KARINA KNIGHT - From The Knee
Blackstone Edge Records
I can’t remember when I first heard Karina Knight sing, but I can remember being spellbound by her performance and I can remember the song, which is on this CD, a version of High Germany. Most of the songs on her new CD, From The Knee, were learnt from her mother and father who clearly had a huge musical influence on her from an early age.
From The Knee has 13 tracks of pure unadulterated a cappella singing from one of the best exponents on the folk scene today. The songs range from the more familiar to slightly less well-known versions, many of them Irish, which reflects her love of exquisite melodic tunes. These include I Wish, I Wish; My Lagan Love; The Plains Of Waterloo; Do Not Forget, Love; and an old favourite from the NE, Trimdon Grange. Also included are some of my personal favourites, The Lover’s Ghost and especially the version of High Germany which I first heard Karina sing several years ago. On two tracks, Bold Wolfe and Trimdon Grange, she is joined by her nephew, Matthew Wilson, who sings lovely harmonies. They performed together at the folk club at Whitby Festival last year to much acclaim.
Karina’s voice is pure and unaffected, her phrasing is superb and her diction excellent. She has a good vocal range and lovely expression. So if, like me, you love a cappella singing, you will love this. It is probably the best CD I have heard in a very long time.
www.bandcamp.com/karinaknightfolk
Carolyn Robson
This review appeared in Issue 133 of The Living Tradition magazine