I first saw Jackie Oates live with Rachel Unthank and the Wintersets at Shrewsbury Folk Festival – her unique voice and fiddle playing made an impact then and I picked up her first, self-titled
, album there and then. Her development as an artist over the last four years since then is even more apparent on this album than her previous release, The Violet Hour
.
Hyperboreans opens up with a traditional Devon song, The Miller and His Three Sons, in which the hand of her brother, and producer, Jim Moray can be felt. On the title track we experience a great collaboration between Jackie and the Scottish singer/songwriter Alasdair Roberts exploring a fascinating myth.
By track 3, Lock and Bolts we are getting the Jackie Oates sound heard previously, with more traditional instrument – actually, with less guitar! However, the guitar is used to excellent effect, especially on The Sheffield Grinder, where she shows her skill in telling the story within a traditional song – nice melodeon playing from Saul Rose, the honorary Waterson (or is it Carthy?), particularly heard here. Talking of Saul, Jackie has managed to gather around herself an excellent set of musicians for this album which includes the aforementioned Alasdair Roberts, Saul, her brother playing a multitudinous range of instrument (including ’sampling’ – oh the horror!!) and fellow ex-Winterset and pianist, Belinda O’Hooley.
The two stand-out tracks for me on this CD were the wonderful sentiment and optimism in human nature found on May the Kindness and the crushing sadness so ably recreated by Jackie on Past Caring. With Hyperboreans we see the development of an artists and singer, and get to experience a musician at the top of her (very) skilled profession.
