Equation, First Name Terms, (I Scream Records, 2002)
Kathryn Roberts & Sean Lakeman, 1, (I Scream Records, 2002)
Seth Lakeman, The Punch Bowl, (I Scream Records, 2002)

What we've got here are three CDs courtesy of the outrageously talented Lakeman family from Devon, England, who were first brought to the attention of our readers via the eponymous album by Cara Dillon. Time was that Sean, Seth and Sam comprised three-fifths of a band called Equation, initially with Kate Rusby and Kathryn Roberts, subsequently with Dillon as Rusby’s replacement. These days, only Sean (guitars) and Kathryn (vocals, woodwind, piano) remain from the original line-up, with Darren Edwards (bass), Iain Goodall (drums, percussion) and James Crocker (electric guitar, banjo, slide) carrying the Equation name forward.

First Name Terms, also features guest contributions from both the other two Lakeman brothers and Dillon. Producer James Brown adds some keyboards and picks up a few collaborative compositional credits too.

The musicianship is, unsurprisingly, of impeccable standard throughout, Roberts is a fine singer and she and Lakeman are more than capable lyricists. While I’ve no doubt that this album is “a grower,” I’m sadly unmoved by it, so far. The intention to create an identifiably roots-based strain of intelligent pop music is wholly admirable, but Equation’s folk (and classical) background may have left them a little TOO musically intelligent to create genuinely exciting pop. Theirs is an approach that is gradual, restrained and subtle, whereas pop music always functions best when it’s immediate, abandoned and brazen. Equation were frequently touted as an “English Corrs” in their early days, perhaps an unfair comparison, but an interesting one nonetheless. The Dundalk siblings’ ruthless pursuit of fame may have been crassly vulgar but it resulted in a string of radio-friendly songs where the hooks just got piled on top of each other, with no self-conscious inhibitions about what constitutes “good taste.” Sean and Kathryn couldn’t be “crass” or “vulgar” if they tried -- they’re genuinely lovely people, and it pains me to speak ill of their album!

The majority of the bands touring is in the U.S. where, by all accounts, they go down an absolute storm. That may well explain my reaction to the CD, as this type of music has a much larger, less fashion driven audience than it does in the U.K. It may also explain Kathryn’s slightly mid-Atlantic singing, compared to the Yorkshire vowels of yore. Songs like “Clare,” “Speak Your Thoughts” and “Jack and Suzanne” should certainly gain them plenty of attention “over the pond,” while “For Carrie,” sees them entering similar territory to Kate and Anna McGarrigle, which bodes well for their future.

Between their tours of the U.S.A. with Equation, Kathryn and Sean have recently been revisiting some of their old U.K. folk club haunts as a duo. 1 is a representative sample of the traditional folk repertoire that they perform in these small venues.

Playing this CD back-to-back with First Name Terms throws up some sharp contrasts from the opening notes. Stripped of the full band and slick production, their inclinations towards restraint and subtlety suddenly transmute into unimpeachable virtues. Listening to “Georgia Lee” and “The Lambs on the Green Hills” is an immediate reminder of how just how richly Roberts deserved her “Young Tradition Award,” some years ago while “Once I Had a Sweetheart” and “Granite Mill,” showcase Lakeman’s acoustic guitar playing in all it’s glory.

While “Lord Gregory” and “Lovely Nancy” both feature the rest of Equation, the emphasis here is very much on abilities of the duo and their interpretations of classic folk songs. Some of their influences are easy to spot (Cordelia’s Dad, June Tabor, Whippersnapper), but they’re more in the nature of affectionate acknowledgements than slavish copies. The arrangements, though generally sparse, are sufficiently inventive to demand repeated listening and make effective use of multi-tracking. “The Maid With the Bonny Brown Hair,” for instance, features both Roberts’ piano and flute, while “The Drowned Lovers,” provides a wonderfully harmonising chorus of her unaccompanied voice. This CD is a “limited availability” release, which basically means that the easiest way to get one is to go and see them perform in a folk club. It’s an experience that I thoroughly recommend!

Finally, we move on to Seth Lakeman’s The Punch Bowl, on which he’s joined by most of the names that figured in the credits for First Name Terms. My previous encounters with Seth have all seen him cast in a supporting role with Cara or Equation, so his emergence here as a singer-songwriter came as nothing short of a revelation. The middle Lakeman reveals himself as a singularly distinctive talent, both lyrically and musically. This album, rather than being another “grower,” absolutely demands the listener’s immediate attention with soaring lead vocals, chiming tenor guitar, jagged percussion, driving fiddle and wordless female vocal textures. It’s bold, artistic, and keeps throwing out surprises. While most of the songs deal with personal themes, there’s nothing the slightest bit alienating here. “Garden of Grace,” “April Eyes” and “Look outside Your Window” all lodged themselves into this listener’s consciousness and refused to budge.

Sadly, there are only ten tracks on this CD, the final three being two re-workings of traditional songs (albeit radical ones), with a set of original fiddle tunes sandwiched between them. These are absolutely fine (and doubtless raise the roof in live performance), but it’s the original songs that really give cause for excitement.

A lot of debut albums by singer-songwriters give the impression of an artist “finding their feet.” Seth Lakeman, on the other hand, has hit the ground running. This is a wildly inventive statement of intent from an artist eager and willing to express himself. I’m equally eager and willing to hear what he comes up with next.