Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Rachel Unthank & The Winterset: The Bairns

208

Rachel Unthank & The Winterset: The Bairns

By

View read count
Rachel Unthank & The Winterset: The Bairns
In the sphere of folk music, especially in the area of traditional British folk music, there are a number of often-used stylistic conventions—there's a reason, after all, that it's called "traditional. Guitar is most often the currency of choice, with piano and fiddle close seconds. Rachel Unthank & The Winterset do have fiddle and piano, but they've also fashioned a wholly unique approach to material old and new. The Bairns is this British group's second album, and one would be hard-pressed to find a more original approach to a genre—as compelling as it often is—begging for a makeover.

Singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Robin Williamson's ECM discs, teaming him with free improvisers, have created a unique stylistic hybrid, while traditional singer June Tabor has found a unique nexus of folk and jazz with her Quercus project, featuring saxophonist Iain Ballamy and pianist Huw Warren. The Winterset leans more towards Tabor's stark worldview of deep social/political concerns past and present, but with a unique sound at once raw and seemingly unsophisticated while, paradoxically imbued with rich classical elements and at times, an ambient quality.

While the combination of cello, fiddle and piano leans the group toward a near-chamber aesthetic, its occasional use of stomping feet to provide a pulse creates a unique intimacy; almost as if this were, despite the lush harmonies and arrangements, a rehearsal rather than a finished session. Leader/cellist Rachel Unthank is the primary vocalist, although the rest of the group—sister Becky, pianist Belinda O'Hooley and fiddler Niopha Keegan—all contribute to the rich vocal harmonies that define the group. Rachel's voice possesses an appealing warmth and strength, combined with an alluring fragility where occasional minor lapses in pitch, rather than being a weakness, only make the music more real, more intimate.

There are moments of light—the elegant traditional medley, "Blue's Gaen Oot O'the Fashion and O'Hooley's "Blackbird, a lushly beautiful song that's also a feature for Becky—but The Bairns is most often bleak, but still uncannily seductive. Augmented by a string section and double-bassist, the opening "Felton Lonnin is a strong example of how The Winterset manages to bring together disparate elements: the simple with the detailed; and formal arrangement with unforced and unconsidered delivery.

The majority of the repertoire is traditional but, in addition to contemporary material including fellow Northumbrian Terry Conway's moving "Fareweel Regality, the group's stunning interpretation of Robert Wyatt's "Sea Song, first heard on Rock Bottom (Virgin, 1974), is a highlight of The Bairns. Haunting, melancholy and uplifting, The Winterset's poignantly and unerringly human performance, approaches Wyatt's own mix of head and heart.

The album finishes with "Newcastle Lullaby, starting with a vocal round but quickly entering ambient territory. Those who believe that traditional British folk music is inherently backwards looking need look no further than the unparalleled The Bairns; where it's abundantly clear that tradition and innovation are two words that can go together in the same sentence.

Track Listing

Felton Lonnin; Lull 1; Blue Bleezing Blind Drunk; I Wish; Blue Gaen' Oot O'the Fashion; Lull II: My Lad's a Canny Lad; Blackbird; Lull III: A Minor Place; Sea Song; Whitethorn; Lull IV: Can't Stop It Raining; My Donald; Ma Bonny Lad; Fareweel Regality; Newcastle Lullaby.

Personnel

Rachel Unthank: voice, cello (7, 12), ukulele (11), feet (5, 9); Beck Unthank: voice, feet (1); Belinda O'Hooley: piano, voice; Niopha Keegan: fiddle, voice. Neil Harland: double-bass (1); Julian Sutton: melodion (4, 9); Iona Brown: violin (1); Andre Swanepoel: violin (1); Michael Gerrard: viola (1); Rosie Biss: cello (1).

Album information

Title: The Bairns | Year Released: 2007 | Record Label: Rabble Rouser Music

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Eternal Moments
Yoko Yates
From "The Hellhole"
Marshall Crenshaw
Tramonto
John Taylor

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.