As the subtitle says, Traditional Music and Song from England and Beyond is exactly what you get on this debut album from this new young band. Established in 2001 in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England, Crucible are Jess Arrowsmith on fiddle and vocals; Helena Reynolds on 5 string, octave fiddles, border pipes and vocals; Richard Arrowsmith on melodeon; Anglo concertina and vocals and Gavin Davenport on guitar and vocals.
Coming from this part of England, where the 'angst' folk ballad rules supreme, it is easy to detect very strong influences from Kate Rusby, Eliza Carthy, The Watersons, and even the Waterson-Carthy and Steeleye Span camps. So if you are a fan of these, this album will settle well with you. All the songs and tunes are presented in a nice acoustic style. As such, I can't fault their musicianship, for there are some really nice lively tunes here like 'From Night 'til Morn' (a tune which will be recognised by Carthy and Steeleye fans as 'The Maid and the Palmer'). It's surprising how good it sounds without any words. Other tunes include 'The Engagement Set' by Simon Heywood, 'Sherborne Jig / Queens Delight' and 'Thermidor' (a schottische) written by Sue Thomason of Whitby, North Yorkshire. All have nice arrangements and are played very well.
Perhaps individually some of the vocals are not over strong, but when the band members sing together, they really gel and are excellent with some interesting harmonies. I thought they were very reminiscent of the Watersons in the 60s. Finding four voices that blend together like this is extremely rare, and when you do, the result is a magical sound. Most of the songs (and their arrangements) are traditional and will have been heard before. No problem with that, as they all make extremely good listening, and for the most part, the band demonstrate good taste in their choice of material. Songs such as 'Bold Poachers,' 'Devil and the Farmers Wife,' 'Poor Man's Labours' and 'Blackbird' stand out on the album. The album seems to take its title from the song 'Changeling's Lullaby.' I don't know why, for although the words are written by Gavin and put to music by Jess, and the tune might even pass for a traditional one, this song didn't grab me, as maybe it should have done. It is sung unaccompanied by Jess and didn't represent the 'band as a whole.' However, this is purely a personal view. You, of course, may like it.
Other songs include 'Yield, Yield Ye Mighty to the Lord' an adaptation of Psalm 29 put to the tune 'Forthfare' by Simon Heywood. 'The 2nd of August,' an 18th century broadside put to music by Richard, may not have been recorded before (at least to the best of my knowledge). A nice end to the album is an American shape-note hymn, 'Evening Hymn.'
This is the first album from Crucible, and I am pretty sure it won't be their last. I get the feeling they are capable of putting out some blistering material in the future. The band is sure to be popular with festivals and folk clubs, and I for one look forward to hearing them live. If you are a lover of traditional English folk song/tune, get this album, you won't be disappointed.
