VARIOUS ARTISTS – All Along The Wall (Fellside Recordings FECD236)

VARIOUS ARTISTS – All Along The Wall (Fellside Recordings FECD236)Hadrian’s Wall for many conjures images of the Romans in Britain and to celebrate this iconic image, the Brampton Live festival commissioned this recording utilising a selection of some of the UK’s leading ‘folk’ singer-songwriters, poets and performers.

A quick check of the artists reveals a who’s who and will bring, I’m certain, a smile to anyone who considers themselves a fan of current ‘UK folk’ culture. Therefore we have the collective talents of Jez Lowe, Boo Hewerdine, Kate Fox, Elvis McGonagall, Ruth Notman, Rory McLeod, Julie Matthews and Kate Bramley. With a cohesive mix of stories, ballads and social commentaries the recording moves along at a fair pace and the sense of enjoyment that comes from a ‘live’ performance is conveyed to the listener by the artists enthusiasm in bringing this project successfully together.

Out of so many good tracks to choose from I’d say worthy of your attention are the haunting Lowe penned “Haltwhistle Women”, Notman’s “Lizzie Batey” and Hewerdine’s “The Wrong Side Of The Wall”. The recording, crisply engineered by Paul Adams aided and abetted by his son Richard must have proved a logistical nightmare but ultimately a rewarding experience. With twenty-three tracks to choose from this recording is a must purchase album and will stand proudly in the ‘various artists’ collection of any self-respecting ‘folk’ enthusiast. PETE FYFE

Artist’s website: www.fellside.com