June Tabor – An Introduction to June Tabor
Topic Records – Out Now
It is hard to believe but June Tabor has been part of the British folk music scene for a little over 50 years since making her early appearances at the Heart of England Folk Club, in the Fox and Vivian pub in Leamington Spa. So this release is a welcome addition to Topic Records ‘An Introduction To’ series.
Once described by Elvis Costello as “The great voice of English folk music”, this compilation covers her work for the Topic Records label between 1976 and 2011, some 13 albums in all, some solo but others in collaboration with the likes of Martin Simpson and Maddy Prior who, together, found fame as The Silly Sisters. But it is a solo performer upon which this collection concentrates, albeit with some help from her friends.
What strikes the listener when listening to this collection is the extraordinary range of her work using both traditional and contemporary sources, all of which is so easy on the ear. There are songs here that will be familiar to many such as her moving rendition of Eric Bogle’s The Band Played Waltzing Matilda – which still raises a lump in the throat of this listener – and Bill Caddick’s haunting Unicorns. Perhaps less well known are such songs as Lal and Mike Waterson’s The Scarecrow – which first saw the light of day on their influential Bright Phoebus album – and another Bill Caddick song, Aqaba a celebration of the life of Lawrence of Arabia, the gentle accompaniment of synthesisers giving a wonderful feeling of wide open spaces, punctuated by Martin Simpson’s elegant guitar work. In a traditional vein, there is her version of the oft sung Whilst Gamekeepers Lie Sleeping, a delightfully jolly version of Hedger and Ditcher from the time of her fruitful collaboration with Maddy Prior, a wonderfully wistful version of Shallow Brown and deliciously engaging version of The Rigs Of Rye.
Throughout this collection, the warm tones of June Tabor’s pitch-perfect voice prevail, a voice that can be at times dark and mysterious or jolly and cheery – listen to her version of A Place Called England with The Creative Jazz Orchestra for a shot of hope in these otherwise uncertain times – or tender as in her version of Les Barker’s poem Maybe Then I’ll Be A Rose with Huw Warren’s wonderfully romantic piano accompaniment.
Mention must be made of the extensive cast of supporting musicians which includes, apart from the aforementioned, the likes of Andrew Cronshaw, Nigel Eaton, Andy Cutting and Dan Ar Bras to name but a few.
There will be many who have collected June’s recorded work over the years and may already have one of her collections but for those who are perhaps less familiar with her work, this introduction, at such a tempting price, is a grand way to discover one of the best voices of her era.
Available on Digital / CD / Vinyl ProperMusic.com