Full Review

Crooked Still – Hop High

Traditional music, be it from the UK or the US is always evolving with new artists putting their own twist on the songs and tunes laid down by those before them. As young artists emerge on the scene each one adds their own accent to the evolution of music; Crooked Still’s contribution to this development is striking, and this is a disc that sounds contemporary and fresh while still being exclusively acoustic and with its roots very obviously in traditional American folk music.

The group are fronted by Aofie O’Donovan whose pure and understated vocals gel perfectly with the acoustic backing, in particular Rushad Eccleston’s superb cello (in place of fiddle throughout the album) proves to be the perfect foil for her voice as well as being the driving force for the much of the rhythm alongside Gregory Liszt’s Banjo and Corey DiMario’s double-bass.

The eleven tracks here are mainly traditional songs mixed with a few well chosen covers and highlights include the infectious ‘Angeline the Baker’ with excellent vocals and superb instrumental arrangement; ‘Shady Grove’ has an upbeat sound and a natural feel to the vocals; and the best cover is Gillian Welch’s ‘Orphan Girl’, a great song that sounds perfect in this setting.

The thing that stays with you after listening to ‘Hop High’ is the verve and élan that the group have, this may be an acoustic album but the performances are full of energy and life.

Once in a while a folk album comes along that really stands out and draws new people into a genre they hadn’t previously considered or didn’t think they liked; this superb disc in one of those albums. Not to be missed.