Martin Simpson – Home Recordings
Topic Records – 13 November 2020
As the notes to Home Recordings state, Martin Simpson‘s new release was supposed to be a live album, but obvious hurdles have put that on hold. What we are presented with instead is an all-acoustic solo set, crafted as simply as life’s restrictions currently allow, with neighbour Andy Bell recording Martin playing songs and tunes on various guitars, banjos and ukuleles from his spectacular reserve of instruments. The first album that sprang to mind when I read about this one was Martin’s 2013 Vagrant Stanzas set, another completely solo project, first encouraged by Richard Hawley. Although similarities abound, Home Recordings feels somehow easier and more homely in feel to Stanzas. There is a relaxed nature to most of the songs, a mix of originals, covers and instrumentals, beginning with a rendition of Lyle Lovett’s Family Reserve from his 1992 album Joshua Judges Ruth. Here a quietly complex fingerpicked guitar line sits behind and supports a very lovely vocal, calmly and gently sang. Martin keeps the ever so subtle lilt at the end of each line that works so well in the original and soft backing vocals complete a splendid first song, demonstrating how well Martin’s music works unadorned.
Reinforcing the feeling of intimacy and simplicity that runs through the album is second track Lonesome Valley Geese, one of two pieces recorded on Martin’s phone on the deck at the back of his house. A lovely ukulele instrumental reminiscent of Adam Hurt’s John Riley the Shepherd from his gourd banjo album Earth Tones, this one comes complete with honking geese and a thrilled Martin (‘Ha! Geese!’) nearly tripping over the tune in his excitement. It is pure beauty in simplicity (although the music sounds tricky enough) and goes hand in hand with both Augmented Unison, another original ukulele gem, and final piece March 22nd. The latter is another porch recorded tune, this one is a miniature guitar instrumental almost drowned out by birdsong. Again, the music is quiet, focused and accomplished, with the sounds of nature, clearly a very important part of Martin’s life, the only bandmates.
Keeping the nature theme alive is Wren Variations, an accidental unearthing of traditional number The Cutty Wren, which Martin played on Earthed in Cloud Valley with Andrew Cronshaw. This one is a sturdy guitar tune played on an instrument with plenty of sustain, so that every firmly picked note rings out loud. In fact, in places, it reminded me strongly of Chris Wood’s playing on his Handmade Life album. Martin’s version of The Incredible String Band’s October Song from 1966 is another highly accomplished piece of guitar playing, this time with wonderful lyrics by Robin Williamson finding relevance in the present, particularly in the resonant final verse: ‘Sometimes I want to murder time / Sometimes when my heart’s aching / But mostly I just stroll along / The path that he is taking‘. It is beautiful and poignant song writing, matched further on by John Prine‘s Angel from Montgomery, from his spellbinding 1971 debut album. This mid-point number is a set highlight, a heartbreaking piece of writing depicting a woman in old age. Martin plays it at a relaxed pace, with a lovely ringing guitar line and vocals tinged with weariness. The same backing vocals (Max Simpson and Amy Smith) so effectively used on Family Reserve bring in an extra level of emotion to a stunning song reminding us of the huge loss that is John Prine. The final cover in a trio of American greats is Bob Dylan‘s Times They Are A-Changing, a song with a more forceful message about the inexorability of change than October Song. Martin plays it with more optimism in the guitar and vocals than Dylan’s harsher version, both in keeping with the respective albums’ covers, Dylan’s a hard grey frowning close up and Martin’s featuring a domestic cat and a light purple background.
Elsewhere, as is usually Martin’s wont, there are a couple of great banjo pieces, starting with a two-part-medley beginning with a take on Mike Waterson‘s comedic 3 Day Millionaire, complete with Martin’s accented ‘couldn’t give a bugger, I’m a man.’ It is a lot of fun and leads into instrumental original Don’t Put your Banjo in the Shed Mr Waterson, a sharp finger-picked dance that began life as a tune for clawhammer style playing. Both are a lovely tribute to Mike Waterson and it’s all packed into three rich minutes. Longer is House Carpenter, a traditional Scottish ballad also called The Demon Lover, telling the story of a wife and mother lured from her nest by the devil and taken across the sea to the shores of hell. Martin uses a banjo tuning here that he explains in the notes, lending the song a spooky, dark feel. Even the vocals have a hardly detectable burr about them, subtly different to the soft voice on Angel From Montgomery and the laid back singing on 3 Day Millionaire.
Adding even more variety is slide instrumental Plains of Waterloo, a beautiful and complex piece described in detail in the ever insightful sleeve notes. This one is a solo instrumentalist’s dream, with little barely audible knocks and string scrapes throughout suggesting the simple recording set up and adding gravitas to a rich and perennial tune. Following this is a far more relaxed piece more in keeping with 3 Day Millionaire called An Englishman Abroad, an autobiographical song first heard on True Stories. Martin has plenty of fun here playing around with the tune’s pace and shifting its mood at will. As with all of the songs on Home Recordings, it sounds immediate and unforced; there is a real sense of pleasure in crafting music that can be heard across the entirety of this versatile and entertaining set, and it makes it a joy to listen to.
After two albums in Trails and Tribulations and Rooted that saw Martin Simpson add more to his sound after the spare and economical Vagrant Stanzas, circumstances all but dictated his next move and the resulting solo project is a warm and generous selection of songs both old and new and instrumentals that quietly and calmly comment on and celebrate the beauty of life at a time when many need reminding. Although of course impeccably performed with a huge amount of skill and musical prowess, there is still something pure and beautiful about this music that finely balances it and sets it apart from any other Martin Simpson album I can think of. A wonderful achievement and gratefully received.
Home Recordings is released on November 13 via Topic Records and is available to pre-order now: https://smarturl.it/martinsimpsonhome
Martin Simpson: https://martinsimpson.com/