I have wanted to write about this recording for a very long time. The first of Grammer’s sollo efforts has gained umpteen awards since it’s release in 2005-Song of The Year for Gypsy Rose(06,) Album of the Year and appearances on many folk DJ’s in the US top ten lists.

Nonetheless, Flower of Avalon is a hard record to describe in brief. From the elusive title which appears nowhere else on the record to the eclectic sound scape.

The record brings forth the last nine songs by the late singer-songwriter Dave Carter (Grammer’s former singing partner/guitarist.) They are emotionally charged, the subject matter is complex mixing the simplicity (and complexity) of everyday life (Hard To Make It, Winter When He Goes) with the complexities of religion (Mother I Climbed, Any Way I Do). The songs are faintly remiscent of Leonard Cohen though not so morbid.

Grammer possesses the vocal talent to make these songs simply live. It’s not a pure voice, not a suffistocated voice-more a jazz voice than a folk voice. She also plays guitar, violin and banjo on this amazing record.

Country but not coutry, erily folksy and poppy with some jazz influences, Flower of Avalon is a take home.

In 1989 Whelsh Bass/baritone Bryn Terfel won the Ferrier memorial award (an honour he is definitely worthy of.) His newest effort has been compared to the folk recordings of Ferrier in the late 40s. Noetheless, it is radically different.

<pIt must be noted that the record has two titles so I have put the subtitle "Songs of the British Isles" in the headline. In the UK it is called First Love and in the US and Australasia it is called Scarborough Fair.

Terfel is joined by the choir London Voices, soprano Kate Royal and Irish boy band popstar Ronan Keating.Backed by members of the London Philharmonic, they render favourites and obscurities from the British Isles.

There are some interesting arrangements. An almost Wagnerian reading of Loch Lomond an an eerily large She Moves Through The Fair.I had expected something much more simple with this set of songs. It is, nonetheless, strong.

He sings Scarborough Fair (duet with Royal,) Blow The Wind Southerly, Molly Malone and other songs in his native Whelsh. Although very large in sound,almost neoclassic the record is worth a listen.

In August of 2007 Tommy Makem, the Irish singer/songwriter who brought Gypsy Rover to the United States passed away after a long battle with cancer. In the November Emerald Records released a retrospective The Legendary Tommy Makem Collection.

The album is a strange one. It contains some of Makem’s best songs-Four Green Fields, Farewell to Carlingford, Red Is The Rose and others that have become standards. He recites poetry-Burns The Man From God Knows Where and Yeats Song of Wandering Aengus-in the way of an actor. There is even a duet with his mother, Sarah Makem.

That said the album has a very commercial sound like those Irish records that emerged in the 80s with heavy string arrangements and reverb. Makem is not in very good form on many tracks-sometimes pushing his voice to falsetto.

That said it’s not a waste of money buying the record as there are some wondrful moments particularly the live tracks.

Collins first album of the 1990s is not particularly stunning if we take a holistic view though there are some good things here. Her first album for a major label since she parted company with Elektra in 1984, 1990’s Fires of Eden reminds me very strongly of the pop music engrained on my consciousness when I was a small child. It is full of synthetic, 80s pop sounds thogh Collins is in extremely good voice.

The first side (yes I played this off an LP,) containing mostly Collins writing and co-writes with David Buskin and Robbin Batteau, is better than the rest. Collins novel-like ballad The Blizzard (Song for Colorado) is here as is Home Before Darkboth of which have become Collins classics. The second half features pop standards: THE BG’S Air That I Breathe, Julie Gold’s From A Distanceand my personal favourite Amanda McBroom’s Dreaming fill the bulk.

All this said the album lacks the cohessiveness of a work of art that features in other Collins works. The hallmarks of a Collins record are there-the eclecticism, the story-song and so on- but it is extremely uniform. It is a poor attempt to repeat her success of thirty years before; it doesn’t really work. She has since turned to what she knows best with beautiful results.

It’s been a very long time since I wrote a book review and I’m not sure I want to be writing one right now, over these past few days, about this particular novel but anyway…

I had to think very carefully about reviewing this book. For Beautiful Losers by Leonard Cohen is like the man himself-reclusive, mysterious and highly mystical.

The novel is so strange I had to look it up on Wikipedia before I understood it properly. Wikipedia uncovers the crucial points that a6e not that obvious for the whole first third of the book: according to it the story concerns a love triange between the nameless na6rator and his wife and a singular figure who is possibly nonexistent called F.

It is, as so much of Cohen is, very well written and thought out. One can hear echoes of Cohen’s later songs in the pages of Beautiful Losers. (“Sail on! Sail on you ship of state!”)

