Various Artists "A CHRISTMAS CELTIC SOJOURN" (Rounder, 2001)
A holiday collection curated by an American public radio DJ... This opens with a beautiful vocal number by Maddy Prior and also includes tunes by the Watersons and the Voice Squad. But for the most part, this CD is packed with super-mellow easy-trad -- drippy harps, sugary singing, etc. -- which, if you're into it, is probably pretty nice. Too mellow for me, though -- just not my cup of tea.

Various Artists "BALLINASLOE FAIR: EARLY RECORDINGS OF IRISH MUSIC IN AMERICA" (Traditional Crossroads, 1998)
The Irish diaspora led millions to America, and starting in the 1920s, many of the best emigrant musicians also journeyed onto wax, cutting hundreds of 78 RPM records. This is one of the best compilations of this early material, and has some of the best sound engineering of any of these Depression-era collections. The material may seem foreign even to lovers of Celtic folk music, since the melodic smoothness of the post-Clancy decades is absent from most of these tracks, instead, there is a heavy Vaudeville and music hall influence, with a constant undertone of ethnic theatre stereotyping, combined with a relative lack of finesse (when compared to the slick performances of the last few decades...) There are also a lot of great performances, from folks who could in a sense be considered the Al Jolsons or Bill Monroes of this genre. This CD is one of a handful of similar sets which are helping re-frame our understanding of Celtic music history, and, with its superior sound quality, is a great place to start for anyone who is interested in exploring the OLD stuff. Highly recommended.

Various Artists "BEAT THE RETREAT: THE SONGS OF RICHARD THOMPSON" (Capitol/EMD, 1994)
As noted elsewhere, I'm not a big fan of Richard Thompson's work. Or rather, it seems, of Thompson himself, since I found this tribute album to be pretty enjoyable. This includes a nice mix of rock and trad-folk heavy-hitters, from REM, Dinosaur Jr. and X to June Tabor, Maddy Prior and cajun folkies, Beausoleil. High marks go to Los Lobos for their doleful version of "Out Where The Drunkards Roll" and Syd Straw for her version of "For Shame of Doing Wrong." There are mild mismatches here, but in general this is stronger and more consistent than most tribute albums, and highlights strengths in Thompson's writing that might sometimes be obscured by his somewhat boorish and lofty performance style. Recommended!

Various Artists "THE BIRD IN THE BUSH: TRADITIONAL SONGS OF LOVE AND LUST" (Topic, 1966/1997)
A saucy collection of ribald folk songs from the British Isles, including performances by Anne Briggs, Louis Killen, Frankie Armstrong, Norman Kennedy, and the venerable master of the early Britfolk scene, A. L. Lloyd. They all shine on this collection, and though you have to be attentive to follow the long narratives and sometimes rather complicated sexual metaphors, this disc has a lot of bang for the buck (if you'll pardon the expression...) This was originally just a split EP with Lloyd and Briggs, but has since been expanded to include material by the other artists -- presumably of similar vintage. All three of the Anne Briggs tracks -- "Gathering Rushes In The Month Of May," "The Stonecutter Boy" and "Martinmas Time" -- have since been gathered on retrospectives of her work, but the overlap is negligible, considering how delightful the other songs on here are. A nice find for fans of forbidden music.

Various Artists "CLASSIC BALLADS OF BRITAIN AND IRELAND, v. I" (Rounder, 2000)
Various Artists "CLASSIC BALLADS OF BRITAIN AND IRELAND, v. II" (Rounder, 2000)
These stark old folk songs take a certain kind of listener, someone with an appreciation for storytelling and an interest in the past, and -- for want of a better phrase -- a love of the common folk. This is the British equivalent of American "old-timey" music... in fact it's where a lot of the old-timey repertoire came from: bawdy story-songs and mysterious old ballads raspily intoned by grizzled, wheezy country and giggling housewives. It's not for everyone, sure, but if you can get onto its wavelength, the emotional pull of this music is tremendous. Recorded over several decades by folklorist Alan Lomax, these tracks are captivating because of the subject matter, but also because of the immene charm of the various performers. When a particularly saucy lyric comes up, you can hear a smile come into the singers voice -- sometimes it even breaks out into a laugh. The awareness that this is, indeed, a living oral tradition -- that these are songs that people learnt to sing while drinking in pubs and working at plows, lends great depth to the music. Me... I love the stuff! Plus, the lavish packaging, with classy artwork and thick booklets accompanying each disc, makes this a special treat. (These are the latest releases in the astounding Lomax Collection folk series, which is projected to be over 100 CDs worth of archival releases.)

Various Artists "COMFORT AND JOY: A CHRISTMAS CELTIC SOJOURN, v.2" (Rounder, 2003)
A somewhat earthier holiday offering from Brian O'Donovan's "Celtic Sojourn" show, once again with selections from Maddy Prior The Watersons as well as Cherish The Ladies, Robbie O'Connell, Boys Of The Lough and others... The first volume in this series (reviewed above) didn't do much for me, but this disc is a pretty classy holiday offering, with some truly lovely harmonies, and odd, interesting versions of old songs that we know and love. Recommended!

Celtic/Brit Folk Albums - More Compilations

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