Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
folk masterpiece.,
holy mackerel, what an album! i have 3 other bert jansch cds, and each falls just short of classic status in my book. but not this one. this is an instant classic. mr jansch's guitar playing here is exquisite, the work of a master, and he vocals are better than ever, laid-back, subtle and assured. he exhibits all the confidence of a seasoned master. beth orton sings lead vocals on three tracks, and her incredible voice is completely mesmerizing. the instrumental "magdalina's dance," performed by two banjos and a flute is gorgeous. the whole affair is simply a stunning folk masterpiece not to be missed. mojo magazine picked this as the 23rd best album of 2006. i place it somewhere in my top 5.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Jansch is Back, October 26, 2006
Bert Jansch has crafted a beautiful album, with his signiture picking style and voice and devendra banhart and beth orton contributing, this makes for one of Jansch's most compelling albums to date. And that's saying a lot.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
one of his best, July 28, 2007
Bert has been my favorite performer for over 35 years now, so this latest album is a pleasant surprise--well, not a 'surprise,' I suppose, but truly a happy event. It is clearly his best at least since "Avocet" in the late 70s, and a near match for his best early work, including "Bert Jansch," "Bert and John," "Jack Orion," and "Rosemary Lane." I would place it above the also excellent "Birthday Blues," "Moonshine," "L. A. Turnaround," "A Rare Conundrum" and the more recent "When the Circus Comes to Town" and "Crimson Moon." Go beyond these (with the exception of the now-many compilations) and, unless you are a faithful fan, you may be taking your chances.
"The Black Swan" reminds me a little, strangely, of all these albums. The ensemble play is tasteful and sparse, a la "Avocet" and "Moonshine." There is a traditional feel we heard in "Jack Orion" and "Rosemary Lane." The use of well known outside musicians recalls "L. A. Turnaround," "Moonshine," and "Crimson Moon." Bert's personality is more out front here, as it was in "Bert Jansch" and "When the Circus Comes to Town." The guitar accompaniments are tasteful and occasionally dazzling, as in "Rosemary Lane" and all of his Pentangle work. There are some good blues sequences too, as back in the old days with "Birthday Blues" and the staggering 'Nobody's Bar' of "Rosemary Lane." He delivers some good new compositions as well, though I still prefer the material on "Bert Jansch," "Birthday Blues," "L. A. Turnaround" and "Rosemary Lane."
Jansch's voice was never much of a drawing point, though it was always unaffected and endearing in its own hoarse way. Here, it has reached a fairly extreme level of gruffness (though he has yet to compete with John Martyn or Tom Waits in that category!), but one still cannot help but feel it positively accents the material. Age, and aging, has never been considered a liability in the folk community (and God bless them for that...).
With off again on again health problems, we may be witnessing Bert Jansch's end game. If so, this release could not be considered as less than a crowning touch.
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