 | | Reviews | | |  KATHRYN ROBERTS AND SEAN LAKEMAN
2
I Scream Records ISCD005
No problem with 'the difficult second album' for these two artists, nor with finding a title, following as it does their debut album 1. It doesn't seem two minutes since Kathryn teamed up with with Kate Rusby and the three Lakeman brothers to form the much-lauded teen 'supergroup' Equation but - sharp intake of breath - it's nearly a decade. Now Kathryn and Sean are the only remaining original members of the band (which successfully ploughs its pop/folk furrow mainly in the States) while as a duo they continue to record and tour a repertoire closer to their early roots in the UK folk scene.
Seven traditional and three contemporary songs reveal subtle depth and mature arrangement and some standout tracks: the real-life murder tale of The Red Barn - pacy, percussive, memorable guitar licks, celtic fiddle; The Maid Of Whitby - rhythmic acapella beginning, layered harmony vox, guitars and drums stomping in to witness the unhappy plight of prostitute-deceived sailors; Willow Tree - a slow piano and drums-led tale of triumph over treachery; and the stirring Rule And Bant, Geoffrey Lakeman's tin-mining disaster with a happy outcome.
Kathryn's stunning, flexible voice does girl-sweet and vulnerable, deeply warm or strong and compelling to order. Detail-rich story-songs, whether trad ballad or iconic contemporary material like Lowell George's 20 Million Things (a live version) and Recupido/Witcher's Lifetime Of Tears, fare beautifully under her natural interpretive skills. Lakeman's a masterful guitarist, employing Nic Jones-like drive and complexity, jazz sensibilities and electric riffs with equal facility. With Roberts' piano, clarinet and flute plus additional instruments from various cohorts, 2 is a meaty, eclectic set boding well for 3 ... and 4 and 5 and 6 ...
Mel McClellan - December 2003
See also:
Review of Equation's Return To Me.
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Folk & Acoustic
