Eleanor and Gregor burst on to the folk scene with an innovative, beautifully delivered, and ear-catching set of five tracks which will doubtless be an imprint for future success. The unusual combination of harp and percussion would have been sufficient to stimulate interest, but added to this are the beautiful vocals from Eleanor on two traditional songs – ‘Courting Is A Pleasure’ and ‘Let No Man Steal Your Thyme’. The overall soundscape is gentle, rhythmic, lightly peppered with jazz, and anchored by tunes in the traditional idiom. Three of the instrumentals are composed by contemporary artists, though expertly arranged here by the duo.
The pair met during their postgraduate studies in Traditional Music at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Harpist Eleanor was previously with Oxford-based Moonrakers and is now a member of the much-toured band, Ranagri. Gregor has performed at the BBC Proms in London and at the Edinburgh International Festival. It is particularly refreshing to hear percussion not simply as an underpinning rhythm but interwoven in the tunes themselves. There’s no doubting the technical prowess of both these players, and the recording quality, thanks to Donal Rogers (Ranagri), is also top notch.
To conclude – thumbs up for a decidedly delicious offering of songs and tunes showcasing two up-and-coming artists who I hope we’ll be hearing a lot more from in the future.
Jon Bennett
Artists’ website: www.goatskinrecords.com
‘Courting Is A Pleasure’ – live:
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