Folk & Country

Night Visiting

Advantages: Bella has a beautiful and clear voice.
Disadvantages: There are one or two tracks which i'm not sure about

'Night Visiting' is Bella Hardy's first album. All eleven tracks are written, performed (fiddle and vocal) and produced by Bella. Excerpts of all her tracks can be heard at 'www.bellahardy.com' and she is sometimes played on Mike Harding's Radio 2 show (Wednesday 1900-2000) Bella has a clear and beautiful voice. Her music is in the style of English Folk comparable to Kate Rusby and Cara Dillon. Jim Moray, (Sweet England) is currently listening to ...
...website. Her lyrics are imaginative and story-telling as if handed down through centuries. Her instrumentals include the fiddle, melodeon, viola, harp, accordian, whistles and concertina. I love her album, and often listen to it, I bought it from her website and it arrived immediately. My favorates are 'Heart Hill' which is beautifuly sad and Young Edmund which is a very folky story of separated lovers. ...

indexicality 27.10.2007 · Read Full Review
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Review of Night Visiting - Bella Hardy

Original, fun & sometimes moving

Advantages: Kate's fabulous northern singing voice
Disadvantages: None, in my opinion.

Kate Rusby's singing voice is a very honest one, revealing her northern accent, which I think is wonderful in this age of Pseudo-American pop singers. She manages to convey both complexity and simplicity in her well-crafted songs - which draw on traditional lyrics and original music. The album opens with guitar used almost percussively in the intro to The Good Man - a highly unique, humorous and ambigulous song (traditional lyrics), and works its ...
...think?) xylophone... don't quote me! Unfortunately, the album wanes a little in the middle, but the first and last few songs are memorable and lovely. I have to say I haven't liked everything I've heard Kate do (slushy duets with Ronan spring to mind) but this album was the first I heard of her and a good introduction. I have yet to see Kate and band perform live, but would very much like to. Good stuff. ...

lizdavies 08.01.2007 · Read Full Review
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Review of Underneath The Stars - Kate Rusby

Confessions of a Folk Music fan

Advantages: Beautiful voice, incredible harmonies, every song tells a story
Disadvantages: None

Having pretty wide musical tastes, I enjoy all sorts of music from rock and jazz to country, but I’ve always had a passion for folk music and used to be a regular visitor to the local folk clubs in our area before we had kids and stopped going out for about 15 years. At this stage I'd like to make it clear that I don't sport a tangled beard, own badly fitting Aran sweaters, wear sandals with socks or break-out in unaccompanied song when I'm ...
...folk music, traditional and modern, Irish and Scottish, with perhaps a preference for American and in particular singer songwriters such as Paul Simon, John Prine and Leonard Cohen. One of the best of my recent CD acquisitions is a cd by singer/songwriter Kate Rusby who I believe has an abundance of talent and is capable of making the folk genre more popular than its been for a long while. Kate Rusby was born and raised in Yorkshire, and whilst I’ve ...

Merv 21.05.2003 · Read Full Review
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Review of Little Lights - Kate Rusby

Get Demented!

Advantages: Pure unaffected Singer
Disadvantages: Her voice will not appeal to everyone

Infamous Angel 1992 I've always enjoyed singers with unique voices Iris Dement would definitely fit in that category, her voice is pure unaffected and can send a shiver up your spine like few present day singers. That said her voice is not for everyone, my wife for one can't stand her, no accounting for taste! Anyway I think this is a suburb album by one of the best current female country artists. To label Iris simply as a country artist would ...
...style and sound. The emotion she can put into a song is breathtaking especially the brilliant "Our Town" which will appeal to anyone who comes from a small town which has seen better times. This is not a commercial country album the instrumentation mainly acoustic is traditional and the harmonies are right out of the 1950's. Think 'Oh Brother, where Art Thou' soundtrack' to get some idea of the instrumentation. All Iris's songs cover traditional ...

sigmatech 23.11.2006 · Read Full Review
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Review of Infamous Angel - Iris DeMent

A great guy

Advantages: A good review of most of his hits
Disadvantages: None

I got this album because I'd heard quite a lot of his music and gradually became a fan of his. I found that there was a lot of songs on this album that I'd not heard before and little that I had, which I found was good because it made me think that I could get to like more of what he's done. Songs on this album: Indian Outlaw Don't Take The Girl She Never Lets It Go To Her Heart I Like It, I Love It Just To See You Smile It's Your Love - ...
...A Little While Please Remember Me Something Like That My Best Friend Maybe We Should Just Sleep On It Down On The Farm My Next Thirty Years Let's Make Love (With Faith Hill) The album consists of his earlier hits and his later hits from 1994 - 1999 and I have to confess I got it for one song only called 'Don't Take The Girl'...I loved this song the first time I heard it and it still brings a lump to my throat when I hear it, the song is about ...

Tea65 22.03.2005 · Read Full Review
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Review of Greatest Hits - Tim McGraw