Customer Reviews

All Under the Sun

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
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Steve Tilston and Maggie Boyle complement each other just about perfectly. His guitar playing is as intricate as it ever was with John Renbourn, but here it's always disciplined, too. I saw them in London in 97 in a small club when this cd was new, playing many of the tracks from it. It was incredible! "Here's to Tom Paine" is an unlikely anthem but it's rousing and even moving. I dare you not to want to sing along. Maggie Boyle's voice and flute are very evocative-- a bit like a softer June Tabor. This is the only version of "Linden Lea" I've ever really liked. I just gave this CD as a Christmas gift-- if you like English folk at all, I think it's quite irresistible.

I first stumbled onto Steve Tilston and Maggie Boyle in a used CD store in Kansas City. I wanted some traditional folk to expand my CD "collection" (I think I had all of 10 CDs at the time). I really enjoyed their unique blend of Steve's songwriting and Maggie's choice of traditional ballads with Steve's reinvention of them. When I saw All Under the Sun in the used bin in St. Paul, MN, I grabbed it. It's easy on the ears--a good sunny afternoon kind of CD. It follows the same formula--songs that showcase Tilston's singer/songwriter/instrumentalist ability, interspersed with traditional ballads sung by Boyle. Boyle also provides some great flute throughout the album. I wouldn't call the album revolutionary or cutting edge, but I really enjoy it.

Steve Tilston has quickly become one of my favorite artists, both for his splendid guitar work and superb song-writing. Unfortunately, he's little known in the U.S., and not all of his material has been released here (he does have a website, however, and you can contact him directly to purchase items not available here). This album is reasonably representative of Tilston and Boyle (they're husband and wife); some material is by Steve and some is traditional. Boyle comes from a well-known musical family, and sings (in a style a bit like June Tabor) and plays flute. Steve also sings and plays the arpeggione, a nearly extinct bowed-guitar-like instrument. He has played with John Renbourn and Bert Jansch, has a string of albums going back to about 1970--and, importantly, seems to keep getting better as time goes on!