Search - Alan Lomax :: Folk Songs of England Ireland & Scotland 1

A Traditional Ballad Diamond in the Rough

that_one_girl | USA | 04/15/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I love this CD. If you're looking for some fun music to listen to, it's not for you. If you're looking to hear or learn some very traditional folk songs sung in a very traditional way, it's perfect for you. I love folk songs, but I like to hear them as they were originally sung (while doing housework, on front porches, unaccompanied, and by non-professional singers). The singers are definitely unconcerned with sounding "good"; they are merely sharing their songs with others. As an American, their accents can be hard to understand, but that's part of the appeal. There is little to no instrumentation, and it's wonderfully raw (one singer clears his throat loudly in the middle of a verse, another forgets the words but continues on, there is a song performed in a pub with the crowd adding a spirited background, etc.). You truly feel like you're there in their sitting rooms, having some tea, and spending the evening in song.



Many of the singers sound like your 80 year old grandmother who needs a nap, but a few have wonderful voices. The young man who sings "The False Knight Upon the Road" and the man who sings "Broomfield Hill" are two examples.



If you can't get enough of traditional ballads, buy this cd!!"