duggup

Rachel Unthank & The Winterset’s new album “The Bairns” is currently scoring awards and fans at about the same rate. Well it seems we get to find out what all the fuss is about because they are playing at the Brunswick Music Festival in a few week.

I am currently listening to “Felton Lonnin“, the traditional song that opens The Bairns, the Winterset’s new album. The singing of sisters Rachel and Becky Unthank, the gentle, unexpectedly jazz-inflected chords of pianist Belinda O’Hooley’s supremely subtle accompaniment, the rolling strings, the beat measured out by the tap of Rachel’s shoe; all make this a really moving piece. This is music of the “tradition”, there is passion in the understated vocals and the wonderful lush strings of the Northern Sinfonia, but best of all is the fact that they understand about stories. I still remember the first folk songs I heard because of the story,  and the fact that it was Matty Groves. Its a hard story to forget.

The rest of the songs at their MySpace site bits of blues, jazz, music hall, classical and indie music. Add in the lilting Geordie vocals and it’s a winner (oh that probably explains the buckets of awards they are getting). This is how folk music should sound to my ear.

Highly Recommended (and congratulations to the Brunswick Music Festival for presneting them)

Their websites are at http://www.rachelunthank.com/ and http://www.myspace.com/rachelunthank