Singer/guitarist Martin Carthy and fiddler Dave Swarbrick complement each other nicely: Carthy sings in a plain, openhearted voice and plays guitar virtuosically but in moderation; Swarbrick fiddles energetically, but without excessive ornamentation. This leads to an admirable focus on the songs themselves, and to generally somewhat less-than-compelling instrumental interludes. On the set consisting of "The Pepperpot," "Sailing into Walpole's Marsh" and "Bunker Hill," Swarbrick starts off playing with a sweet, fruity, almost Brahmsian tone before lapsing back into his usual straightforward fiddle style; "Oh Dear Oh" is played and sung in a lurching compound meter. "The Begging Song" is ancient and depressing, just like all the best English ballads, but the highlight of the album is the lovely "Lochmaben Harper" -- listen especially to Carthy's quietly perfect guitar accompaniment.
Martin Carthy
Life and Limb
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Life and Limb Review
by Rick Anderson
Track Listing
Sample | Title/Composer | Performer | Time | Stream | |||
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1 | Martin Carthy | 03:37 | |||||
2 | Martin Carthy | 04:32 | |||||
3 | Martin Carthy | 06:02 | |||||
4 |
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Martin Carthy | 04:45 | Amazon | |||
5 | Martin Carthy | 03:41 | |||||
6 |
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Martin Carthy | 02:51 | ||||
7 | Martin Carthy | 04:43 | |||||
8 |
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Martin Carthy | 06:40 | ||||
9 | Martin Carthy | 07:29 |