Old England Grown New

He has supported the likes of Martin Carthy, Dave Swarbrick and Chris Wood, worked on performance pieces with storytellers, fronted folk-rock band Cave, and released a CD as a duo with fiddler Nick Ellison. Now comes this debut solo album, with Ellison joining him once more alongside a three-strong rhythm section and a guest turn on the opening track, the traditional ‘Bonny Lass of Anglesey’, from another fiddler – the great Dave Swarbrick.

It ’ s a fine opener to a set of largely original songs, with strong melodic guitar work and a distinctive voice. It's reminiscent of Richard Thompson or Sam Carter in terms of the weight of the songs, their mix of traditional and contemporary references and the melancholy vocals. Tracks such as ‘An Atheist 's Grave’ display a knack for storytelling, while ‘Down by the Lake ’ is a rousing folk-rock tune and ‘ Ancient Hymn’ is a song of shadows that builds into an upbeat, fiddle-led piece. ‘Last Day ’ uses a poem by John Clare for its lyrics, and has atmospheric touches lent by Gareth Turner 's melodeon. It’ s a strong and distinct set; it will be interesting to see how Cave develops from here.