I like June Tabor, I like the Oyster band, so why wouldn't this collaboration be something I enjoy?
I saw them do Love Will Tear Us Apart as a two-hander on Later about twelve years ago, which was fantastic, and resolved to get one of their albums. This one was released about twenty years earlier, and snapped up for a pittance recently.
Tabor and the Oysters seem to collaborate so well. Of all the female folk singers I've heard, I find her deep voice the most evocative and the discipline of working with the Oysterband seems to bring out the best in both.
Opening song, Si Khan's Mississippi Summer is a smooth, brooding start to proceedings, with Tabor sharing vocal duties with the Oysters' John Jones, and it's followed by a cover of Shane MacGowan's Lullaby of London, done far more upbeat and faster than the Pogues' version, and it works.
The covers continue with Richard Thompson's Night Comes In, again done with more gusto, depth and less darkness than the original; Billy Bragg's tale of domestic abuse Valentine's Day Is Over given a full band treatment and a new lease of life, perhaps a little more jolly that the subject matter suggests; then possibly the best cover of Lou Reed's All Tomorrow's Parties I've heard.
The second half takes a much more folky turn, with a mixture of traditional and original songs. Dives and Lazarus brings Jones back sharing vocal duties, but works as a soft rock song, as does Dark Eyed Sailor, pleasant and listenable but no more and similarly John Tams' Pain or Paradise.
The traditional song Susie Clelland, for some reason works better to these ears than the other trad songs and is enjoyable, the album ending with Finisterre, written by the Oysters' Ian Telfer, the slowest, most folky thing on the album, and a gentle ending which showcases Tabor's voice perfectly.
I can't help feeling that when these two artists collaborate, the Oysters play more thoughtfully giving Tabor's voice space to shine, while Tabor's choice of material in working with a band is often braver than the simple traditional folk route on some solo albums. Or perhaps the overlap of the Venn diagram is where I like both artists to be. Whatever, this is a great album, heartily recommended.
4* - a really enjoyable album, with both parties at their best.
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