Jimmy Aldridge & Sid Goldsmith - Night Hours

The Guardian 60

(Fellside)

Making common cause between antique songs and present circumstances is one of the grails of modern folk, one this young duo pull off impressively on their second album, with old ballads like The Grazier Tribe and Bonny Bunch of Roses fitting snugly alongside originals such as Moved On and Night Hours. The former concerns the battle to secure social housing in east London (the celebrated Focus E15), the latter the hardships of the nightshift. Boo Hewerdine’s Harvest Gypsies and the Aussie bushman song Along the Castlereagh amplify the social theme. Aldridge’s rich, powerful voice dominates, but ripples of banjo and guitar and touches of accordion, pipes and fiddle supply an accomplished backdrop. Rousing stuff.

Sun Dec 04 08:00:08 GMT 2016

The Guardian 60

(Fellside)

To be a great folk singer, you have to be a great storyteller, as Jimmy Aldridge and Sid Goldsmith are clearly aware. Their second album is a selection of new songs and traditionals that is held together by the power of the stories, with an emphasis on the struggles of the working man (or woman). The duo are both fine singers and multi-instrumentalists, with Aldridge concentrating on banjo and Goldsmith on guitar, helped by the fiddle, accordion and pipes of excellent folk trio Teyr. Their traditional songs are mostly well-known, with sturdy new treatments of Bonny Bunch of Roses and Willie O’ the Winsbury, but their real strength lies in their original compositions, which range from stories of protest and eviction to the powerful, atmospheric title track about night workers. An impressive set – but more new songs would be welcome.

Thu Dec 08 18:45:07 GMT 2016