On first listen, Safe Travels immediately makes a good impression. It’s an immensely well-crafted follow-up to their 2021 album, Hunter. For those well acquainted with Hunter, that first listen reveals a comforting familiarity, starting with the same style of rustic packaging for the CD, complete with Christina’s hand-printed illustrations, no plastic to be found here. Musically, the couple’s spine-tingling vocal harmonies again overlie arrangements that exploit their expertise on an impressive range of instruments. These two strands combine in a sound that, while familiar, rapidly delivers unexpected treats. Instrument-wise, only the cello, played by Alex on Hunter, doesn’t get a repeat outing. However, its absence is very much offset by John Parker‘s super-sensitive input on the double bass. Another guest musician, Phil Cambridge, plays trombone and flugelhorn on two tracks.
The four years between the releases of the two albums have been packed with activity for Christina and Alex. While Covid restrictions still applied, the cellar of their house became The Folk Cellar, kitted out to enable them both to live stream performances and to record any new material they wrote. The cellar has, of course, been the recording studio for the new album, with Alex acting as producer. The recordings finally left the cellar to go to Get Real Audio for mastering by Josh Clark. For these last four years, Christina and Alex have also toured extensively, but, perhaps, the most time-consuming event of all has been the birth and toddler years of their first child, Etta.
For anyone new to Christina and Alex’s music, the opening track, which also gives the album its name, makes an ideal introduction. It features their trademark vocal harmonies overlying the carefully crafted bedrock of their instrumental arrangement, Christina’s gently plucked banjo blended with chords from Alex’s tenor guitar, John Parker’s bass subtly adding depth and, as the song develops, Alex bringing in short passages of a counter melody adding either or both viola and fiddle to the mix. There is so much to hear, and this is only the first track. The lyrics explore the inevitable tension that’s present when a loved one is about to leave on a journey. It may only be for a few days, but the sentiments hold true no matter how short or long the separation may be. While the lyrics are focused on wishing for a successful and safe journey, the accompaniment stoically portrays the underlying sadness of parting, a heady cocktail.
Given the major rôle the cellar continues to play in their musical life, one might think a song entitled Our House would be an acknowledgement of it. But no, it’s a reference back to Christina’s childhood and celebrates growing up in a house where, every Friday night, her mother played folk music in the kitchen along with her best friends, while the children had free rein of the rest of the house. It’s the first of several songs inspired by family, a concept that provides one of the main sources of inspiration for the album’s songs. Etta’s Song, partly a lullaby, was written by Christina to mark the arrival of the couple’s first child and is a song that any new mother might wish they could write for their baby. A Hundred Years Ago also grew out of that milestone in Christina and Alex’s lives, focusing on less uplifting aspects. In Christina’s case, trauma that can keep a new mother in hospital for days after the birth. The song also references the doubts that can creep in when given time to think of the disturbing issues humanity faces, such as climate change and widespread threats to biodiversity.
That reveals another major inspiration for Christina and Alex’s songs, the countryside, its wildlife and customs. Shallow Water, The Old Weather Station, Crow and The Mountain Hare all relate to those topics. Shallow Water highlights a rather specific consequence of warmer winters. If the water that ponds on low-lying East Anglian meadows doesn’t freeze, then it ends a long-established tradition of skating on the ice. The Old Weather Station tells a more optimistic tale of a long-abandoned settlement on Wrangel Island in the Arctic, where polar bears have made their homes in the old buildings. Crow also tells an optimistic true story of crows and a young girl who regularly puts out scraps of food for them. In exchange, the crows began to bring her any shiny trinkets they found. The final song returns to the topic of changing weather and its effect on the timing of seasonal changes. The Scottish Mountain Hare changes its colouring between summer and winter, its coat turning white in the winter to become its camouflage on snow-covered mountainsides. But, with less snow overall and snowy conditions starting later in the year, the hares have become more vulnerable to predators.
Written by Alex and Refering to a medieval yard behind Christina and Alex’s 16th-century house in the centre of Norwich, Raven Yard is the only purely instrumental track. Accompanied by guitar, it provides an opportunity to bring Alex’s fiddle playing to centre stage, and while the arrangement is pared back, there is still room for John’s double bass, giving ample opportunity to appreciate their fine skills.
From the the album’s beautiful illustrations and fascinating text, to the final notes of The Mountain Hare, Safe Travels left a deep, appreciative smile on my face. It’s only May, but already I feel I have a strong contender for my album of the year.
Safe Travels (May 9th, 2025) Self Released
For details of their upcoming tour dates and and to order Safe Travels (Digital/Handmade CD or Cassette), visit: https://christinaaldenandalexpatterson.com/
The album is also available digitally via Bandcamp.