelic, although the fabulous Camarinas is partly in the Galician language and there are two songs in English, including an absolutely wonderful version of Go Your Way My Love. 

I can't praise this album highly enough.  The whole thing is a pleasure: beautiful singing, fine instrumental backing and excellent, restrained and atmospheric production.  It's a gem and a real find for me.  Very warmly recommended.

Dick Campbell - Sings Where It's At

Rating: 3/5

Review:

I have read mixed things about this album.  Many people think it's just another bad Dylan rip-off, although Gene Sculatti describes it as "the sole masterpiece of the fake-Dylan field," which encouraged me to try it.  I'm afraid I'm with the majority; it's not terrible (which sets it above quite a lot of stuff from that period), but it's really pretty ordinary.

Dick Campbell and his producer Lou Reizner set out to make a Dylan-esque record in the wake of Highway 61 Revisited.  Frankly, they didn’t manage it.  In spite of a pretty star-spangled backing band including Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper, the sound seems limp and tame compared with Highway 61, and the songwriting and performance aren't anywhere near "masterpiece" standard.  Campbell tries to sound like Dylan, but often sounds like just another mid-60s folkie with occasional flashes of Barry McGuire, and most of the time it's about as angry and threatening as a Peter, Paul & Mary album.  The lyrics seem to lack much real bite and are sometimes simply badly written; Sandi, for example repeats the name "Sandi" over and over again, but every time the emphasis is on the wrong syllable. 

To me, this is a mildly interesting period piece.  It's not so bad that I actively dislike it, but it's not one I'll be playing much, that's for sure.