• “The album is an unqualified success. The joy that was
had in the playing this music rings through in every note." Penguin
Eggs
• “Spontaneous – the vocals are exquisite – It’s
as good as traditional singing gets, as is the musicianship." Dirty
Linen magazine
• “An album of boundless warmth, verve and spirit"
fROOTS
• “CD OF THE WEEK - Eliza Carthy is sassy, cool and exciting.
Her new CD confirms her as a singer of power and distinction. Rough Music
is an early contender for folk CD of 2005. What an achievement it would
be if it could turn out to be rather more than a great album for a small
public.” The Telegraph
• “Eliza continues to go her own way, and do it very, very
well indeed." Sing Out
• “The classy sound of traditional folk played perfectly"
BBC Nottingham
• “She has the courage of her convictions..she is fabulous”
Metro
• “With attack by the truckload and confidence shining through
in the multi-layered arrangements, there’s an earthy and intoxicating
sense excitement and enjoyment in the performances." Time Out
• “It’s wonderful” The Observer
• “Full English indeed" HMV Choice
• “A beautiful album, recorded in the Scottish Borders but
quintessentially English in its content and performance, this is a moving,
articulate expression of the young Carthy’s love of her native song.
And she’s a gorgeous fiddler too. With her band The Ratcatchers,
they have created huge soundscapes of vocal harmony and dense instrumental
colour." Scotland on Sunday
• “Spontaneous, focused and brilliantly played - a triumph.
The instrumentals in particular are real rockers, often slipping dreamily
from a more muscular quartet sound into more ambient corners. With its
singularity of purpose and the band's rich and supple performance, this
is Carthy's best album to date."
A "Top of the World" selection Songlines
• "her most majestic and mature solo album yet" fROOTS
• "Shining like a beacon – her glorious new album Anglicana.
She’s returned to Topic with a superb collection of English songs
gleaned from ancient recordings and dusty manuscripts, into which she’s
breathed new life – her voice just gets better, now with a depth
range and scope to tell the big ballads affectingly. This is traditional
folk at its most atmospheric, performed with a feeling of spontaneity."
Time Out
• "This immensely talented fiddle player and singer takes her
inspiration from the stunning 20-volume – The Voice of the People
series by Topic. The epic ballad In London so Fair puts her among the
best of the new generation of British female folk singers. Bawdy, sexy
and beautiful, just as good folk music should be." Morning Star
• "Bravura vocals and brilliant arrangements – she has
come into her own as a mature but audacious interpreter of traditional
music." Billboard
• "Carthy sings with pressing immediacy, her voice buoyed by
surging acoustic arrangements." The Guardian
• "Brilliant – proper music, not museum art – her
voice has never sounded fuller"
The Independent
• "The playing is immaculate, as is the singing. It’s
a downright fine CD." BBC Radio Nottingham
• "Searing and adventurous" London Evening Standard
• "As remarkable for the vitality and originality of the
settings as for the new maturity in her singing – magnificent"
The Guardian
• "Confidence and power shine out of her, and it makes
her music shine too" The Times
• "She has recorded ten stark pieces to draw you in with
an irresistible pull – deploying the undeniably dramatic power of
her incredible voice" Sunday Times
• "..her fiddle playing is of international stature…a
singer of real lasting quality" All Music Guide
• "A compelling set, remarkable for the subtle dramatic
settings and the new maturity in her singing
The Guardian
• "(Eliza Carthy) remains a phenomenon…a winner."
The Observer
• "Album of the Year" Financial Times
• "A must-have album" Folk London
• "I have to say from the outset that this record is a delight
in every sense of the word….Eliza Carthy is fulfilling every hope
we had in her, producing fine traditional music with a modern approach,
yet retaining the very essence that makes the songs and tunes so attractive."
Living Tradition
• "Anglicana finds Carthy happily merging two sensibilities,
one grounded in yesteryear and the other hailing the future – with
pleasing results." Sing Out
• "She possesses a voice that takes you right in there
– her choice of songs is impeccable. If this is the future of English
folk song, buy me a front row seat now" BBC Radio 2 Folk &
Acoustic reviews
• "Quite simply, this album is a masterpiece" Roots
& Rhythm magazine
• " You suddenly forget that you are listening to an album,
because it sounds as if she were in your house, singing and playing –
there is a sense of privileged revelation, of a valued invitation into
an artist’s private sound space" The Guardian
• "The gig affirmed Carthy’s pre-eminence, established
by her Mercury-nominated Anglicana album. The Independent" (referring
to Cambridge Folk Festival 2003)
• "Just superb" Raymond Briggs
• "First-rate. She knows her sources and absorbs them into
her own music with complete confidence and, on this album, she cuts a
connoisseur's swathe through a mother lode of English song. The result
is a tour de force, both instrumentally and vocally. This disc is a testament
of faith in the poetry and power of English folk song in the 21st century.
A "Top of the World" choice." Songlines
• "Audaciously brilliant" The Observer
• "An international star of English Folk in the next century"
The Times
• "The ideas are incessant, the technique superb and the
energy irresistible" fROOTS
• "Eliza Carthy has probably made the best folk album of this
year" (Red Rice) Uncut
• "Seriously impressive skills shine through" Daily
Telegraph
• "What's brilliant about Eliza is that she's such a great
mixture of past and present: totally dedicated to the tradition and simultaneously
full of innovation." BBC Radio 2 |
