PAUL WALKER & KAREN PFEIFFER - Auf Wiedersehen, Me Duck
Crazy Moose Records CM04
Album number four by this popular Anglo-German duo, and once again it comprises mostly their self-penned songs, along with their take on the Joan Baez classic, Diamonds And Rust, and John Spillane’s Under That Old Clare Moon. Also included is Peat Bog Soldiers / Die Moorsoldaten, which is a song written in the 1930s by German prisoners – opponents of the Third Reich - and which lives on as sung by peace protestors. Their own material reminds the listener of their prowess in the intimate setting of a folk club, or indeed at their many festival appearances. The song material varies from social comment, via a murder ballad to a love song – the latter, Where I Live, a particularly tender display of Paul’s affection for Karen.
There is also plenty of humour here, including the self-explanatory The Rejected Songwriters’ Club and No Time (The Facebook Blues). The way that the two voices complement each other gives the material a pleasant vibe throughout and, similarly, Paul Walker’s guitar combines with Karen Pfeiffer’s woodwinds nicely. The album is expertly produced by Ed Bersey, and the entire physical package is thoughtfully packaged to minimise the use of plastics.
As an appropriate finale, the title song is a live recording from a folk club, demonstrating again the humour and audience-friendly approach this duo exudes – a fitting send off for the assembled multitude! All in all, this is a nicely presented album that should reinforce the reputation of this pair. As the title song entreats, I’m sure I will indeed see them “in a field somewhere”, now that the worst of the effects of the crippling pandemic are over.
www.paulwalkermusic.co.uk
Grem Devlin
This review appeared in Issue 145 of The Living Tradition magazine