Customer Reviews

A Quiet Eye

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Once again, June Tabor puts together a startling collection of songs old (some very) and new. This collaboration with the Creative Jazz Orchestra is her best outing since "Angel Tiger." From the richly textured and pulsing arrangement of Richard Thompson's "Pharaoh" to the quiet acapella version of "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," Tabor's haunting and emotional vocals soar with grace like the best storyteller. Highly recommended for both fans and first time listeners.

I love June Tabor. Not a lot of those I have forced her upon share that passion. So, this review is for the authentic fan. I think this CD weaker than many others. It sounds the same, has the familiar husky vocals and sultry arrangements, but just not grab viscerally as her best work does. Think "No Man's Land" or "The Great Valerio". If you have to have everything, go ahead. If you're wondering, Aleyn is a much more intersting disc.

I love June Tabor's music. I've seen her in concert three times and it is always an incredible experience. She has a gift for bringing voice and power into traditional and modern folk songs. But this album isn't her best. If you are new to her music, I'd start with any other album except for "Some Other Time." I think "Some Other Time" has vanished off the face of the earth, but if you find it used somewhere, don't fall for it. It's good music, Monk tunes etc, but she hadn't figured out how to bring life to Jazz and blues back then.

The odd/interesting thing about Quiet Eye is the mix of folk with Jazz. As one of the professional reviews mentioned, this is nothing new for her. She's been experimenting with Jazz for a long time. Angel Tiger and Aleyn has a lot of the feel and instrumentation that Quiet Eye has, but they did it better. It isn't the blending with Jazz that is the problem.

My first impression of Quiet Eye was a disappointment, but after spending more time with it, I've changed my opinion. I'm very happy I have it. Most of the songs are wonderful. However, the first few songs don't cut it. The second song, Place Called England, sounds like it should be sung by Billy Bragg with a lot of biting commentary added in. Sure June has sung Billy Bragg's songs before and made something incredible and unBragglike out of them, but Place Called England doesn't quite work. Not musical enough. Not clever enough.

The rest of the album though is up to her standards and well worth getting if you've already got everything else by her.

As a June fan, there's lots to choose from, and as others have noted, this one is an experiment in folk/jazz. If you don't like that idea, go to the definitive collection, etc., as a starting off point.

Having said that, there's a folk song on here - I'll put my ship in order - that is as good as anything that June has done, and since it's not on the definitive collection, you just may need to get this one!

Used, it's an outstanding bargin; full price...you decide.

I first encountered June Tabor when she teamed up with Maddy Prior for 1976's SILLY SISTERS. This was one of my favorite Celtic albums of the period. While June Tabor remains one of the finest vocalists of the British folk music scene, unfortunately A QUIET EYE is not a traditional folk album--there's not a fiddle or guitar in sight. Instead Tabor works with the horn-laden Creative Jazz Orchestra and musical arranger/pianist Huw Warren.

Standout tracks include the cover of Richard Thompson's "Pharaoh" and the a capella reading of "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face." The one track where the orchestral backing works well is the closing 8-minute-plus medley. "The Water is Wide" provides a subdued piano backing to Tabor's ethereal vocal. "St. Agnes" is a lovely instrumental. The medley closes with another haunting vocal over a droning horn on "Jeannie and Jamie." [Running time: 58:54] RECOMMENDED

While some may feeling uncomfortable about this Tabor release straying too far from her tried and true musical formula,I give this cd 5 stars.Pathos,humour,heartbreak,history,and irony:all manifestations of the human condition(and not always easily conveyed through music) are evident in varying measures."A Quiet Eye" has a more produced sound than most JT albums.The engineering is stellar.More horns and more strings.Tabor vocals have never been more impressive.Simply stated,this is Tabor's most musically adventurous release to date and I HIGHLY recommend "A Quiet Eye".Bravo!

June Tabor's latest release "A Quiet Eye", proves faithful to a high artistic legacy. A treasured and gifted singer, Tabor's impeccable style and phrasing lends much depth to the arrangements guided by the Creative Jazz Orchestra. With a somewhat different approach from that of her past efforts, the slight and tasteful tinge of "chamber-jazz" adds just the right elements to such strong moments as "I Will Put My Ship in Order", "Waltzing's For Dreamers" and "The Water is Wide." The latter, a magically sparse adaptation of the classic song, showcases Tabor's gift for a soulful and balanced vocalese. I highly recommend this tasteful recording as a welcome addition to June Tabor's standard setting archive.

A Quiet Eye is a mixed musical bag. June Tabor covers a wide range of British Isles music from traditional to popular with the assistance of the Creative Jazz Orchestra. Sometimes the combination fails so miserably that it will have you squirming in your seat, and at other times it is so successful that it will tug hard on your heart strings.

June's voice is smoky, unembellished and about an octave lower (perhaps contralto or alto) than the more common popular female voice. Her limited range (either natural or purposeful) is well suited for jazz. Several of the compositions are historical narratives (The Gardener, Must I Be Bound?, The Writing Of Tipperary/It's A Long Way To Tipperary), and are delivered in a "matter of fact" documentary style. Melody is nonexistent - they're not musical by the most liberal definition of the term. The traditional `A Place Called England' is supposed to be an uplifting composition praising one's country, but the brass section trumpeting notes in minor keys destroys the lyrics. And again Richard Thompson's `Pharaoh' can't bare the confusion of adding a brass section to a composition with an East Indian musical theme. Lastly, the a cappella `The First Time I Saw Your Face' is dreadfully slow and lifeless - unbearable.

When June interprets traditional compositions, and the orchestra exchanges the harsh brass section for romantic strings, A Quit Eye is breathtaking. `I Will Put My Ship In Order,' `I'll Be Seeing You,' `Out Of Winter/Waltzing's For Dreamers,' and `The Water Is Wide/St. Agnes/Jeannie and Jamie' are beautifully romantic, lonely and sad. Guaranteed to raise the hair on the back of your arms. Please June, next time give the big brass band back to John Philip Sousa.

There is a genre of English folk music that has never made it very well here in the colonies.The musicianship is stunning,the voices great but somehow it doesnt make it. Think of Bert Jansch,John REnbourn,Pentangle and the derivatives thereof.Maybe its because we never had Chaucer or Wordsworth or the Battle of Britain....whatever we dont have the historical vision. June Tabor is very nice but I think if I had grown up in the Lake District I would feel more into it. Its sooo British,songs about England,King Edward VII....to be fair theres also Richard Thompson(but speaking of being sooo British). Ms Tabor has a very nice very proper voice and if you are a Brit you may just love it.....one other thing tho'..i really dont think the voice and songs go well with the accompaniment of the Creative Jazz Orchestra....wd work better with John Renbourn