RACHAEL McSHANE & THE CARTOGRAPHERS – Uncharted (own label)

UnchartedIt’s been far too long since we’ve heard from Rachael McShane – seven years since her last album, in fact. Now she’s back with The Cartographers – Ian Stephenson and Julian Sutton – with a new album Uncharted, special guest Andy May on piano and a chorus of Janice Burns, Benji Kirkpatrick, Jonathan Proud, Sam Sweeney and Amy Thatcher. The songs are largely traditional – give or take – although Rachael has added some new tunes of her own and set aside her cello to concentrate on fiddle and viola.

The first such is the opener, ‘Get Up Jack’. Rachael’s tune is rather prettier than the one usually used and my one criticism of Uncharted is that I would have chosen a rather more robust opener and there are several to choose from but that’s just me. The second song is the only one that I was not familiar with. It’s a broadside ballad, apparently, although some sources credit its collection to Ralph Vaughan Williams. Thus the first melody we recognise is ’The Blacksmith’ and if it’s good enough for RVW it’s good enough for the rest of us.

‘Dusty Jigs’ is a set of tunes, one by McShane and the others by Sutton. I was amused by the title of ‘High Spirits And Short Attention Spans’ although I suspect that it might be about Julian’s children (or someone else’s for that matter). It gives the band a chance to stretch out a bit. Next is the one cover, Ed Pickford’s ‘The Workers’ Song’ built on a melodeon drone by Sutton and then we’re back into the tradition. The wickedly humorous ‘Young Roger Esquire’ comes from Phil Tanner and has never really dropped out of favour – there is even a version from North Carolina.

Next come a pair of tragedies: ‘Bonny George Campbell’ and ‘Banks Of Sweet Dundee’, a particularly nasty piece of murder and mayhem complete with plucky hero and heroine and a happy ending. ‘Shivering Stone’ is a second instrumental set led by Alistair Anderson’s lyrical title piece. Finally we can all be jolly again with ‘Windy Old Weather’ which is where the all-star chorus comes in.

As an old geezer, Uncharted is my sort of album. Old favourites given a sprucing up for spring and packaged in a colourful sleeve that suggests to us that spring may have actually sprung.

Dai Jeffries

Artist’s website: www.rachaelmcshane.co.uk

‘Young Roger Esquire’ – live:

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