BOB FOX - A Garland For Joey: The War Horse Songbook
Fledg’ling Records FLED3107
Before we start – if you haven’t seen War Horse live, go and see it. It’s not a glorification of war – it’s an extraordinarily moving testimony to the awfulness of war.
Bob Fox – he of the voice that would make the phonebook musical – has been the Songman in War Horse for eight years, off and on. This is a simple collection of some of the most memorable songs in the show. You’ll recognise several of them – Only Remembered and Lulee, Lulay, for example. Others are crafted or adapted by John Tams – styled Songmaker (a nice word) here. The songs are sung simply and beautifully, largely accompanied only by Bob’s clean, sympathetic guitar playing, with occasional contributions from the Carlton Main Frickley Colliery Band.
Inevitably, there’s a sadness pervading this collection, despite the occasional jolly song (Scarlet And The Blue, for example), but it is a glorious, uplifting listen and far from depressing. You’ll find yourself singing along as well.
To finish – if you haven’t seen War Horse live, go and see it, with Bob Fox as Songman if you can manage it.
www.bobfoxmusic.com
Alan Murray
 |
Many CDs we review are available from The Listening Post. Check to see if this CD is available. The Listening Post is the CD mailorder service of The Living Tradition magazine. This album was reviewed in Issue 122 of The Living Tradition magazine. |