Aqaba

June Tabor | Format: Audio Cassette

Product Details

• Audio Cassette (October 17, 1990)
• Label: Shanachie Records Corp
• ASIN: B00000EWJ6
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,777,211 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Old Man's Song

2. Searching for Lambs

3. The Banks of Red Roses

4. Where Are You Tonight?

5. Aqaba

6. Bogie's Bonnie Belle

7. The Reaper

8. Verdi Cries

9. The Grazier's Daughter

10. Seven Sumeers

11. Mayn Rue Plats

12. The King of Rome

Editorial Reviews

Aqaba

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars June Tabor - England's best folk voice, May 29, 2001

By 

Cowboy Bill "cowboybill" (Omaha, NE USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Aqaba (Audio CD)

This might not be Ms. Tabor's most popular recording, but it's by far my favorite. The tone of the entire CD is quiet and melancholic -- the arrangements are simple, a perfect setting for Tabor's magnificent voice.

I'm not necessarily one for sentimental songs, but tunes on this album like "The King of Rome" (about a poor man and his prized homing pigeon), "Where Are You Tonight?" (a plaintive cry to a lost love) and "Seven Summers" (about a child who looks forward to summer but misses out due to inclement weather) just break my heart.

Just as good are the traditionally English-sounding numbers like "The Reaper" and "The Banks of Red Roses," as well as an unforgettable Jewish song, "Mayn Rue Plats" (I'm not sure what it's about but the melody is haunting). And the title track about Lawrence of Arabia's dying moments is killer.

Seriously, I have had to buy this album three times because every time I lend it out it doesn't come back. And I don't mind -- I love turning people on to this outstanding disk.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Brilliant showcase for a stunning voice, December 18, 2001

By 

KSG "ksgnyc" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aqaba (Audio CD)

June Tabor's vibratoless voice will haunt you. It seems to come from a well deep inside her soul. This collection of songs is hard to classify, she sings 10,000 Maniac's Verdi Cries and then moves onto a 19th century Yiddish dirge about the plight of sweatshop workers. The instrumentation is sparse, sometimes jazz, then folk and then silent as she sings acappella. At times I think of June Tabor as a troubadour and then she becomes a jazz crooner. I highly recommend her to fans of Joni Mitchell.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Contemplating the world, September 27, 2001

By 

SuZen (NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aqaba (Audio CD)

I first heard June Tabor sing the music of this album live, at a little folk venue near my town. The place holds about 200 people, but there were about 400 packed in to hear her, and the entire audience (including me) was rapt. With only a sparse piano accompaniment, she was spellbinding. These are moody, quiet songs but June's voice and presence hold your attention completely. June is one of very few artists of folk music origin who can sing both traditional and contemporary tunes on the same album with equally high quality. You don't have to be a folkie to love this music.