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REVIEW FROM www.livingtradition.co.uk

 


 

 

 
BELINDA KEMPSTER & FRAN FOOTE - On Clay Hill 

BELINDA KEMPSTER & FRAN FOOTE - On Clay Hill 
From Here Records SITW013CD 

An all-traditional, almost all-vocal, album from Fran Foote (Stick In The Wheel) and her mother, Belinda Kempster. There are too few folk albums from my much-patronised home county of Essex, so this collection – defiantly named after an area of Basildon – is very welcome.

The unique element here is the fact that Fran’s great uncle was Ernie Austin, as featured on Topic Records’ Flash Company (1974) – and, I would add, Veteran’s fine Essex collection, The Fox And The Hare. Most of the songs are from Ernie’s repertoire, though not slavishly copied; for example, Knife In The Window is not merged with Hares On The Mountain as per his version (which is the one I sing myself). A brief recording of Ernie closes the album. The songs are mostly common enough numbers, although several have variations from the typical text. The performances are a mixture of solo, unison and harmonised renditions, with occasional use of a drone accompaniment. The songs are taken at an unhurried pace, albeit with a definite rhythmic pulse. I did find one or two performances to be on the slow side - I suspect this is because of familiarity with band-accompanied versions. That slower pacing is sometimes quite striking, and other versions of the White (or Blue) Cockade - here titled Dearly Missed - are now going to seem too fast.

If you’ve not yet explored English traditional song to any great extent, and would prefer a contemporary recording, this could be a good entry point. I think it’s a smashing album. Be Essex and be proud!

www.fromhererecords.com

Paul Mansfield

 

This review appeared in Issue 130 of The Living Tradition magazine