Pure-voiced, Fay Hield is an outstanding exponent when it comes to delivering beautiful folk ballads. Supported by her band, The Hurricane Party Hield has in Sam Sweeney (fiddle, viola, cello, nyckelharpa, vocals), Rob Harbron English concertina, fiddle, vocals) and Roger Wilson (fiddle, guitar, mandolin, vocals) plus Ben Nicholls and Toby Kearney and special guests Jon Boden, (guitar, fiddle) and Martin Simpson (guitar) as good as one could wish for group of musicians accompany her.
Folk traditionalists can’t help but love Hield and the album (her third), so pure her vocals and likewise diction. While other than Rudyard Kipling’s “Anchor Song” and Tom Waits’ “The Briar And The Rose” of the 14-tracks are traditional Hield and Boden have placed their own mark on the melodies. One of which, title-track “Old Adam” has the honour of appearing twice, as Hield draws on two variations. The second of which is both abbreviated and instrumental.
Among the finest efforts you have such varied offerings as “Katie Catch”, lilting ode “The Hornet And The Beetle” slow measured ballads “Old Adam”, “Queen Eleanor’s Confession” and the direct, upright bass, percussion, concertina aided “Green Gravel”.
“The Hag In The Beck” is an old (1600s) Yorkshire dialect poem put to music and as with “Anchor Song” it too fits the bill. But for me the finest of them all vies between popular piece “Raggle Taggle Gypsy” and Waits’ “The Briar And The Rose” with the likes of “Long Time Ago” not far behind it. Such are the inspired and effective instrumental arrangements you can easily be drawn to them before the lyrics and if possible be distracted, momentarily from Hield's erstwhile vocal efforts.
Maurice Hope