Search - Sharron Kraus, Meg Baird, Helena Espvall :: Leaves From Off the Tree

This is quite tasty, though melancholy

Glenn Fink | Arlington, VA United States | 11/04/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Being a huge Sandy Denny fan, sometimes I have trouble believing my instincts if I hear a superior version to a song that Sandy performed. But after listening to this for a few months, I can say confidently that "Bruton Town" on this CD is actually better than Sandy's version (recorded for the BBC). All the songs are traditional and all are carried off beautifully.

The instrumentation on this CD is 2 guitars, 1 cello, and 3 angelic voices. The packaging is nice - it came with a plastic sleeve for the CD, placed within something resembling a gatefold cardboard album cover.

I really think this CD is destined to be a cult classic, there are very few folk albums out there that evoke the feelings that this one does. All 3 artists are quite talented but I think here they have achieved something greater than the sum of their parts.

The only caveat is that this is definitely a rainy day disc. There is a melancholic feel to the whole thing, this is by no means something you'd throw on at a party. But it's very, very well done and I am glad to have made the purchase."