From Here - English Folk Field Recordings Volume 2

The Guardian 80

Various artists
(From Here Records)
From June Tabor to Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne, Richard Dawson to Grace Petrie, artists known and new interpret ‘from here’

It’s not a coincidence that Stick in the Wheel decided to release their exploratory new anthology this month. This is a second volume of bare, field recordings made around Britain – Ian Carter and Nicola Kearey hulking basic equipment around the country, setting up in kitchens and front rooms – featuring artists all being asked to sing a song inspired by the words “from here”. All participants have connections to traditional music or folk, but they’re a fittingly varied bunch. Traditional stalwarts such as June Tabor and Kathryn Tickell (herself with a new album out) stand next to 21st-century groundbreakers like Richard Dawson and Grace Petrie. “Everyone is equal and valid,” say the liner notes. Individual voices indeed come through in this mix, in all their disparate accents and approaches.