Following the breakup of the short-lived Fotheringay, Sandy Denny returned
with her first post-Fairport solo album, The North Star Grassman and the
Ravens. Produced with ex-bandmate Richard Thompson and longtime engineer
John Wood, who would go on to produce the bulk of Thompson's work with
Linda Thompson, the record consists of eight evocative Denny originals,
along with the traditional "Blackwaterside" and a pair of borrowed
rockers. There's a looseness and roominess to the sound, with acoustic
guitar, piano, and Thompson's electric guitar leading the sparse backing
from former members of Fotheringay, along with the occasional accordion,
violin, pedal steel, and strings. Songs such as "Late November,"
"John the Gun," and "Next Time Around" are among her
best, while "Blackwaterside," featuring Thompson's guitar and
accordion, continues to show her mastery of traditional music. Because
her songs tend to lean towards the melancholy, and are primarily on the
slow to mid-tempo side, Denny had to look elsewhere for upbeat material.
Choices such as Brenda Lee's "Let's Jump the Broomstick" and
a ragged, yet somewhat effective, duet with Thompson on Bob Dylan's "Down
in the Flood," are good ones, though both sound as if they were afterthoughts.
Her best record was still a year away, but The North Star Grassman is
a solid effort from Sandy Denny's sadly shortened solo career.
(by Brett Hartenbach , AMG) |