It’s been six years since Rosie Hood’s brilliant album, The Beautiful & The Actual, described by David Pratt in his Folk Radio review as “A debut album of pure delight.” A Seed of Gold is an assured and triumphant follow-up that features a full band, broadening the arrangements and depths of her songwriting and the choice of traditional material.
It’s a beautiful-sounding release, recorded, mixed and produced by Tom A Wright at The Keystone in Sheffield. But beneath the pure vocals and graceful accompaniment, there is a brave, beating heart and pure grit, with songs about shape-changing witches, seeds rescued from conflict-ravaged Syria, countryside campaigners, killer tigers, persecuted wild men and determined female campaigners for justice.
Rosie Hood (vocals, tenor guitar, baritone ukulele) is joined by fellow Sheffield-based musicians Nicola Beazley (fiddle, five-string fiddle, vocals), Rosie Butler-Hall (fiddle, five-string fiddle, vocals) and Robyn Wallace (melodeon, percussion, vocals). This is a powerhouse of a band, each performer bringing intricacy, drama and virtuosity, greatly enhancing the results.
Rosie is originally from Wiltshire but has made her home in Sheffield, and stories from both of these landscapes feature in her writing. The opening traditional song, The Swallow, was found by Rosie in Wiltshire Tales by John Yonge and has transformed the song from the Wiltshire dialect to modern English. It’s an atmospheric and confident opener, easing listeners into the song with an extended intro. But it’s when Rosie’s pure and spirited vocals kick in that the album really takes off.
The song segues into the second track, a parting song titled Turtle Dove, another traditional lyric with a sumptuous new tune by Rosie. From these opening songs, you might be lulled into thinking this is a pastoral collection about love and loss. Well, it is, but it’s much more than that.
The gear change comes with Lyddie Shears. It’s a song about a legendary Wiltshire woman accused of being a witch because she could supposedly transform herself into a hare. When a local farmer shot a hare with a silver bullet, Lyddie Shears was later found dead in her bed with a silver bullet in her heart. Rosie gives Lyddie a more fitting end, running free with her fellow hares forever. It’s a stand-out track because of the captivating story and memorable tune.
Although in terms of an unusual subject for a song, Tyger Fierce gives Lyddie Shears a run for its money. It’s the story of Hannah Twynnoy, who is believed to have been the first person to have been killed by a tiger in Britain (in 1703). A barmaid from Wiltshire, she taunted the animal who was part of a travelling menagerie until, one day, it mauled her to death. It’s told from the taunted tiger’s perspective and how the caged and mistreated animal committed the savage act. It’s a haunting and harrowing arrangement, with the swelled voices of the band building to the bitter end, then silence.
A Seed Of Gold is a formidable album that builds and broadens on the success of Rosie Hood’s debut release. She’s an incredibly adept storyteller, reflected in both the musical arrangements and her choices that, taken from the rich vein of both traditional and contemporary material, give voice to the poor and oppressed. This really is something very special.
Pre-Order A Seed of Gold via Bandcamp