The Child Ballads

Brian O'Donovan highlights Hamer and Mitchell's new album: 

For folk, this is one of the most important recordings of the past decade.  In seven carefully chosen songs from the iconic collection by Harvard Professor, Francis Child published in the late 1800s, Hamer and Mitchell have clearly indicated why these stories endure to this very day.  Exquisite string accompaniments and close harmonies, wrap the lyrics in gowns of silk, but it is the stories themselves that shine through.  We are 21^st century listeners enraptured by 13^th century tales of maidens falling from grace, sylvan seductions by creatures not of this world, fidelity and betrayal, happy endings and tragic consequences.   It’s just about to be released, but Child Ballads already gets my vote for  Folk Album of the year!

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