A fittingly loose-limbed approach to this collection places it firmly at the heart of the very definition of a folk tradition: music of, by and for, well, folks.
Jimmy Crowley is a Cork institution whose distinctive voice and warm wit have been calling cards throughout his long career as a folk singer. Eve Telford is an Australian-born singer and songwriter who brings an olde worlde sensibility to her vocal treatment of this rich Child ballad collection, gathered by Jimmy five decades ago, from Irish Travellers in London.
The pair add minimalist arrangements to the songs, allowing each one to find its own feet. Each and every track is a short story with Chekovian levels of insight into the essence of the human condition. Crowley’s idiosyncratic reading of Lord Beckham underscores both the delicacy of his inheritance and of his own role as a carrier of this rich tradition. Telford’s vocals can at times veer towards the mannered, and her high lonesome vocals hint at the potential for her to find a second home in the bluegrass tradition, should she ever feel the urge to sally westwards.
[ Jimmy Crowley: Saving Cork’s urban ballads, because cities have folk songs too ]
Above all, this collection is loyal to the song circle tradition from whence it came, and doubtless that’s where they will shine brightest: in sessions and snugs, where every miniature nook in their fabric can be fully savoured.