Mary Humphreys & Anahata

Floating Verses (WildGoose - WGS 322 CD)

Mary and Anahata have been playing traditional music at folk clubs and festivals since 2001.
They have made three albums together and this is their latest. Mary sings traditional songs, mostly in English and a few in Welsh, and plays banjo and concertina. Anahata accompanies with melodeons, concertina and cello. They also perform instrumentals.
Her singing has reminiscences of the semi gypsy vocal style beloved of many Irish folk singers, but without that shrill timbre many have. Her choice of songs is varied, mixing popular gems such as "Green Grows the Laurel" and "If I was a Blackbird" with ballads like "Fair Margaret & Sweet William".
Instrumentally they are adventurous - for instance "Geld him, lasses, geld him" (arranged by Alistair Anderson) and an unnamed hornpipe by Purcell - are played in 6/4 time. I like the morris snippets in the ubiquitous "Prickly Bush".
Highly recommended.

www.treewind.co.uk/mha

Ivan North.

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