FIREBRAND fiddler Dave Swarbrick, once famously the subject of a premature obituary in a national newspaper, has recovered from major surgery to record another album with guitarist and singer Martin Carthy.
Straws In The Wind features 14 songs and tunes from one of English folk music's most significant partnerships. Despite Swarbrick's delicate health, the duo still has all the fervour of the early days.
Swarbrick has composed two delightful tunes, My Heart's In New South Wales - about his sojourn in Australia - and Mrs Marriott.
Carthy's encyclopaedic knowledge of traditional song was put to good use when selecting material.
Ship In Distress, with its theme of cannibalism narrowly averted, is charged with horror and majesty.
The chilling Treadmill Song recalls a time when British prisons were geared towards destroying an inmate's soul, while Mermaid sails a dark maritime journey.
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