TRADITIONAL
MUSIC MAKER
Allie
Fox - Diving for Pearls
(Vixen VIX002)
Sure enough,
wherever you dive into this CD, you're certain to emerge with a
glistening genuine pearl of a song. Allie's a singer-songwriter
based in the Scottish Borders, but though she's been performing
solo up and down the country for some years, this is her début
CD.
There's
a telling maturity about Allie's writing, with a sure grasp of structure
married to admirably direct expression of often difficult sentiments
through a simple but effective poetic language. Many of her songs
deal with disillusionment, though tempered with optimism (for example
Backstreet Girl, The Meaning of Love and the
title track all have messages of encouragement and hope for all
of us), and displaying sensitivity and poignancy without a trace
of self-pity (just listen to the gorgeously wistful Birdwoman).
As a singer
she has a fine range, clear diction and a strong vocal presence,
with distinct shades of Sandy Denny - not in any imitative sense,
but more in the rounded purity of her emotional expressiveness.
Allie's also an accomplished fingerstyle guitarist, but with a light
and airy touch that comes from having learnt the virtue of restraint.
Innate musicality
is also a feature of the musical arrangements, which though accessible
and listenable also possess a vibrant contemporary edge. The album's
producer, Iain McKinna, has done a grand job here, bringing extreme
clarity to often relatively dense instrumental textures with the
quality of relaxed poise that was a feature of his earlier project,
Mike Heron's Where the Mystics Swim. That connection is carried
further too, with the presence of other Incredible Acoustic Band
members Dave Haswell (busy as ever on various items of percussion)
and guitarist John Rutherford (who contributes some truly beautiful
solo work).
The melancholy
of I Was Wrong is enhanced by Jimi McRae's
Border pipes and a sympathetic, understated string arrangement by
Allie's late brother, Malcolm. The subtle freshness and tenderness
of the musical settings aptly mirror those very qualities in Allie's
songs; the musical idiom is primarily melodic and mellow contemporary
folk, but the occasional departures (like Joe Louis Blues
and the intriguing combination of swamp-cajun and Soho-blues on
Moon Above the Rooftops) are also most invigorating.
In short,
if you admire well-crafted and meaningful songs, like those of Chris
While or Julie Matthews, then dive in and treat yourself to Allie's
inordinately fine CD.
David Kidman
SPIRE
FOLK
Allie
Fox - Diving for Pearls
Great albums
by singer-songwriters seem to be a bit scarce these days, so it
was a very pleasant surprise to hear this one. Certainly, you could
easily pass over the dull sepia cover of Diving for Pearls
mistaking it for yet another dull self-indulgent piece of navel-gazing.
In this case you'd be very mistaken and also be missing out on what
is possibly one of the best albums of the year.
The songs
here convey a mixture of happiness and sadness, joy and longing
through quality lyrics, superb catchy tunes and a quality of musicianship
and production seldom found on debut albums, particularly those
on small labels. After just one listen I found myself humming a
couple of the songs, and not long after, three or four more.
The opening
track Out of the Blue is a bouncy, tuneful pop song with
a slightly soulful feel about it - the sort of song you can't help
tapping your foot to.
My favourite
track comes next - the slower Spanish-feeling Backstreet Girl;
the guitar playing of maestro John Rutherford certainly adds to
what is in any case a great song which is reminiscent in places
of the Al Stewart classic On the Border.
Probably
the most commercial track on the album, Marguerita, also
has a Spanish feel to it along with the most hummable tune you've
heard in ages. If it wasn't for the quality of singing and the arrangement,
this could easily be considered a throwaway track, but here it serves
its purpose well in lifting both the tempo and mood of the album
at the critical mid-point.
The Meaning
of Love is an altogether different thing - a quality love song
up there with the best. Here Allie bares her soul without sounding
the least bit introspective or pretentious. I shall be surprised
if either the original or a cover of this song doesn't appear in
the charts at some point in the near future - if it doesn't then
there is no justice!
Also worth
a mention are The Moon Above the Rooftops, a finger-pickin'
bluegrass arrangement gives yet another dimension to the album.
The final track Joe Louis Blues has perhaps the most powerful
and heartfelt lyric on the album; it concerns the plight of boxer
Joe Louis who fought his way to the top against oppression and racism
in pre-war America. It packs a powerful social message and rounds
off the album well.
Allie has
come up with a gem of an album. Shortly to be re-released with much
wider distribution, it should soon get the wider airing it so richly
deserves.
Barry
Miller
