Properganda 0 Properganda 0 SERENADE_PROPERGANDA_ART_A4-F.in1 1 8/8/08 01:19:00 Page 4 Main Features Original Spin with Kerfuffle Ralph McTell CONTENTS 5 Folk Reviews 6 Fellside Records featuring Rachel & Lillias Jack McNeill & Charlie Heys and The Maerlock 7 Drever, McCusker, Woomble Megson Folk Reviews Country/Americana Reviews elcome to the autumn/winter issue of Properganda, our 4 W first ever push-me-pull you edition. We had so much to tell Joan Baez you about that we had to put a cover at either end. This is the Art Garfunkel 5 month that Bellowhead and Also Drever, McCusker, Woomble Catherine Maclellan 6 release new albums into the world. In DMW’s case it’s their debut Signature Sounds and Six Shooter and we are lucky to have John McCusker Roddy Woomble as our 7 Up Round Review Hot Club Of Cowtown guest contributors for this issue. 8 Mile Miracle Hightone featuring Dave Alvin, We had a great summer around various festivals giving Properganda Buddy Miller and Tom RussellUp Round Review 0 out to the assembled masses and hopefully there will be a few Country/AmericanaWoomble Roddy Reviewsfrom Editorial Guest 4 more of you out there looking forward to this issue. It’s the usual Selection Track Muskers John 5 HELLO action packed affair, with even more pages than before. Even, if Blues Caravan and Rich Man’s War Man’s Rich and Caravan Blues 6 your picking up an issue for the first time you are most welcome. Blues Reviews Blues 7 As well as 48 individual reviews, there are more exclusive interviews The Portico Quartet Portico The 8 than ever before and some new contributors have signed up to The BBC Jazz Awards Jazz BBC The 9 bring you even wider coverage of the world of specialist music. Thanks to one and all. reviews Jazz 0 Don’t forget that you can get involved. We are actively recruiting Assailant Beat Seu Jorge Jorge Seu a street team and you can find out more at out blog at properblog.wordpress.com, where you can also pick up news Kuti Seun Dub Colossus Colossus Dub and have your say. The Properganda Team Traditional Crossroads Traditional World Reviews World 4 Dean Owens and Mary Hampton Mary and Owens Dean Mawkin:Causley, John McCusker, McCusker, John Mawkin:Causley, THE THE featuring Records Navigator 5 5 Bellowhead Main Features Main 7 BLOGBLOG Page The Properbloghttp://properblog.wordpress.com is there to keep you informed between issues. Why not sign up and you can have your say too. Why not join our street team we are actively recruiting gig goers and music nuts now. In exchange for handing out a few flyers you Andy K (AK), Simon Holland (SH), Jon Roffey (JTR), could be getting free entry to some top shows. JonContributors: Lusk (JL), Cliffy (C), Clive Pownceby (CP), Log on to the Properblog for details. David Kidman (DK), Alan Levermore (AL), Stuart Nicholson (SN), Win every CD featured in this issue enter our completion at www.properdistribution.com Howard Male (HM), Ken Smith (KS), Drew Hobbs (DH), David Sign up for the Properganda newsletter for regular updates between issues. Sinclair (DS), Andy Snipper (AS), Lewis Robinson (LR), Ruth Redding (RR), Jim Soars (JHS), Andy Washington (AW), Tony Morley (TM), Sid Cowens (SC), Colin Irwin (CI), J O’Ragan (JO’R), Garth Cartwright (GC), Andy Robson (AR), Jane Cornwell (JC), Neil Pearson (NP), Erin Spurling (ES), Neil Spencer (NS), Andrew Cronshaw (AC). Photographs supplied by artists and their labels unless credited. + + Proper Music Distribution The New Powerhouse Gateway Business Park Kangley Bridge Road SE6 5AN England Editor: Simon Holland Tel Int 44 (0) 0 8676 500 Fax 44 (0) 0 8676 569 Properganda 0 www.properdistribution.com www.myspace.com/propermusic Layout: Don Ward Artwork: Deborah Wilds We wanted to explore music from closer to home his award-winning a predominantly English thread T four-piece is one of running through this album.” the most exciting and But testament to their burgeoning promising bands on the knowledge, they’ve managed UK folk scene. to avoid the obvious standards Discovering Kerfuffle and delved deep to deliver less familiar fare. There’s greater at Fairport’s Cropredy Rootbeat Records unity evident than on the band’s To The Ground Convention 2007 RBRCD006 was a revelation. previous releases and almost a ‘concept album’ feel, with dark Their exuberance, and joyous themes handled with equal satisfaction to create a accomplished playing cohesive album from start to finish. and obvious, knowledgeable passion for folk music won the Musically, the album is underpinned by supple-and-strong crowd, despite their new-comer billing. Hannah James singing rhythms from Tom Sweeney, his powerful bass guitar lines are the Pentangle classic Light Flight really caught the collective extremely effective. Sam Sweeney (also in Bellowhead’s ranks) ear. Her skilful phrasing, echoing