[or anyone with half a brain/musical ear]
have you's checked out the Imagined Village yet?
been listening to it almost constantly, its fantastic!
my album of the year [even though it was released last year....]

here's them on jools holland if ya missed it/wanna relisten!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QC2av7-_Ik
also, see the other links to the right...

Well is anybody going to tell him ?

Well, I usually agree with you about folk Salty, but 'Cold, Haily, Rainy Night' has been one of my best folk songs for ages, and for me it should always be sung by Martin, alone, with his weird guitar.
Had heard of the Village but not seen them before, so would like to hear a bit more. I like Eliza's singing and fiddling...she's excellent as a musician, but she can be a bit pretentious and full of herself innit. Her dad ought to try telling her less is more!

a little pretentious! understatement...


just get the album, its great
the Welcome Sailor [one of my all-time favourites] is just brilliant

Absolutely agree about the album Salty - missed them at the sage,but managed to catch this bloke who was marvellous :

Sorry
I must be the less than halfbrain, musical ear types ! this is shiyte IMO. depressing stuff, if you want to be driven to the edge of suicide, try the causeway on a tuesday ( if its still on) you can hear these people sing about, how there drunken dad killed thier sister, and severely maimed there mother, but all is ok cos i can go walking in the cleveland hills, etc etc etc....mind the Malty Hoppy big jumper and beard brigade seem to like it !

What? What? What's this?? I'd Never heard of them before today. Fookin' 'ell it's a bigger line-up that "Do They Know It's Christmas"!

I'm just surprised Bert Jansch isn't on there 'cos it all sounds like it might have been orchestrated by him.

And Eliza can be as pretentious as she likes - she has the talent to carry it through!

But why should anyone like to be pretentious?

I think she's a nice girl and a good musician, but her 'persona' severely puts me off

Well, I know I used the same word you used but I'm not sure what she is pretending to be that she isn't.
I should have thought that fronting the biggest line up since Live Aid warranted a smidgeon of exuberance at least.

Perhaps you prefer this Eliza Carthy - same actors, different stage:




While on the subject of Imagined Village, I know Weller and Bragg have dabbled in folky things in the past but it's great to see them getting into REAL English folk. So different from Richie Blackmore's cute but unconvincing attempts.

And as for the likes of TGU (of whom I'm a whopping fan) and Zephaniah and Chandra doing English folk, if that ain't integration I don't know what is! What can I say but just brilliant. They add a whole new dimension!

damn right, its genius

I've seen Eliza live several times and used to like her a lot better when she was younger. She's been getting progressively more 'up her own arse' (as Salty might put it). Or, as those of us with Irish ancestry would also say, she's a 'notice box' !

Anyway, each to his own taste......