Offa Rex-The Queen Of Hearts

A really great album by English singer Olivia Chaney and members of The Decemberists. She has a wonderful voice reminisent of those great Folk Rock singers of the 70’s Sandy Denny,Maddy Prior,and Jacqui McShee. All the songs are traditional except for two by contemporary Folk singers. Colin Meloy takes the lead vocal on two songs and plays guitar throughout. Mostly acoustic with Chaney playing harpsichord and harmonium on many of the tracks. Every track is great and should be heard by every fan of Fairport Convention,Steeleye Span and The Pentangle. “Blackleg Miner” and “Sheepcrook And Black Dog” are on Steeleye Span albums that I have,the later given a Black Sabbath treatment. “Constant Billy/I’ll Go Enlist is a Morris Dancing tune,”Willie O’ Winsbury” is a song I have on a Pentangle album I have. One of my favorites is Ewan MacColl’s “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” with Olivia Chaney’s beautiful voice backed by her playing the harmonium. Another one I really liked was “To Make You Stay” by Lal Waterson, of the Folk singing Waterson family, and sung by Colin Meloy. Another 50% off record I bought at Barnes & Noble andcomes with an insert with Olivia and Colin talking about the history of each song and how they came to record it. First time listening to both sides and I will definetly be putting this on some more.

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