Jack Sharp is best known as frontman for those purveyors of pagan folk psyche Wolf People (once described by Stewart Lee as “Peat bog superfuzz sphagnum moss sludge”) but he has also made a number of solo recordings via Stick in the Wheel’s Mixtape ‘Against The Loathsome Beyond’ as well as on their “From Here: English Folk Field Recordings” on which he opened the album with a brilliant rendition of the Bedfordshire May Carol. The influence of the English countryside on his music never seems far from his heart.
More recently we were treated to his folk trio Marisa, Jack and Davy with their new EP Bring Us In (reviewed here). He has one of those voices that just seems made for folksongs – that breathes new life into old songs, so news of a debut solo album was very welcome news.
Good Times Older is to be released on 24th April via Stick in the Wheel’s own label “From Here Records” who shared:
This collection of 11 songs features Jack’s guitar and voice, recorded in an austere and spare setting, using mostly traditional music and words gleaned from his home county of Bedfordshire. It’s imbibed with a very tangible sense of place, memory and belonging, with plaintive, but at times necessarily intricate guitar lines, accompanied by a fine distinctive English voice that harks back to English tradition, but without any problematic rose-tinted nostalgia. It’s a nod to, but is not defined by, the 1960s revivalists like Martin Carthy and Nic Jones. Rather, it shows that the English folk tradition remains as vital as ever, when treated with the respect and care that Jack Sharp shows.
“Been wanting to do this for years and Ian and Nicola from Stick in the Wheel finally encouraged me to do it properly.” Jack Sharp
Take a listen ‘Lacemaker’ below which also appears on our Regular Folk Playlist:
Pre-Order Good Times Older: https://jacksharp.lnk.to/goodtimesolder