KATE RUSBY – While Mortals Sleep (Pure Records PRCD34)

KATE RUSBY – While Mortals Sleep

Only 292 days to Christmas…

Avoiding the cliché of echoing the ending of each line of “Cranbrook” (“While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night”) set to its original melody and pinched by Yorkshire for the setting of “On Ilkley Moor Baht’at” this jaunty start to Kate’s second seasonal offering proves a joyous bundle of fun. Joined by the Brass Quintet Boys ensemble this proves a judicious addition to Rusby’s band featuring Damien O’Kane (guitar), Ed Boyd (bouzouki), Julian Sutton (diatonic accordion) and Kevin McGuire/Duncan Lyall (double bass). To be perfectly honest the collaboration of brass arrangements coupled with a ‘folk music’ background creates such a feel-good factor that I’m surprised Simon Cowell hasn’t cashed in on it. With its mixture of traditional (“Little Town Of Bethlehem”), contemporary (“Kris Kringle”) and Kate’s evocative “Home” there isn’t a duff track here. All right, so everyone by now must know how popular Christmas is for me musically speaking with over 100 albums and counting and so it proves with a majority of not only performers but their audiences as well. Along with my James Taylor ‘At Christmas’ and The Spinners ‘Sing Out, Shout With Joy’ recordings this is by far and above the best representation of any seasonal offering I have the pleasure to own and goes without saying that you should purchase a copy to put yourself in a good mood whatever time of year you play it. A 100% (Christmas) cracker!

PETE FYFE

http://www.katerusby.com