Migrating Bird: The Songs of Lal Waterson [PA] [Slipcase]

Performer: Various Artists
Engineer: Malcolm Lindsay; Jeb Loy Nichols; Brian O'Shaughnessy
Producer: Lindsey Woolsey; Malcolm Lindsay; Stephen Cracknell
Distributor: Forced Exposure Dist.

Notes: Personnel: Nancy Wallace, James Yorkston (vocals, guitar); Joanna Bartlett (vocals); Stephen Cracknell (guitar, percussion); Simon Lord (banjo); Jennymay Logan (violin); Rob Spriggs (viola); Kevin Murphy (cello). Liner Note Author: Charlotte Greig. Recording information: Analogue Catalogue; Bark Studio, London, England; Experimental Audio, Dublin, Ireland; Safe & Sound Studio, Oslo, Norway. Photographer: Brian Shuel. Arrangers: Malcolm Lindsay; Stephen Cracknell; Lal Waterson; Oliver Knight. A good tribute album often can be a benefit if the subject of the tribute is relatively obscure, serving as a chance to place a figure or style squarely in a new context. While Migrating Bird itself is like many other efforts -- a mix of the quite enjoyable and the well-meant but not always successful -- as a chance to showcase British folksinger Lal Waterson, who came to prominence in the 1960s as part of her family group, the Watersons, and then performed and released irregularly on her own and with others until her passing in the late '90s, it's a gentle treasure. It's also a good sampler of whatever the psych-folk scene can be called these days, ranging as it does from a near contemporary veteran of Waterson's (Vashti Bunyan, who concludes the disc with an interpretation of the title track) to Young Turks such as Alasdair Roberts, whose "The Bird" is a lovely, delicate interpretation with just voice and piano able not only to demonstrate the song's beauty but his own fine gifts. Other efforts of interest come from Victoria Williams, whose older, twang-tinged voice comes off to intriguing effect on Waterson's most well-known effort, "Red Wine and Promises," and the inimitable Michael Hurley, with his own striking singing and the gentle touch of accordion resulting in one of the album's warmest, most inviting contributions on "How Can I Leave?" Charlotte Greig matches him with a similar instrumental approach on "Her White Gown," her own resonant voice another strong standout. At its worst the disc is fair but never horrible; if songs like Nancy Elizabeth's "Cornfield" and Jeb Loy Nichols' "Stumbling On" leave little impact, they still sound pleasant and aren't a disservice to Waterson's memory. ~ Ned Raggett

Dirty Linen (p.50) - "It's a rare tribute album that doesn't simply make you wish to hear the original tunes, but actually adds new shades and colors to an established performer's songs, as this excellent album most certainly does."

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