Albums: Esbe - Blow The Wind Southerly

I am not sure where the fan base is for an album that is beautifully arranged and sung a capella, but features nursery rhymes and traditional folk songs. Additionally, given that the average length of a CD is seventy-four minutes, the ten tracks here total a mere thirty-four.

This is Esbe’s eighth studio album. She arranges and sings every track and has even designed the artwork for the sleeve. The overall appearance is of a medieval manuscript and the press release resembles parchment: keynote established.

The first track, Sumer is icumen In, is a medieval round that uses Wessex dialect. Like many others, its origin is obscure, but the familiarity is palpable.

However, the eponymous second, Blow the Wind Southerly, is an entirely different proposition given the well-known interpretation of Kathleen Ferrier. I have heard friends moan in ecstasy at the mere mention of her name. And herein lies the biggest issue facing a collection of familiar songs – listeners have to divest themselves of personal baggage to give Esbe a fair hearing.

For example, I always associate Kumbaya with homely sing-alongs round the campfire and it has frequently been deployed for comic effect. And what about My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean? Can you get The Beatles out of your head whenever you hear it (recorded in 1961 as My Bonnie)?

The answer is usually, yes. The clearest example is Esbe’s rendition of the 16th century Coventry Carol. I had not realised that the inspiration was the slaughter of the innocents, sung by a distraught mother. I can remember the first time I heard it in a church in Leicester, but it is so sensitively interpreted here that my spine tingled.

A common myth that surrounds Greensleeves is that Henry VIII composed it. It may have been; however, it is the Vaughan Williams version that is most familiar to modern ears. The tune is so attractive it would not matter if it was played in modo di heavy metal. Using multi-track recording, she rethinks the play of harmonies within the melody to create an atmosphere that is more than mere nostalgia.

So, Blow the Wind Southerly offers agreeable renditions of a number of very familiar pieces. I do have issues with some aspects, for example, I could have done without the background animal noises such as the horse plodding to Scarborough Fair, but it is the voice that redeems all eccentricities.

If you are part of a fan-base that looks for singers whose work combines nursery rhymes with traditional folk songs, this is for you.