I was lucky enough to have heard an advanced preview of The Elizabethan Sessions a number of months ago while meeting up with Martin Simpson Two things immediately struck me about these sessions. The first was how wonderful the singing and playing was, especially the harmonies and fascinating use of instruments. The second impression was just how fantastic these tracks sounded. As an unashamed hifi fanatic when I heard the original mixes at Martin’s House I thought this CD to be one of the best recordings I have heard to date for sonic quality.
I’m not surprised that even though it was released only this week, it’s already receiving a lot of positive feedback. I enjoy folk music but would not consider myself to be a massive fan of traditional folks songs, BUT as the vocals of Nancy Kerr are quite superb and the harmony singing is second to none. Stand out tracks for me are “London” and Martin Simpson’s wonderful “Elizabeth spells death”. Its a wonderful haunting, musically provocative work and I shall certainly have it on my play list for some time to come. Hopefully there will be some gigs showcasing this material!