Old Chairs To Mend

Really nice Album. Saw this delightful Couple at Twickenham Folk Club,was impressed and bought their sampler CD. (Think they were nominated for Young Folk Musicians of the Year in 2011 ?) This newly released CD includes all those and more. They sound traditional in many ways but with a bright and refreshing approach. Wishing them all success.

Old chairs to mend is the first album from David Gibb and Elly Lucas. I love Uncle Joe and Jerusalem Cuckoo, but my favourite song on the album is "The Blacksmith". Well worth a download Their new album "Up through the woods" is very good too and well worth exploring. They have a knack of writing very catchy songs which stay with you for a very long time. David and Elly are great fun live, so please go and see them as I did, if they gig near you. Recommended

This is a lovely album by David Gibb & Elly Lucas that concentrates most on a traditional style of folk songs. I do prefer the more upbeat tracks on this CD, so my favourite has to be "Jerusalem Cuckoo" which is fun and lively. But that doesn't mean that the slower melodies are to be discounted. If you're in a mood for reflection and thought then these will prove ideal. My second favourite is totally different to my first and that's "Three Magpies" which Elly Lucas does real justice and turns it into a really bright shiny penny of a song. The song Leapfrog from "Oh What a Lovely War" is a really nice recording and am glad it was included as it helps to break up the album. I think that Elly Lucas' high pitched singing voice goes well together with David Gibb's and if anything they bounce off each other creating a magical symphony that is further enhanced by the beautifully recorded folk instruments. Well done to Chris Harding (From Learn:Create:Record) who has done a fantastic job in recording & producing this work with David & Elly. You can certainly hear the quality of the recording through out the entire album and its well placed arrangement. Maybe there's not songs for everyone on this album but if you love folk music then you won't go far wrong from purchasing this fine piece of musical cosmology.

I'm not a great one for reading sleeve notes as I'd far rather make up my own mind how I feel about certain tracks but in this case I'll make an exception at least for the Radio 2 friendly "Blacksmith". There are so many interpretations of this particular song that I've lost count but for someone to do something different with it is always worth a mention. This `soul' version utilising a gently picked guitar from Gibb underpinned by a wrist slapping rhythm and the cooing vocals of Lucas really gets under the skin of the lyrics. As if to counter the subtlety of "Blacksmith" the duo appear intent on rushing a majority of the songs including "Sam Hall" and an at times uncomfortably too high pitched opening track "Man On The Road" where you're left crossing your fingers that David will reach that top note a bit like the proverbial pub singer going for a car-crash chorus of "Danny Boy". Hopefully I won't come across as being too uncharitable...after all it is the duo's debut recording...but unfortunately the album leaves me with mixed emotions and a bit like landing up with the bobbly sweet from a bag of Bassetts Liquorice Allsorts I personally feel you won't enjoy it all. PETE FYFE