Ben Walker – The Rakes of Adair EP
Folkroom Records – 6 November 2020
Expert string plucker Ben Walker gives us another masterclass in technique, feel and tone with a second compact collection of tunes. The release of his first EP, The Fox on the Downs in 2018, was a confident but low-key first step as a solo artist, following his critical and artistic success in a duo with Josienne Clarke.
Since then, he’s teamed up with Bella Hardy to release a self-composed single, Rings / The Island and a full, much acclaimed, solo album, last year’s Echo (reviewed here). This featured a smattering of folk’s finest vocalists including Hardy again, and also Laura Ward, Kitty Macfarlane and Thom Ashworth, with whom Walker toured as a duo until… well, until no one toured with anyone.
For The Rakes of Adair, Ben has gone back to the simplicity of his first EP, but with a few extra flourishes and a little more experimentation. The five-tune CD opens with the title track. Ben found it in a collection of English country dances, but as it seemed to him more like an Irish air, he recorded it as such. It seems effortless (but we know it’s bloody well not) – a dreamy and relaxing listen to ease us in.
Next up, Clanuff’s Delight from 1724, is probably a traditional harp tune, which Ben reworks on his baritone Fylde guitar adding a few shades of an electric guitar in the background. Weaving complex time signatures, Ben demonstrates once again his versatility and sensitivity.
The tone jumps a track with Eiry na Greany (The Rising of the Sun), but we’re still in 1724 (obviously a fruitful year for Ben to plunder). Another tune of Irish origin, Ben reimagines what it would have sounded like if it had been transported over the pond and absorbed into the Appalachian tradition. Featuring Ben on clawhammer banjo duelling with himself on guitar, it’s simply gorgeous and – while not quite danceable – certainly gets your foot tapping at this mid-point in the album.
The Seas Are Deep will be familiar to fans of Josienne Clarke and Ben Walker as the title tune of their debut album back in 2012. For Ben, the origins go further back to the album Music Of Ireland : Airs, Jigs, Reels, Hornpipes And Marches Arranged For Fingerpicking Guitar where it was played by Martin Simpson.
Of course, it goes even deeper back than that, and Ben later found it to be the work of the blind Celtic harper, composer and singer Turlough O’Carolan (1670 – 1738). It’s the most atmospheric recording here, with a haunting drone in the background, while Ben gives full flight to his expressive playing.
The next tune is probably the most familiar of the set, Sí Beag, Sí Mór (The Little Fairy Hill and the Great Fairy Hill), which has been recorded by Planxty, The Chieftains and Fairport Convention amongst many. Here Ben lets the beautiful tune sing out from amongst his own guitar flourishes, offering the listener the chance to enjoy the melody anew.
That’s the end for the physical CD but if you purchase the digital version on Ben’s Bandcamp page there’s a bonus recording of the uplifting Planxty Lady Anthem. In fact at the bargain price of £5 you can buy the CD and digital album. Not only do you have the pleasure of this neat and enjoyable set of tunes, masterfully and intricately played, but all the proceeds (from all versions) will be given to Macmillan Cancer Support. So, everybody wins.
The Rakes of Adair will be released on Folkroom Records as a limited edition CD on November 6th 2020.