Customer Reviews

Little Lights

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

How does one follow up on the phenomenal CD "Sleepless"? Well, Kate gives us more of the same, this time with more (5) of her own songs, plus 1 Richard Thompson song and 6 traditional songs. Not surprisingly, Kate's singing is as beautiful and haunting as ever. The arrangements are very tasteful and feature some lovely guitar work by Ian Carr and John Doyle. My favorites are a wonderful, slow version of the traditional song "Some Tyrant" and Kate's tribute to the late Davy Steele "Who Will Sing Lullabies to Me". I think the Amazon editorial review by Mark Walker got it just right, except we disagree slightly about which is our favorite Kate CD (of the moment!).

Fans of Kate Rusby will love her third album, "little lights." There's some great material, and Kate sparkles on the uptempo songs, especially "i courted a sailor" and "william and davy." I dare anyone not to cry the first time they listen to the album's last song, "my young man." But the slow songs tend to drag and leave one wanting her to pick up the tempo a bit. (With the exception of the aforementioned "my young man" and the beautiful "matt hyland.")

The album is great but lacks a little something that "Sleepless" and "Hourlglass" had. If you're a die-hard fan like me, you'd listen to Kate sing just about anything. But if you'd like an introduction to her work, I'd suggest buying one of the first two albums and then giving "little lights" a listen.

I'm afraid I must agree with Sukeydebby's review of Little Lights. All the songs end up sounding the same. Lovely, yes, but Kate really needs to try some new arrangements or select (or write) more upbeat songs. I wonder if it's her producer, or her choice of arrangements that is to blame. (Compare Andy M. Stewart's superior version of "Matt Hyland", for one.) She needs to develop. Again, don't get me wrong, I love her voice, and the songs taken one at a time are fine. It's just that listening to the entire album in one sitting leaves you frustrated, and, frankly, a bit bored. She can do much better than this, I think.

The 3rd solo album by the 27-year-old sweetheart of English folksong sung in a very broad, fragile, haunting Yorkshire accent. Her dusky alto conveys a confessional intimacy.

She was once in a band with Kathryn Roberts (The Equation), and she's also been briefly in The Poozies.

There are 4 of her own songs, plus one co-written with John McCusker (The Battlefield Band), and an achingly mournful cover of Richard Thompson's "Withered and Died".

The traditional folk songs Rusby sings are usually brooding; beautiful meditations on love lost (track 1), stolen (track 7) or deferred (track 10).

(Track 1)is adapted from a traditional folk tune originally titled 'Lovely Willy'. In the jaunty ( track 2), a woman awaiting her seafaring lover's return gets two wishes - marriage and a commitment to remaining on land. (Track 5) is apparently inspired by the "two stupidest birds in Yorkshire". (Track 6) is a traditional spiritual promising "everlasting joy," featuring former Fairground Attraction vocalist Eddi Reader's heavenly harmonizing. Kate lends a salty wit to (track 8), a song she wrote about two brothers squabbling over a young maiden who leaves them both with "their bellies empty, their hearts still sore." Disease is a subject not easily handled in song, but she avoids any whiff of morbidity in the moving (track 9), dedicated to Scottish folk singer Davy Steele, a recent victim of cancer. (Track 11) is a deeply personal song about her own grandparents: her tribute to her grandmother's devotion to her now-senile emphysema stricken coal-miner husband, describing the heartbreaking end of a loving, hardworking life --in which her molasses-rich voice is accompanied by a heavenly brass choir.

As a bonus track, (at 6:07 of #11)the Rusby clan gets together for an impromptu family rendition of "The Big Ship Sails."

These are all story-based songs, so they fit in with the traditional stuff.

She named the album after a long drive home in the fog, when cat's eyes were the only salvation. "Also you can see for miles from the studio window and because most of the time recording was done through winter when it was dark earlier, all you could see was thousands of little lights twinkling away."

Having been a fan and an acquaintance of Kate's for a number of years now, I expect anything I would write here would be somewhat biased in her favor. Surely there can be no doubt that in the often lackluster world of folk musicians and singers, new and refreshing talent always is welcome. When Kate "burst" onto the UK music scene from somewhat obscure beginnings in the band Equation, with her debut release with fellow-Equation vocalist Kathryn Roberts, most critics felt she was an answer to their prayers for a young, enthusiastic voice to revive traditional tunes and create new folk-inspired songs. Hers, however, is a generation blessed with inspired talent, e.g., Eliza Carthy (daughter of the legendary Martin Carthy and Norma Waterson), Kellie While (daughter of the extraordinary vocalist Chris While), and Bill Jones (soon to have her first American release) to name but a few.

