Dominion

"Three years after their debut with "Fifty Verses", Sheffield neighbours Jess and Richard Arrowsmith, Nancy Kerr and James Fagan return brimming in harmonies and a lively mix of fiddles, melodeon, bouzouki and guitar to drive them along. Blending traditional material with modern songs and uplifting tunes, it sounds a far more relaxed affair than its predecessor and, to these ears, far superior. An unaccompanied Appalachian song kicks it off into a brave arrangement of "Dominion Of The Sword", part-written by Martin Carthy and one of the most powerful things he has ever recorded, with potent additional words from James Fagan. The just about get to grips with the quickfire wordplay, but it's the vigorous instrumental blast of the glorious Breton tune which Carthy set it to that really knocks it out of the ground ... Indeed, the instrumental interplay is perhaps the album's greatest strength (...), [yet] Jess Arrowsmith offers wearied wryness and wit in the heartfelt "Anthem OfAWorking Mum" (...) and, as ever, Nancy Kerr soars both as a singer and songwriter at strategic moments".