Melrose Quartet announce their second album, Dominion, plus launch tour dates

Melrose Quartet

Melrose Quartet are Nancy Kerr (voice, fiddle), James Fagan (voice, bouzouki, guitar), Jess Arrowsmith (voice, fiddle) and Richard Arrowsmith (voice, melodeons). November 2017 sees them release their eagerly-awaited second album, Dominion.

From deep roots in their hometown’s vibrant music, song and dance scene, to smashing concert appearances all over the UK, Sheffield-based Melrose Quartet have attracted a reputation for making music that truly connects with people. All four are internationally renowned singers, instrumentalists and writer/composers and this year they were proud to be named the new patrons of Whitby Folk week. Dominion expands and strengthens the musical presence they first asserted with Fifty Verses, their 2014 BBC Folk Award-nominated debut CD.

Dominion was recorded as close to “live” as possible in a sweetly resonant chapel schoolroom near Sheffield, and captures the quartet’s deft and heartfelt musical spontaneity. Whether the music has its origins in 17th century political poetry via Martin Carthy’s modern-era lens (‘Dominion Of The Sword’), or the lived experience of 21st century women wryly detailed by Jess Arrowsmith (‘Anthem Of A Working Mum’), the intention is to communicate and connect.

The fervour of social dance and the stateliness of Morris have infused Melrose’s repertoire from the start and flourish here on instrumentals ‘Rosslyn Castle’, Dave Swarbrick’s classic ‘Carthy’s March’, Fagan’s ‘Low Quebec’ and wild reel set ‘Gallery/Venus’.

A capella traditions from Britain, America and beyond (‘Mariah’s Gone’, ‘The Seeds Of Love’) are visited with the quartet’s famed unaccompanied zeal, while the voices of the extraordinary ordinary people who populate our folk songs are freshly amplified in a traditional tale of migrant workers facing down bigotry (‘Ware Out Mother’), Paul Davenport’s tragic sea-réquiem ‘Davy Cross’ and Nancy Kerr’s echoing steel-town hymn ‘Rise No More’. And appropriately, Kerr’s ‘Hand Me Down’ and Jess Arrowsmith’s ‘Raise Your Voice’ are songs that embody our needs and our hopes for peace, belonging and community. What Melrose Quartet want is for their music to land squarely in the listener’s heart.

Artists’ website:  www.melrosequartet.co.uk

‘Anthem Of A Working Mum’ and ‘Dominion Of The Sword’ – live: