Customer Reviews
This is what she's been building towards - By: Stevepupton, 27 Aug 2008 
Brilliant, witty, rude, anarchic, multi-styled, multi-layered !
Eliza Carthy produces a career-highlight album
Styles & boundaries are blown asidein a magical display of contemporary (Hard to categorise as 'Folk') music
Musicianship throughout is superb from all participants & lyrics are at once thought-provoking & amusing
'Oranges & Sea-salt' is a classic
This album puts Eliza right up there with Richard Thompson as one of our national treasures !
Something a bit different - By: Vagabond, 09 Aug 2008 Now, this is a difficult album to recommend. Ultimately all reviews are redundant as it comes down to personal taste at the end of the day. If you're a fan of Eliza's material across the board then it's a fair bet that this is for you as it outshines all of her previous self-written, less folky material. She's learned her craft well & this is a very polished collection of songs, made even more impressive by her restrained vocals & sharp wit. If you're after traditional arrangements/songs then you won't find them here. If you are strictly a fan of Eliza's folk music, then this isn't probably for you either. As one reviewer has said, you can't compare this album to anything else. Each track is as different as the last & so to even brand the album as a whole would be a waste of time. You could say certain tracks are donein a certain style, Oranges & Seasalt being big band(ish). The nearest comparison I can think of as a whole is the wayin which Bellowhead have taken folk music & done something very bold & loud & clever with an off-beat approach. Spiers & Boden even make their now obligatory appearances on Dreams. I was also slightly reminded of Voltaire for the same reasons. Dreams is not trad or even folk as such, but a collection of very from-left-field & catchy tunes. I'm not a particular fan of Eliza's more contemporary offerings & the trad arr heavy Rough Music is one of my all-time favourite albums, so I had this album on order just because it's Eliza & wasn't expecting much from this outing. I was wrong. The first track is my least favourite & so things didn't bode well on first play what with my preconceptions & it's also one of those albums that catches you out, so a few listens are needed to get comfortable with it. But if & when it clicks it is undoubtedly one of the most catchy, original & clever albums you'll hearin a long while. Mr Magnifico, for example, is the kind of thing that would normally have me cringing & scrambling for the skip track button, but somehow it works. Personal favourites are Little Bigman & Oranges & Seasalt. Love it or hate it, to sum up the albumin one punch would have to be "Clever & Catchy." The one draw back with traditional music is that it can be dull, a long & rambling story with hardly a tune, & deep down we all like a catchy tune. By writing her own material Eliza has delivered an album that pays it's dues to the folk music community, pushes the boundaries of... well musicin general, which is no mean feat these days, & wins through by being infectiously catchy & will have you whistling one song or another at all times of the day & night. On the back of this album I bought tickets for the tour and, as always with Eliza, it is guaranteed to be a good night out.
Magical and touching music - By: C. M. Knowles, 09 Jul 2008 This is modern British folk with a specifically English twist - not eccentric but gloriously idiosyncratic. It is personal without being maudlin, melodious but never mawkish. And yet there is something touching about it that is close to poetic. Bracing, timeless stuff.
Different, Varied and Great Fun - By: Richard Allen, 02 Jul 2008 Having thoroughly enjoyed her more traditional previous album Rough Music, & following the recent Channel 5 documentary on Eliza, I had expected somethingin a similar vein. However, this is very different. It followsin the trail of her previous self-written album (the underrated Angels & Cigarettes) & infuses her folk leanings with an unexpected variety of instruments & styles. What comes through on every song is the strength of the song writing, the vividly drawn characters & the wonderful narratives. All deliveredin Eliza's beautiful & expressive singing style. It's an album that rewards repeated listens & leaves you feeling uplifted on every occasion. Incidentally, if you ever get the chance to see Eliza live, don't miss out as it's a wonderful eveningin the company of a very talented & engaging person.
Hmm...this is great "????" music - By: Mark Siner, 29 Jun 2008 What should I put for the "????" bit. Not sure is matters, but it isn't pure folk music,(whatever that is). I won't dissect tracks here as there is so much variety. Instead I will state why it ticks boxes for me. Great music should have quality whatever the genre, sometimes with invention, but certainly it should either move me or excite me. Liza's latest does all these things. She really is ploughing her own furrow these days, & with great success.
Will punters like it ? As it doesn't sound like anyone else it's hard to tell. However, for past Liza fans I would say if you were happy with Red Rice, or the much maligned Angels & Cigarettes,(which I actually thought was a superb diversion), then I reckon this will work for you.
In summary - one of the great albums of recent times irrespective of genre, deserving of 6 stars for imagination,(and unlike some other reinventers not losing the plot). She is a national treasure,(bet she would hate that description), who continues to surprise & delightin equal measure.