What endeared fans to Kate from the start was her humble, self-effacing charm and wit, and her understated stage presence, little of which comes across on her studio recordings. I would argue that a live album would be the best way to become familiar with Kate Rusby, but alas none exists (save for a few tracks on the obscure "Cow Song" CD-single issued only in the UK). While "Hourglass" and "Sleepless," Kate's first two albums, served to introduce audiences worldwide to "La Rusby," "Little Lights" is intended to expand the horizon a wee bit. Unfortunately, it is, as some here have very correctly maintained, very much like the previous two releases and so does not suggest a real growth or development in Kate's style and depth. Could Kate record, say, a jazzy "torch album" (as in the late Sandy Denny's "Like An Old Fashioned Waltz" album), or a set of introspective self-penned ballads (as Chris While & Julie Matthews often tend to do)? That is yet to be seen. What does seem certain is that without some broadening of the scope, "Little Lights" may prove to draw the line between the diehard fans who'll buy whatever Kate can produce, and those who are keen to hear a singer with virtuosity and maturity yet to be discovered. Meanwhile, this is an enjoyable effort and one well worthy of Kate's current level of development.

The kind of CD that makes me stop to appreciate the ability to hear.

"little lights" is certainly more mellow than her previous two. If you liked "Sir Eglamore" from "Hourglass" or "Cowsong", from a rare EP (or the American version of "Sleepless"), this one has "William and Davy" and "Merry Green Broom" which are certainly in the same vein, but they don't quite reach the same level of playful energy.

On the other hand, though many of the songs on this album bear more resemblance to "A Rose In April", from "Hourglass" and "The Wild Goose", of "Sleepless", there are more nuances to many of the songs, here, with a greater amount of texture and layers to the instrumentation, and Ms. Rusby has gotten better and better at writing both lyrics and harmonies which are nothing short of beautiful. "Who Will Sing Me Lullabies" is an original piece, written about a close friend and fellow performer who was diagnosed with incurable cancer, and it won the BBC Radio 2's Folk Award for Best Original Song. Additionally, if I could only listen to one song, ever again, it would be the traditional "Some Tyrant", as arranged here, by Ms. Rusby and her husband, John McCusker (a phenominal talent, himself, with seemingly any instument he picks up).

I'll agree with some of the other reviewers that Ms. Rusby's albums share a certain similiarity in tone and feel. This one may not be the best introduction to her work -- it serves mostly to make her fans even more appreciative, I think ("Hourglass" is a great introduction to her music).

Fans definitely should make every effort to see her in concert, by the way. Far from the impression one might gain from her albums, she is anything but "mellow". She is at her most engaging, enjoyable, and outright enchanting when she is on stage.

A few days ago I heard a song on the radio (BBC Radio2 via the internet, as I live in Canada ;) from Kate Rusby's latest CD and it struck me so much that I decided to buy it right away (which is very unusual for me).

I am now listening to it and I can (fortunately) say that the song I heard on the radio (William and Davy) was not a one-shot type of deal, the rest of the CD is just as excellent, if not even better.

I will probably soon buy her other two CDs, and will keep an eye on her future titles as well.

Highly recommended.

This is a VERY good CD. But on first listen I was a bit disappointed. How could Rusby live up to the claim that she was the best voice in English folk music in 100 years? She does have a lovely voice and the songs are nice. But she doesn't eclipse Sandy Denny. Her song writing doesn't match that of Kate Wolf or Lucy Kaplansky. Still, I'm right well pleased with and glad to have made the purchase now that I've given it a few listens. (I would really rate it 4 1/2 stars, but of course that's not an option.)

This album is gorgeous! I borrowed it from my local library, and on hearing it, got myself a copy as soon as I could.
Rusby's voice is a delight. Sweet and mellow, emotive, backed by some brilliant instrumental work, this album encompasses many moods. My favourites are the sadders songs, which are truly heart string pullers: "Withered and Died", "Who will sing me lullabies" and "My Young Man" are tear jerking mini masterpieces, especially the latter, which is sung partially without backing. A secret track at the end of the album is a family performance of "The Big Ship Sails" and is very endearing. "William and Davy" is another highlight, a bitter sweet, funny story-song. All tracks are highly singable (an important factor) and this CD is most definately a worthwhile buy.

At times the arrangements intrude just a bit and the material is a tad weaker than Hourglass, but those are minor quibbles. She still projects a wonderful sincerity and can pull off somewhat sentimental material like Who Will Sing Me Lullabies without much trouble. Still a voice to die for. Fans will certainly be happy and first timers might be better off with Hourglass.