If you have heard my CD (Songs for John) or would like to hear some samples before buying you have come to the right place. Your order can be taken by emailing me or if you prefer please send me �12 sterling at: 27 Old Ford Lane, Barnet, EN5, UK.
On my CD I play all instruments (fiddle, guitar, banjo, harmonica and melodeon) and the track listing should give you an idea of the breath and scale of this offering:
Piney Woods Gal, See Yer Trouble, The Hangman's Reel, The Moonshiner, The Musical Priest/Jenny's Chickens, Katy Hill, Lowlands/Squeezebox Medley and Bonepartes Retreat From Moscow.
Here you'll see I tend to stick to traditional sources by delving deep into early Old Time as well as Irish and English music: I hope you will agree that there is a resurgence of interest of late in previously overlooked gems to be found amongst the very earliest of live recordings made at the dawn of recording history. Here I believe I replicate some of those gems with clarity, that is without all the crackle and pop that plagued early technology.
Aside from the drudgery of working to make a living in Barnet, I live for my music and play regularly at many folk clubs, open mic nights etc, so if you do see me please do introduce yourself.
Robin
Track 2 lurches us into a Kilby Snow ballad (Kilby was a renowned autoharp player and singer); and even if Robin's voice qualities are no match for Kilby's he still renders a very authentic reproduction. As the play list implies we are hopped between widely varied styles comprising of romping hillbilly instrumentals, dark ballads, English folk and Irish traditional. This could easily be a sampler from a record producers catalogue were it not for it being only one artist. Whether playing fiddle on Irish or American tunes, clawhammer banjo, no-nonsense backing guitar, harmonica or squeezebox, Robin excels in showcasing his staggering array of skills. Though the jury is still out on whether the album's concept or theme might have benefited more by being less varied. It is remarkable that this was basically recorded in one day, including the doubling up of instruments. It means the track count of eight might be low, but then again it was a very good day. In terms of value-for-money (�12 a CD), I have paid twice as much on boxed sets only to find a few diamonds in the rough; here there is no rough.
It is severely challenging trying to remain unbiased about Robin's music considering how immediately impressed I was when witnessing his first performance (Cecil Sharpe's Tuesday folk evening many moons ago) as a nervous teenager who sang and played banjo whilst doing his supportive Dad very proud. Years later, I was similarly impressed when he appeared at a London session with fiddle in tow for the first time. It is hard too, to ignore Robin's pedigree as several times winner at Gainsborough festivals on both banjo and fiddle. With these credentials alone this debut CD was always begging to be done, but given how his playing has matured in fluency over the years, and his no-prisoners-taken approach to playing, marks him out as a talent worthy of far more. Robin also has a speciality in choosing tunes that usually only the foolhardy might attempt for their complexity, that in his hands are beguilingly made to look easy.
Neither is the packaging and presentation any bedroom job as many debut CDs are, but professional throughout, and impressive too. Recording quality is as excellent as the artwork. Surprisingly, the latter is all done by Robin himself, and is as surpassing as the music. Unusually, the cover photograph is of a child's face who in fact turns out to be Robin's son John, hence the albums name 'Songs For John', thus underlying this as a work of love. Evidently both the music and presentation benefited greatly.
All too often the credibility stakes for home grown exponents of traditional and country music are set impossibly beyond reach, but lowered for anything coming from America or Ireland; Here Robin blows away the 'pigeon-hole' playing of better known contemporaries and forces us to ask awkward questions about our own musical identity. This refreshingly creative and varied offering reaches out to a wider audience than mere folk, even a new audience, and should appeal across the board. So if you are feeling daring enough to embrace a new experience, or redeem the lack of home talent in your collection, then this should be the first amongst hopefully many more to come, to make amends.
To order your copy email [email protected] or call 0208 275 8617
Colm Daly
25th June 2007