Customer Reviews

Airs & Graces

5 star:		(6)
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June Tabor has been an admirably adventurous interpreter of songs traditonal, and otherwise, for three decades. Looking back over her career "Airs and Graces" remains its high water mark. Nowhere did her sumptous dark tone feel more moving and less monotonous than on this collection. She performs a number of familar and less familar traditional tunes with, on this disc, not only her trademark sense of purposeful gravity but a lightening grace of effort. Her intrepretive surety here even manages to breathe new drama in an old chestnut like "Waltzing Matilda." One track that remains, listen after listen, transcendent for me is "Pull Down Lads." In a deceptively simple reading of a tale that is ostensibly about the dismantling of a country carnival, Tabor manages to transmit a haunting and profound meditation on death, love and leave-taking. It is an interpretation that each time I hear it leaves me in a contemplative and still state of mind pondering --dare I say-- that which truly matters. It's a fully realized recording for any fan of traditional singing or anyone interested in the art of the song.

This is Tabor's debut album and in many ways, hard to top. She's defined her style here: lush vocalization with ascetic arrangements. I think she does Eric Bogle better than Bogle himself. Her version of "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda" is the best I have heard. She tackles out of the way topics with her own flair. "Pull Down Lads" talks of the crew of carnies who close a fair down. Her "Waly Waly" ("The Water is Wide" is also not-to-be missed. If you are considering Tabor, start with this album!

June Tabor has a voice and style unsurpassed by anyone in any musical category.If you are already a traditional music fan I suggest you buy all the recordings of her you can find.

Excellent! This is a great CD with wonderful traditional songs from the British Islands. The arrangements are great. I love June Tabor's voice and the instrumentation is also great.

June Tabor's voice is rich, beautiful, and extremely well suited to the material. Fans of traditional folk music will love this CD.

June Tapor's heavy old english accent only serves to enhance these classic folk songs. The music is pure and simple and elegant.