Coope, Boyes & Simpson - Coda, a Concluding Event

The Guardian 60

(No Masters)

Barry Coope, Jim Boyes and Lester Simpson are a trio from South Yorkshire and Derbyshire who became one of the finest a cappella vocal groups on the British folk scene. They are now retiring after 23 years together and this is their final studio album, to be followed by a farewell tour next year.

It’s a reminder of their glorious, rousing harmony work and the emotional range in their songs. As ever, there is a mixture of traditional and new material, often with new lyrics matched against sturdy ancient tunes. They are great storytellers, switching from history lessons about cattle drovers to a powerful reworking of Boo Hewerdine’s The Man That I Am, a lament for orphans sent to Australia. The political material includes Boyes’s gutsy and angry The Avenging Angel, one of the finest songs yet about the Iraq war. They will be missed.