[.ca] Anglicana

From Amazon.co.uk:
Although academically rooted in the traditional music of the British Isles (Mum and Dad, need it be reiterated, are Norma Waterson and Martin Carthy) ace fiddler and folk starlet Eliza Carthy describes Anglicana as "an expression of Englishness as I feel it". This--given her one-girl quest to make archaic Yorkshire sword dances and songs about courting farm labourers acceptable to 21st century alternative-lifestyle persons with studs in their tongues--is a fairly candid admission that mild interpretative forces are at play. Rummaging through Dad's old dusty song sheets and century-old Lincolnshire field recordings for inspirational sources, Anglicana is a country mile from the mainstream pop gloss of 2000's major-label release Angels and Cigarettes, offering a healthy contrast of the familiar and obscure, all of which is indubitably "traditional" bar the one self-penned instrumental, "Dr McMBE", a meditative little tribute and acknowledgement to her Father's scholarly acclaim and trip to see Liz at The Palace. Be it the well-worn "Just As The Tide Was Flowing"--a tune much-favoured by Vaughan Williams and 10,000 Maniacs--in which the sombre tone of a melodeon gives way to the sweetness and tragedy of Carthy's voice, or the shadowy, atmospheric versions of "Bold Privateer" and "Worcester City"--a poisonous, crime-of-passion tale rattling from the speakers with a muscular combination of Carthy's brusquely-scraped fiddle and Donald Hay's martial drumming--Anglicana is as faultless as these things come. The whole thing is aptly curtain-called by "Willow Tree", a swinging mélange of jazz violin, trumpets and saxes, resembling the late 1960s Kinks doing a sundown, cider-slurred cabaret slot at the village fete. --Kevin Maidment

truly extraordinary:
Eliza could probably coast on the reputation of her mother and father, and some might argue that in some past recordings she has. I like to think she was just practicing for this outstanding album. Her voice is fantastic: clear, nimble, emotional, soaring, unique. Her arrangements are flawless, the backup musicians are perfect, even her backup singers (including her mother and father) are wonderful. But it's the songs themselves that set this effort apart from everything she's done. I've probably bought five copies of this CD to slip into friend's hands with a message of "try this, you won't be the same again." If you're thinking of "trying out" Elliza Carthy, this is not only a perfect entry point, but you might want to buy a few; one for home, one for the car, and some for all those folks who haven't discovered this astounding singer.

Rolling Stone review:
Rolling Stone: One of 2002's best. Folk music survives because certain people use their imaginations to spin new gold from old straw. Carthy will keep the traditions alive for another century.

A Return to Her Folk Roots:
After her foray into popdom with "Angels and Cigarettes", Eliza Carthy has gone back to the English folk idiom with "Anglicana". This album is successful on almost every level, most importantly because Carthy has further honed her skills and folk sensibilities. Her fiddle playing is absolutely superb throughout and never threatens to dominate excessively. She is surrounded by some top-notch musicians (her Mum and Dad as well as Jon Speirs, Jon Boden, and Tim Van Eyken) and the result is a session of high-quality songs. One of the most impressive factors here, though is Carthy's voice. Whilst her voice does not possess the crystaline beauty of the great Maddy Prior or Kate Rusby, it has an honesty and expressiveness that sets it apart. Carthy's edgy singing calls to mind the older voices of Harry Cox and the early Cooper Family. It is quite a beautiful voice. Her rendition of "Just as the Tide Was Flowing" is sung brilliantly. The beauty of the singing is not only in the voice but also in the delivery and Carthy is a master of folksinging. Have a listen...you won't be dissappointd.

• Worcester City
• Just As The Tide Was Flowing
• Limbo
• Little Gypsy Girl
• No Man's Jig + Hanoverian Dance + Three Jolly Sheepskins
• Pretty Plowboy
• Bold Privateer
• Dr MCMBE
• In London So Fair
• Willow Tree