|
•
"Van Eyken has produced one of the most intelligently radical folk
records of the year." Penguin Eggs
•
"Tim van Eyken with his classy band successfully transferring
the ingenuity of one of the best Brit folk albums of the year, Stiffs
Lovers Holymen Thieves, to a major stage." Mojo (reviewing Cambridge
Folk Festival)
•
"In this album, Tim van Eyken straddles the difficult
territory between really traditional stuff and folk-fusion. Yet there
is nothing forced about the arrangements and not one dud track."
English Dance and Song
•
"Arguably one of the most significant interpretations of British
folk music since Fairport Convention turned the genre on its head with
Liege and Lief in 1969, and certainly the most innovative trad folk album
since Eliza Carthy’s Red Rice. What sets the album apart is the
boldness of the arrangements and the quality of the instrumental work.
For all its quiet radicalism, Stiffs Lovers Holymen Thieves has an impressive
sense of history. It’s a cohesive, band-oriented album, sparse yet
full, elegant yet animated." Rhythms
• "Nobody could have been
prepared for the strength of character and maturity that makes this so
compelling. Steeped in the English tradition, it nevertheless has a very
modern sound with some subtly inventive arrangements involving a lively
percussive feel, telling electric guitar from producer Oliver Knight,
and some gorgeous fiddle and vocal cameos from Nancy Kerr. This will surely
be prominent when it comes to end-of-year gongs." 
Mojo
• "The subtly progressive
arrangements surrounding a vocal performance of relaxed clarity and unusual
distinction deliver more impressively than most of us could have imagined.
Barleycorn – with an arrangement of mounting tension, Van Eyken’s
version ranks with the best. He follows with a gorgeous heart-rending
Australia and a five star duet with Nancy Kerr on the hauntingly lovely
Gypsy Maid. It is an album full of thought, variety and surprises…..truly
astonishing percussion work by Pete Flood…Babes In the Wood has
never sounded more chilling. A real sense of history is its essential
heartbeat. The celebratory arrangement of the wonderful closing track,
Twelve Joys of Mary, leaves you on an appropriate high.. " fRoots
• "Van Eyken is extremely
good. Inspirational really isn’t too strong." The Living
Tradition
• "Personable and bursting with
energy - he fully exploits his great strengths of versatility and boundless
enthusiasm. Babes in the Wood is given a darkly compelling treatment and
there is chaotic joy to Twelve Joys of Mary with its anarchic percussion
and brass. The giant strides made by English folk music in recent years
will not shorten while it remains in such accomplished hands." Daily
Telegraph
• "Outstanding, sparse and elegant
– subtle arrangement and performance. What he’s done is take
a raft of traditional songs, and recast them and reinterpret them in ways
that didn’t seem possible, ways that are decidedly twenty-first
century. "Stiffs Holymen Lovers Thieves" is a masterpiece that
deserves a place on the shelf of every folk music aficionado." Maverick
• "Tight, ingenious, inventive
– a flood of originality – uplifting." Taplas
• "Generous and fetching collection
of boldly updated traditional songs and tunes – van Eyken has a
rich, compelling voice" HMV Choice
• "Van Eyken truly comes of
age with this album of traditional songs dressed in innovative arrangements.
From the sparse, ethereal 'Fisherman' and the brooding weirdness of 'Babes
in the Wood' to the electro-tinged 'Fair Ellen of Ratcliffe', the performances
exude a youthul confidence, yet retain a mature
sensitivity to the history and drama inherent in the songs. An eminently
accessible album for purists and tourists alike".
Time Out
• "Rich in both musical and
lyrical detail. Given the strength of the(se) players, it’s little
wonder that the arrangements and playing are original and imaginative.
Dark paths trod with great care".
Songlines
• "This album is further proof
that British Folk Music is in extremely rude health – there’s
unbridled joy and electric energy in Tim’s performance that make
his interpretations of traditional songs sparkle like new – truly
inspired." The Sun
• "English music played and
sung with love, confidence and panache. A truly skilled interpreter of
songs in any genre." The Living Tradition
• "I doubt that there will
be a better album of traditional songs released this year."
Rock’n’reel
• "Favourite album of 2006."
Fatea/Cambridge and Beyond
• "Eyken has a fine voice and
a beautifully judged sense of modern arrangement and has surrounded himself
with a group of talented young folk musicians. Barleycorn… is a
superb, dare one say, definitive version…" Sydney Morning
Herald
• "This album opens with an
arrangement of John Barleycorn that is the most compelling one since Traffic
– and also completely different from that one - van Eyken’s
version of Fair Ellen of Ratcliffe is nothing short of extraordinary.
Rather than merely accompanying the music, van Eyken conjures the imagery
of the songs – it is not so much the singing of a song as the casting
of a spell." Dirty Linen
|
