Phil Tyler and Sarah Hill – What We Thought Was A Lake Was A Field Of Flax

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While many may be more familiar with hearing Phil Tyler teamed with Cath Tyler as a duo (Some Heavy Hand, The Ox and The Ax, Dumb Supper), this new collaborative offering finds him paired with Sarah Hill for an equally rich earthy folk album. Phil and Sarah first met in Newcastle around 2008, where they played in local folk nights and sang in Sacred Harp sessions, leading to Hill contributing vocals to a few songs on Tyler’s solo album We Sunk The Ship To Get Rid Of The Rats.

If there’s one thing you can say about any of the music from the Tyler camp is that nothing is ever rushed, and the song selections are always considered and far from obvious. The same appears to be true of What We Thought Was A Lake Was A Field Of Flax which was recorded in two sessions back in 2016 and seems to have been forgotten about for a while, only to finally resurface to be released on Phil’s own Ferric Mordant label. After hearing this, you’ll be thankful that it did resurface, as it is exceptional in every sense of the word.

The press notes state that many of the songs were learned from versions by ‘folk legends like Shirley Collins, Bob Copper, Martin Carthy and Peggy Seeger’. The album opens with the Bold Fisherman, a tale of seduction in which a maid mistakes a wealthy gent for a humble fisherman. Unusually, the lyrics of this ballad don’t seem to vary significantly between versions other than who took off whose gown. Phil’s guitar playing is minimalist and spare, giving focus to Sarah’s crystal voice which enchants throughout this album. The pace changes for Matt Hyland, a less familiar folksong, on which Phil puts his deft fingers through their paces. While his guitar playing is at times reminiscent of Martin Carthy, here, their version is less sombre than the Carthy and Swarbrick version found on But Two Came By; Sarah brings a welcome brightness to this, and many of the other songs on this album which is matched by the accompaniment.

Many of these ballads would have crossed over to America from the British Isles, and, like the repertoire of Phil and Cath Tyler, some here are given the Appalachian treatment on banjo. One such track is Are You Going To Leave Me? which is sung by Sarah. While there aren’t plentiful versions, this song of an unwanted pregnancy did feature on Shirley and Dolly Collins‘s Love, Death and Lady (1970) and later, Isobel Campbell also did a great version on her 2006 folk album Milkwhite Sheets.

Phil’s guitar playing on the instrumental J B Milne is a sheer delight, and his ukulele gets an outing on Willie the Waterboy, on which they are joined by a whistling Phil Begg, who also recorded the album. Sarah’s voice is particularly sublime on this recording, something that the well-chosen accompaniment accentuates.

Phil sings lead for the first time on the banjo-led Sweet Lemney (it’s spelt in many different ways), which is also his own arrangement. Sarah’s accompaniment is spot on, another sweet highlight amongst the treasures they’ve gathered here. According to my spiral-bound copy of The Copper Family Songbook, the name probably arises from an old English word ‘leman’ which means sweetheart.

Phil’s banjo playing excels on another personal tune called Tarwater, which races along, followed by the more sedate Golden Lads, the words to which are by their friend Jo Ellis and the tune by Phil.

Accompanied on guitar, beautifully and gently played, is another firm album favourite – Sarah’s rendition of Suffolk Miracle, which some may recall from Jim Moray’s Sweet England. It also featured on Ewan MacColl & Peggy Seeger‘s Blood & Roses Vol.1.

The album ends on the ukulele accompanied Sunnyside, made popular by the Carter Family. It’s a fitting song to part from this album on… it’s certainly one of the best albums of 2022.

The variety on offer across What We Thought Was A Lake Was A Field Of Flax is exceptional; the balance of pace makes it engaging, while the selection of songs makes it intriguing. Each song and tune is impeccably performed; I can’t recommend it enough.

Order What We Thought Was A Lake Was A Field Of Flax on CD via Bandcamp | Norman Records

The album’s cover design is by David Hand (Haress, Lancashire & Somerset).