The story is macabre- so much so it’s absurd. The narrator spends a whole two chapters telling us how hard it is to go the toilent when he is constipated-how it is so hard it is like making love with the toilet bowl.

he ends up a down and out. I really don’t know what to say about th3s gruesome, darkly whitty novel of the 60s. Best thing I could say is read it yourselves but go very very slowly. It is essentially a novel of losers.

I haven’t heard such a beautiful record in a long time-the arrangements are lovely and the singers at their best. Tommy Makem and Liam Clancy are good in themselves (and with their colleagues 9 the early 60s) but to put two of the greatest Irish ballad singers together…it’s something to be savoured!

Though folksy in nature, the record has a certain drama in it that leaves the listener waiting for more. Featuring folk standards (Gentle Annie, Ballybay etc) and some of the best of Makem’s songs (Four Green Fields, Rambles of Spring, Red Is The Rose) The Makem and Clancy Collectioncaptures the best of the two troubadours sojourn as a duo.

Dear Readers,

Morning Glory will soon turn two years old which amazes me. So I wanted to thank the small number of folk who have read it-Don’t know how many of you come back but I hope some of you do.

In perusing all the searches that have force you to turn up here I realise there are gaps in the internet (well I knew that already…) It a pleasure to fill some of those gaps and sometimes they give me ideas!

I want to say sorry to all those looking for stuff for their English classes. If I have inadvertently helped that’s good but there’s probably better places to find what you’re looking for.

To those who want lyrics…Sometime ago I trawled Google looking for the same. So I have decided to crate a (totally illegal) page with some of the lyrics that come up in the search statistics.

To the writers…I highly respect you so if you write me an email asking that they be removed it will happen immediately.

Finally, thank you to everybody and here’s to life outside the internet!

This is beautiful! Some of it is so breathtaking I am still trying to figure out why. But know, Joan Baez is a masterwork.

The Baez soprano is stunning. There’s a sort of naivete in the young voice-that is what is beautiful. And the record is all the better for its minimalism-Fred Hellerman of The Weavers plays second guitar- and that’s it.

The only downside is when the transfer to digital comes, the thing sounds so very very empty that it’s almost inhumane. But perhaps that is part of its attraction-that and the great songs-Mary Hamilton, Silver Dagger, Donna Donna-that have become favourites with Baez fans.

Of all the nominees in the folk categories at this year’s Grammy awards Peggy Seeger’s Bring Me Home is the one I have least confidence in. It has some great moments but it isn’t that revolutionary.

Here veteran folksinger, Peggy Seeger (Pete Seeger’s half-sister) renders a collection of traditional ballads and two of her own songs, Napoleon and the new tribute to family and friends Bring Me Home. Other old favourites include Newry Highwayman, Dink’s Song, Wagoner’s Lad and Home Dearie Home. Seeger sings with conviction but the voice is evidently not what it was.

Seeger’s sons a long with herself comprise the accompaniment for this extremely nostalgic collection. The arrangements are lively and enthusiastic, well-played though not very revolutionary.

The album is worth buying for the fact that the dust is swept from a great many old songs but there are far better singers for these ballads. It’s wonderful to see an old folkie revisiting a former self and though enjoyable for herself is not quite so much for the listener.

Not wanting to condemn Seeger totally it is pleasing to note she is still very politically outspoken and has a YouTube page. According to her website she currently teaches composition at Northeastern University in Boston and there is much to be learned from such fine folk.

Of course Joan Baez will never quite be the same soprano with the slightly husky voice that we know from her early work. Nonetheless after fifty years in the biz her taste in song remains broad and compelling and her political views remain staunchly intact.

It’s been a long time since I wrote anything here but it is a great pleasure to commence writing reviews again with this record, Day After Tomorrow. It is so wonderful to hear such an acoustic effort come from Baez-A major step back from the rocky, electric, smomky bar-room mood of her previous effort. It was so wonderful to put on this record and hear a very minimal voice-guitar combo and a song that is so much of our time.

The song selection is eclectic-very contemporary and at the same time very timeless and fitting Baez ageing mezzo as well as can be expected. Joan duets with producer Steve Earle (who wrote three songs for the record) on a few tracks; the rustically, meditative God Is God being a particular favourite of this author. My other favourite Earle’s I Am A Wanderer is an up-tempo, almost classical, ballad about the underdog in society. There are also other gems here Earle,s mountain-style modern primative hymn Gericho Road, Eliza Gilkyson Rose of Sharon and Elvis Costello’s Scarlet Tide all of which are rendered with compassion by this ancient troubadour.

I was pleased to discover that Day After Tomorrowhas been nominated for “Best Contemporary Folk Album” at next year’s Grammy Awards which it totally deserves. Over the next little while I’ll be writing reviews of some of the other nominees from the traditional and contemporary lists which is full of greats this year.