June Tabor - An Echo of Hooves

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Free Music Notes for An Echo of Hooves

Free Music Review: BRILLIANT
Hit: 5 Stars

After listening to this brilliant performance, one senses that Ms. Tabor wrote the above as a mission statement regarding the making of this recording, since her stated beliefs are exactly what she accomplishes. Simply put, this may well be considered Tabor's best work ever.

The entire collection is a selection of old Ballads of the British Isles. Thus one must be prepared that the "stories" sung here are not happy ones. But Tabor and company ( Huw Warren, Mark Emerson, Tim Harries, Martin Simpson, and Kathryn Tickell) create a tapestry of sounds for these songs by varying the combinations of instruments used for accompaniment and by making choices about tempos and moods. In a showcase of her magnificent voice Tabor even goes it alone ("Rare Willie") in a move that would put most other singers to shame. The recording shows that these people know this music and they were well aware of what they were going to do with it from the outset. It plays itself out with complete confidence and self-assuredness.

Tabor is extremely engaging in her singing. For those who have found her recent offerings a little mannered or "icy", you'll be happy to find Tabor quite the opposite here. She's often bold and forthright and yet when need be she sings with extreme pathos. Her voice is like no other. She grabs on to these Ballads and breathes life into them making them relevant for today's listener.

It's hard to pick a favorite from this collection, since they are all of great merit. But I would certainly single out "The Border Widow's Lament" for its sheer beauty and sadness. Also noteworthy is "The Cruel Mother" which is a gruesome story. Tabor imbues it with sense of tragedy by simply using her voice to give it an almost hypnotic reading. She glides over the gruesome details of the poem as if she were singing it from somewhere within her that doesn't even take notice of the grotesqueness of the tale. It's that approach to the song that makes it all the more chilling and disturbing.

This recording is truly an amazing effort and Tabor fans (and hopefully others) should fall completely in love with it. This is certainly one of the largest of the jewels in Tabor's crown. However, I don't think Tabor is looking for any personal "jewels" here. Her goal seems to be to give these Ballads respect, dignity and renewal. And she accomplishes that in a manner that no other artist can approach.

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