JOSHUA BURNELL

Inventive fourth album by the hotly tipped young British folk rocker.

The source material here may be almost all trad, but if Joshua Burnell’s dynamic, flamboyant approach seems to be taking some liberties with established forms, it acts as a reminder that so was folk rock when it appeared in the early 70s. Lest we forget, these tunes were all originally sung unaccompanied and it’s instructive to compare these readings with some of the vintage versions. The then-drummerless Steeleye Span recorded a haunting Cold Haily Windy Night in 1971, but with drums, guitars, keyboards and harmony vocals this quicker version crackles with excitement, as does an updating of that group’s 1973 recording of Cam Ye O’er Frae France. Another problem of allying folk to rock has been how to fit a backbeat to the songs without them sounding galumphing and foursquare. Burnell’s style seems to be to refer more to the rhythms of the vocals, particularly on the dropped beats and turbulent time changes of Berkshire Tragedy. Only on occasion does this seem a little overwrought, but the band also breathe life into the time-honoured instrumental medley: repertoire staples Drowsy Maggie and Rakish Paddy are given powerful, full throttle arrangements full of stops, starts and power chords.