Beats: Kathryn Roberts & Sean Lakeman – Hidden People review
Kathryn
Roberts & Sean Lakeman are a husband and wife team who – despite the very
apt album title of Hidden People – have
been lynchpins of the UK’s burgeoning folk-acoustic revival over the last two
decades. Finally they have released an album together.
The album
opens with Kathryn’s beautiful voice sans music on Huldra. This song has some background guitar and organ through some
parts but it is focused on Kathryn which I cannot argue with it. It’s an
absolutely beautiful song.
Oxford, NY comes next and is a lot more
upbeat with Sean’s excellent guitar playing throughout. This guy is seriously
skilled and his style works incredibly well with Kathryn’s voice.
Next up is Money or Jewels which is probably my
favourite song on the album. It’s just absolutely beautiful – You’ve got
wonderful acoustic guitars, powerful lyrics, Kathryn’s voice and Sean even
sings for a duet which harmonises incredibly well. This is the perfect folk
song.
Another
incredibly powerful song is The Ballad of
Andy Jacobs. Kathryn plays piano on this song, and good she is too. Her
voice is incredible throughout the whole album but this track is just so full
of emotion. I remember listening to it for the first time and I almost had a
tear in my eye because it’s so beautiful; even now after a few listens I feel
the same way. It’s simply phenomenal.
The album
continues with more beautiful instrumental and vocal talent. It gets a bit livelier
like traditional folk with Lusty Smith
which features Sean playing a mandolin and Standing
At My Window is a faster one too which is great. The album then ends on
another beautiful note with Jackie’s
Song.
All in all,
this is an absolutely beautiful album. Anyone who likes acoustic music in any
capacity should go out and buy this album right away. It has everything you’d
want in an album of this ilk.
Kathryn Roberts & Sean Lakeman – Hidden People is out tomorrow, Monday 9th
July on Navigator Records and will be available to buy from any sensible music
retailer.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kathryn_sean
You can
watch the live video for The Ballad of
Andy Jacobs below:
Nate
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