On this album, Martin Graebe and Shan Cowan are two singers drawn together by a common liking for the traditional works collected by Victorian collector Sabine Baring-Gould (1834-1924). Baring-Gould was one of the first collectors of traditional English songs and a mentor to the later collectors such as Cecil Sharp. Indeed, Martin is noted as one of the modern day traditionalists who go to great lengths to search out the manuscripts of Baring-Gould.

The album was originally to be entitled 'The Two Faces of Martin Graebe', for not only does it have several Baring-Gould songs that may not have been recorded before, but also five songs written by Martin in a traditional style. Several of Martin's songs have already been recorded by other singers, and in the fashion of folk music, have been passed around by osmosis. You may recognise titles such as 'Stoncracker John', 'Peters Private Army', 'Jack in the Green', and 'Honiton Lace' -- all derived from stories and legends found in the West Country of England. One song written by Martin which caught my attention is 'From Severn, By the Somme' sung unaccompanied by Martin; it is for all those whose grandparents were young adults during the Great War. It's still a conflict that is a source of fascination and it's also hard to understand the crass stupidity forced by the Generals on the common soldiers and some of the support workers, - nurses, clerks, cooks, entertainers, and many other tradesmen and women who also died.

Martin and Shan both sing in a plain unaffected style using little or no reverberation or EQ. It may be an acquired taste for some. However, they have enlisted the concertina of Keith Kenrick, the guitar and mandola of Jeff Gillett, and the fiddle of Paul Burgess for simple accompaniment. All of this is held to a minimum, allowing the words of the song to carry it. You have to be in the right mood or frame of mind to enjoy this album fully. This is an album that will be enjoyed by the traditionalists amongst you. More information on Martin and Shan and the songs, including the lyrics to the Baring-Gould collection, can be found here.