The queen of hearts

"You're not going to go far wrong with Chaney - a thrilling singer, the Anne Briggs of her generation - on a set of folk standards, but Meloy and co also deliver. A shimmering, echoing ambience includes chiming guitars, drones, cello, harpsichord and harmonium; the churning The Old Churchyard is a standout. Echoes of Fairport, Span, Thompson et al abound, but Offa Rex has its own compelling identity, and should win Chaney an international name".

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"Confessed Anglophile Colin Meloy's affinity for U.K. folk music finally comes full circle on The Queen of Hearts, a meticulously crafted collaboration between the Decemberists and English folk artist Olivia Chaney (...) with the supremely talented Chaney channeling Sandy Denny and Maddy Prior, delivering pitch-perfect takes on seasoned tales both bucolic and brooding. Meloy and company also adopt the Span/Convention template, fleshing things out with spindly electric guitars, fiddle, and lumbering drums ... As committed a piece of retro-leaning English folk-rock as one could hope for - there's even some Morris dance music. Meloy and Chaney's genuine love for the source material is apparent throughout".

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"[Olivia Chaney] has a magical voice, full of heft, soul and sunlight, reminiscent of Sandy Denny and Maddy Prior, while feeling refreshingly heartfelt and true. Add Colin Meloy's brilliant band, and this collection of traditional songs sounds stirringly new. Take the well-known Willie O'Winsbury, or The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face: guitars, harmonium drones and Chaney's control lift them to different places. Surprises lurk too. Lal Waterson's To Make You Stay becomes an iridescent, piano-drizzled duet, while Sheepcrook (the Steeleye Span staple) gains brilliantly filthy, Black Sabbath rock edges. Everything works, though, loudly and proudly".

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