a young Jacqui McShee, but is a technical wiz on fiddle and shines particularly brightly, retaining a unique, signature style set off rippling murmurs especially on the instrumentals Rondo and The Trip. Recent of approval. As the set progressed, their firm grasp on the recruit Jamie Roberts (a graduate of the Leeds College of Music) FOLK traditions combined with youthful energy, creating a vibe brings an edgy guitar sound, creating strong couterpoint. “Jamie reminiscent of the glory days of the 60s’ folk revival and the has brought a whole new style into the band,” Sam confirms, festival’s venerable hosts in their youthful heyday. “and that’s given us new energy.” And over it all soars Hannah The four members – Hannah, bothers Sam and Tom Sweeney, James’ pure and vibrant voice. This new album shows off the and Jamie Roberts – all began playing in their early teens and whole group’s dynamic vocal range too. Take, for example, the their musicality and sophistication has grown exponentially over song Arise Arise, the rich harmonies conjure Steeleye Span’s four albums, with the latest release, To The Ground, hitting a supreme vocal strength. new musical peak. Featuring mostly traditional English material, Kerfuffle’s reputation as a live act is assured and the band the choice of songs is thoughtful, and the treatments and have delivered a smart, new album, brim full of originality and arrangements are refreshing and distinctive. Hannah explains“, superb musicianship. To The Ground is on a par with the best “We wanted to explore music from closer to home so there is of the best. Andy Farquarson A CD, an autobiography and a Ralph mctell DVD this autumn release from Ralph McTell observation provide a fascinating glimpse of working class life A is always newsworthy and this between VE Day and The Beatles. It offers intriguing insights autumn sees a welcome burst of into the stories behind many of his songs and is a richly creativity from Britain’s best-loved rewarding read, not only for McTell fans, but for any reader singer-songwriter. It is not often that interested in Britain’s recent social history. any artist puts out three products As a songwriter and musician, he is working in a more familiar simultaneously in three different environment on the complementary three-CD set. Five years media but that is exactly what in the making, the set features McTell reading extracts from his McTell has done with a concert DVD, autobiography interspersed with songs. The readings and songs a book and a triple CD. have been carefully chosen to illustrate how much of McTell’s McTell On The Mall is a full-length life is reflected in his songwriting. In a wide ranging journey DVD featuring highlights from three through his extensive repertoire, over a dozen songs have concerts performed on consecutive been specially re-recorded for this triple CD together with three evenings at London’s prestigious brand new compositions. Institute Of Contemporary Arts “Recording the songs anew was a discovery for me,” in Pall Mall. The videotapes were says McTell. “Several are nearly forty years old and I believed lost, but have recently seldom sing them these days. It was resurfaced and both footage and like meeting an old friend you haven’t soundtrack have been painstakingly seen for years – still young, the future mastered to paint a vivid portrait of still uncertain.” McTell at his spellbinding best. Consummate production and As Far As I Can Tell is the title of both a book and a triple mastering by Martin Bell ensures a CD, the culmination of a major project by McTell. Originally satisfying cohesion between words published in two hardback volumes, McTell’s autobiography is and music, a unity of the spoken and now available in paperback with additional chapters illustrated the sung. The mix of re-recordings, by photos from the McTell family album. readings and rarities make As Far As Much more than a run-of-the-mill rock star biog – anyone I Can Tell a veritable treasure trove to expecting an exposé of 1970s excess will be disappointed return to again and again. - rather, McTell’s sharp recall of his early life and his keen Andy Farquarson As FarLeola As MusicI Can Tell TPGCD8 44 Properganda 0 reviews Tiny Tin Label Hobgoblin Music TinyTTL10208 Tin Lady PhilHOBCD1008 Hardy JezTantobie Lowe & Ridiculous Bohemia Revisted TheTTRCD1 Bad1O Pennies CR JO’R Northern Echoes AL FOLK Ridiculous Bohemia follows last year’s debut Revisited is a compilation of all the very best CD from Merseyside-based Tiny Tin Lady; and tracks from Phil Hardy’s earlier recordings After Mike Harding called Jez Lowe “an unsung the all-girl group has certainly overcome that on his own label, and tracks previously only hero of British folk music”, things are being put difficult second album syndrome.