Of a time : the lost album
The Strawbs
Keywords
Reviews (2)
The guardian
d. 5. Jan. 2017
By
By
Robin Denselow
d. 5. Jan. 2017
"Alistair Anderson is one of the British folk scene's finest instrumentalists, a concertina virtuoso and Northumbrian piper who worked with the High Level Ranters before moving on to a solo career. On this self-titled debut album, consisting largely of instrumentals, he is joined by three excellent younger musicians [including] singer and flautist Sarah Hayes, from Glasgow's Admiral Fallow. Anderson is the veteran, but he never dominates the playing ... Included are four impressive songs from Hayes that range from Jez Lowe's shipyard lament Taking on Men to the spooky and traditional I Drew My Ship Into a Harbour and show how she has developed into a compelling and thoughtful singer. This is a classy new band".
fRoots
2017 Aug/Sept
By
By
Colin Irwin
2017 Aug/Sept
"It's, what, approaching 50 years since Alistair Anderson first started treading the boards with the High Level Ranters (...) - but here he is again, bubbling over with energy, enthusiasm and general brilliance, at the helm of a brand new band ... There are some cracking tunes here, whipping through a generous assortment of reels, hornpipes and one rather divine waltz, which showcases Sophy Ball's fiddle to beautiful effect. Anderson's name may take pride of place but this is clearly a proper band in which every constituent has an equal role, playing tunes with a natural Northumbrian feel without being defined by geopgraphy. Lots of toe-tappers here, balanced by the exceptional [Sarah] Hayes voice, on songs that include a lovely cover of Jez Lowe's "Taking On Men", a deeply affecting version of Micke Tickell's "Last Shift" and, with Anderson on Northumbrian pipes, "I Drew My Ship Into A Harbour"".