Customer Reviews

Rare and special delight - By: , 08 Nov 2002
This is one of my very favourite albums. Although much of the material is drawn from a wide range of traditional sources, some of the strongest songs were written by Jessica Ruby Simpson/Radcliffe, whoin my opinion is among the finest living songwriters.

Having bought the CD at a gig around the time it was released, I have recently rediscovered it, & cannot stop playing it over & over again. (This is not a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder, because I know that listening to such music creates a profound sense of wellbeing & sanity!)

Throughout, the musicianship is superb, but notin a flashy or obvious way. Although each musician is individually highly gifted, as an ensemble they have created something rare & special. The playing is a continual source of delight, spine-tingling passages leading to magical interludes & heartfelt singing of moving & original lyrics. The sound is subtle & understated, with an unusual sense of separation of the instruments within a well integrated overall sound-canvas. An aura of perfection pervades the Band of Angels' playing, but there is never any hint of over-production: this is real music!

Listen to the sample of "Who'll Water My Flowers" to hear the transcendent "blues from outer space" sounds of Martin Simpson's slide guitar. Jessica's singing on "Raglan Road" has a deliciously sighing, intimate quality which powerfully communicates a sense of private grief without falling into the sentimentality trap.

I confess that I havein the past pressed the skip button on "Kevin Carter" because of the painful the lyrical content. Shame on me: the true artist doesn't shy away from difficult emotions. How many other songwriters would address the real life story of a journalist's suicide, famine & war? How many would handle it with such sensitivity & integrity, not to mention artistry?

This is highly unusual, special music, which I cannot praise too highly. It certainly makes my world a better place! So don't delay, buy it today. Then buy "Beautiful Darkness", "Red Roses", "Nightblooming Jasmine", "Ruby Slippers" ...