Home  |  Hi-Fi Audio Reviews  Audiophile Shows Partner Mags  News       

 

 

Enjoy the Music.com Review Magazine
Martin Simpson
True Stories
Review By Steven Stone
Click here to e-mail reviewer

 

  On True Stories Martin Simpson seems bound and determined to change his well-deserved reputation as a guitar God. It's not that the picking on his latest Compass Records release isn't up to par, but the emphasis here is more on vocals and his unique rhythmic interpretations than on guitar playing.

Simpson's first album was released in 1976, a black vinyl LP called Golden Vanity. After nearly a decade of working with June Tabor he moved to the United States in 1987. Since then he has released ten albums including Cool and Unusual in 1997, The Bramble Bear in 2001, Righteousness and Humidity in 2003, and Prodigal Son in 2007. True Stories continues the direction begun by Prodigal Son, pushing the boundaries between genres into a unique space that can only be defined as Martin Simpson music.

Although his reference bio refers to Simpson as "English folk singer" and he certainly went through the process of playing and digesting the traditional British folk repertoire, what you'll find on True Stories is a mash-up of multiple folk traditions. The opening tune, "Look Up Look Down," features a reverb-laden electric guitar part that works in counterpoint to the New Orleans second-line drum line. Behind these two strong rhythmic engines Simpson floats a wash of accordion, peddle steel and multiple background vocal tracks.  The often-recorded traditional song "Wind and Rain" uses accordion and guitar in unison to establish its essential melody line, but they also establish a far quirkier, more drag-leg rhythm than you'll hear on anyone else's version of this old chestnut. The song's last minute consists of a long coda of slide guitar and hurdy gurdy, like a puff of smoke left after a satisfying pyrotechnics display.

Joined by a short list of great musicians, including Danny Thompson on bass, Andy Cutting on accordion, and Muireann Nic Amhlaolbh on backing vocals, Simpson adds all the acoustic and electric guitar, dobro, banjola, five-string banjo, and lead vocals. Although some of the tracks feature fairly dense orchestrations and multiple electric guitar parts, overall the album has a Spartan and acoustic feel that holds true to Simpson's folk roots. Co-produced by Simpson and recording engineer Andy Seward, True Stories and recorded at Greystones Studio in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, True Stories proves that in the right hands "English" folk music remains as vibrant today as when it was first created in some dark back room at the beginnings of human history.

 

 

Enjoyment:

Sound:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     
 

Quick Links


Premium Audio Review Magazine
High-End Audiophile Equipment Reviews

 

Equipment Review Archives
Turntables, Cartridges, Etc
Digital Source
Do It Yourself (DIY)
Preamplifiers
Amplifiers
Cables, Wires, Etc
Loudspeakers/ Monitors
Headphones, IEMs, Tweaks, Etc
Superior Audio Gear Reviews

 

 


Show Reports
HIGH END Munich 2024
AXPONA 2024 Show Report
Montreal Audiofest 2024 Report

Southwest Audio Fest 2024
Florida Intl. Audio Expo 2024
Capital Audiofest 2023 Report
Toronto Audiofest 2023 Report
UK Audio Show 2023 Report
Pacific Audio Fest 2023 Report
T.H.E. Show 2023 Report
Australian Hi-Fi Show 2023 Report
...More Show Reports

 

Videos
Our Featured Videos

 


Industry & Music News

High-Performance Audio & Music News

 

Partner Print Magazines
audioXpress
Australian Hi-Fi Magazine
hi-fi+ Magazine
Sound Practices
VALVE Magazine

 

For The Press & Industry
About Us
Press Releases
Official Site Graphics

 

 

 

     

Home   |   Hi-Fi Audio Reviews   |   News   |   Press Releases   |   About Us   |   Contact Us

 

All contents copyright©  1995 - 2024  Enjoy the Music.com®
May not be copied or reproduced without permission.  All rights reserved.