Folk, Roots and Traditional Music from Cornwall - Songs from the Hill Volume Three by Various

These two pieces are taken from their latest album “More Salt”, and I recommend you search out this album with all speed.

Our third track is from a veteran of the scene, Ian Marshall, singer of songs “romantic, strange, humorous or historical” which display his unique multi track vocal and instrumental arrangements. Sharp eared listeners will have noticed that this song was sampled by Bagas Degol on their own recent album. Check out Ian’s own album “21 songs of Cornwall” for the full effect!

Next up is a track from Dave Jenkin which serves as a master class for finger style acoustic guitar. Dave has performed all over Europe for last four decades, and I recently had the good fortune to share the bill with him at a recent gig where he went down a storm. This track, and the second which follows later, was recorded at the legendary Magic Space studios in the far west of Cornwall.

Pentorr contribute the track “mallard”. This youthful four-piece bring their own slant on Cornish music with a fusion of new sounds and traditional songs, and this bass driven track positively bounces along, augmented by flute, fiddle, guitar and mandolin.

Our sixth track is a solo vocal performance of a traditional tune, by Claire Cavender. A solo vocal piece like this is one of the hardest for any musician to attempt, but Claire sings it with style.

Mendy’s track “Muddy Path” is an enchantingly simple romantic piece, based around the vocals of Phoebe Thomasson and inspired by the wilds of North Cornwall.

The albums eighth track is by singer / songwriter and multi instrumentalist Paul Jones, whose pure voice and dynamic melodies put this song into the major league. Having worked with Paul I can confirm that his vocals are just as stunning in a live setting, and his song writing won many admirers in the local audience on that particular evening.

After Dave Jenkins second contribution we have a track from Ollie, The Rhythm Balladeer. Regular visitors to Penzance will almost certainly have seen this gentleman busking in its main streets, and this song is a clever take on life in Cornwall today. Ollie is a prolific and gifted songwriter, and his best songs make you think and laugh – not an easy feat for any artist.

Track eleven is from husband and wife duo Warm Gold – aka Chris and Janet Ridley. As editor of “Folknews Kernow”, Chris plays a pivotal role in Cornwalls folk music scene. The track itself is of traditional origin, and the simple instrumentation fits perfectly with the plaintive vocals.

Thump Country, and their track “Water”, are a very individual duo. Brothers Jim and Steve Tothill recorded this track live under a bridge, on a river in North Cornwall. This incredibly atmospheric track is also available as a bonus video on this CD – take a look at the beautiful scenery and see why this location inspired the pair to record there.

Roger Bennett is an entertainer, singer and storyteller, and known to Cornish children of all ages as “Jollity the Giant”. This self penned song celebrates the life of Camborne’s most famous son – Richard Trevithick. Roger’s enthusiasm for his tale shines through – a great song rescued from a cassette recording Richard had made, which was challenging to master, but very rewarding to include.

Scoot are a young duo on flute and guitar, who here take a traditional tune and combine it with a more sophisticated and contemporary arrangement. The track features some wonderful individual performances, and has a lovely feel to it.

Darren Cox has contributed an acoustic guitar instrumental, a simple but incredibly melodic piece that will have you humming the tune for weeks to come after even only one listen – a charming and effective piece.

To close the album we are proud to be able to include a track from the much missed Pete Marshall. Pete’s widow Ravena has spoken of how Pete had always said that he didn’t choose music as a career, but that he felt music had chosen him. Listening to the performance on this song, with its heartfelt vocal and instrumental maturity, would certainly prove that point. Sue and I both hope that Pete’s work will achieve the recognition it always deserved.

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