Chamber Folk ?

Those who love to label have come up with the tag of "chamber folk" for the recent style of June Tabor. It's not a completely inappropriate label as labels go and this album, At The Wood's Heart, could be said to fit it. A mature collection of songs, virtually all slow tempo, including a good selection of traditional numbers but also ranging over such as the McGarrigles sisters' Heart Like a Wheel, Duke Ellington's Do Nothing 'Til You Hear From Me and the wonderful recent Bill Caddick song The Cloud Factory. This latter is perhaps the keynote track, looking back on the life of one's parents, some might say sentimental but I think you would have to be pretty cynical not to be moved. Ultimately a celebration of life, despite its' hardships. The other much played song is the Banks Of The Sweet Primroses, a traditional song with an instrumental coda of what is now known as the tune to the hymn setting of John Bunyan To Be a Pilgrim but which is in fact an old English tune called Monk's Gate. The Broomfield Wager is the other standout traditional folk song featured. The chamber feel to the musical settings is leant by the piano of Huw Warren, bass of Tim Harries viola and violin from Mark Emerson and sax contributions from Mark Lockheart and Iain Bellamy. Folk aristocracy is represented by Martin Simpson on guitar and Andy Cutting on diatonic accordion. June Tabor's vocal style can very occasionally get a little too mannered but these are small lapses in what is a fine recording.