Search - Jacqui McShee's Pentangle :: At the Little Theatre

Clean, smooth and updated

John Kuzava | Dearborn, Michigan USA | 08/06/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A very modern sound, yet still faithful to the roots for Pentangle. If the original band were still performing, they may well have followed a direction like this. The sound is mellow, with stong jazz overtones, providing a subtle link between the Folk style of old England and that of more contemporary jazz. Quite a beautiful album, and sonically very clean and well balanced."

Pleasant album, but it's not the classic sound

John Kuzava | 10/12/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This live album is by a reformed 90s version of Pentangle that is fronted by Jacqui McShee, although other seminal members of the band's classic lineup (Jansch, Renbourn, etc.) are absent. The songs here, which include both new and classic material, are pleasant enough-- although Pentangle fans will notice that the sound has changed somewhat. It's become jazzier due to the presence of a sax player and a rhythm section that seems more inclined to groove-- and there are actually one or two songs that are jazzy torch songs, without any real folk evidence at all. (Most other tracks, though, still show the heavy folk influence). I can't honestly recommend this to someone who's unfamiliar with Pentagle-- just because it's not really representative of the band's over all sound, but confirmed fans will find it interesting. (In fact, the version of "Cruel Sister" here is sure to delight.)"