Red Rice

Eliza Carthy

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 19, 1998)
• Original Release Date: May 19, 1998
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Topic Records
• ASIN: B000006N8Y
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #312,588 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Eliza Carthy is one of the rising stars of the "new roots" scene in Britain. An excellent fiddler and a pretty good singer, she seems to have inherited her well-known musical parents' (Norma Waterson and Martin Carthy's) dual focus, striving to proclaim her country's rich folk heritage while also looking towards popular music for revitalization. Red is the more aggressive of the two CDs in this set. Her band uses reggae, jazz, '90s rave, and '60s folk-rock to spice up old folk songs and a few originals--some strongly imitative of early Steeleye Span and Fairport Convention. The winners of this set are actually the ones that stray as far from tradition as they can--mom's "Stumbling On" has a nice barrelhouse groove, and Eliza's own "Russia (Call Waiting)" pushes the electronic limits--and it's a grand time. Rice is the more solid folk set, and possibly the better of the two CDs. Backed by Saul Rose on accordions, the mysterious "Fontenots" on guitar and vocals, Ed Boyd on guitar, and Eleanor Waterson and Lucy Adams on vocals, this is straight ahead power folk, with lots of attitude and energy. Anyone who doubts this young artist's right to be in the British folk literati need only listen to the medley "Zycanthos Jig" to feel her grace, skill, and understanding of the music. Red Rice is an adventurous project for a young artist; and two full hours of music may have been a stretch, but the magical high moments are many and well worth the exploration. --Louis Gibson

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful reminder of the richness of traditional music., October 17, 1999

By	Jerome Langguth (Erlanger, KY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Carthy's album is a beautiful reminder of just how rich and mysterious traditional folk music can be. Carthy's understanding of this music is evident on every track. Even in her more "experimental" mode, she stays true to the material. There is a reason people still want to play and listen to music like this, and Carthy never allows her own desire for musical innovation to obscure the timeless virtues of the tunes themselves.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Totally Superb. This Is A Must Buy, January 17, 1999

By A Customer

Eliza Carthy IS the future of traditional English music, and the future of it's advance into the next century. Rice takes you through the traditions that she has learnt in her native Yorkshire, while Red advances into new ground, taking in many interesting fusions. This girl has so much talent its just not fair! I PLEAD WITH YOU TO BUY THIS, IT WILL ENRICH YOUR LIFE AND BEING.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars DON'T LEND OUT THIS CD!!!!, September 25, 2002

By	T. Semonik "beautifulsouth0" (Southern California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was introduced to Eliza through a magazine review of "Angels and Cigarettes", and have been gobbling up since the first chords of that album. This one, an earlier CD, would have been more appropriate to start with: If you like more modern-poppy disc "Red", then buy her newer stuff. If you like folky-traditional "Rice", then step backwards. Neither is the wrong way to go. Just don't try to get this CD back after lending it- that won't happen. The tunes are infectious and fun on both discs, and people tend to whine if they have to give them back. (Only really problematic due to them being imported)