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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AllMusic Review by Rick Anderson
Track Listing
| Sample | Title/Composer | Performer | Time | Stream | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3:37 | ||||||
| 2 | 4:32 | ||||||
| 3 | 6:02 | ||||||
| 4 |
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4:45 | Amazon | ||||
| 5 | 3:41 | ||||||
| 6 |
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2:51 | |||||
| 7 | 4:43 | ||||||
| 8 |
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6:40 | |||||
| 9 | 7:29 |
