50p No. 88 Winter 2008/2009 - Devon Folk

Meltdown
We play music to make you dance!
At Halsway Manor, Honiton & Willand & beyond
Halsway 22nd Dec Dinner/Dance Party 2008
Willand New Year’s Eve 31 Dec 2008
(Performed at Sidmouth 06 & 07; Chippenham 08 & Alcester Jul 08)
The band for your club dances, weddings, parties, festivals
or special celebrations. (Contras a speciality!)
Line up - fiddles, accordion & keyboard.
Contact Alan - 07790 863 309
arrangements and beautiful musicianship to the
songs aided and abetted by Jane and Amanda.
The two tracks of tunes played by the trio make a
pleasant interlude placed carefully in the running
order to heighten the enjoyment.
Ophelia’s Song is particularly interesting; from
Shakespeares play Hamlet. Brian Bedford who
recorded the CD has multi-tracked Jane and
Amanda into a beautiful choir – a very short
song but perfectly formed. Followed by The Bold
Grenadier – wonderful.
This CD will inspire folk club singers to add
many of these songs to their repertoire. Songs
of special note; Once I Courted a Damsel,
Rosemary Lane, Once I Had a True Love, Banks
of Sweet Primroses and of course the title track
Sweet Nightingale.
The CD cover has extensive notes to accompany
the songs for those who like to know where
and when songs were written, performed and
collected.
This is a collection of songs without which your
folk collection will not be complete.
Andy Knight
THE DAGGER AND THE DOVE
Nicola Clarke www.myspace.com/nicolasings
As a live performer, Nicola is a must to see. I have
seen her bring silence to a rowdy pub session
with her beautiful voice and later have everyone
in ts of laughter with a well-crafted, irreverent
song. I wondered whether the strength of her
performance would transfer to a recording.
I love this CD. All the tracks on The Dagger and
the Dove, were written by Nicola over a 17 year
period and are dedicated with a - ‘thank you to
those few men who have inspired these songs’.
I suppose you could say they are about seeking,
nding, falling and not falling in love with
tenderness, heartbreak, fun and humour.
Nicola’s clear, pure, voice rings out from the very
rst track, accompanied by her very accomplished,
guitar playing. Unlike many singer/songwriters
whose words and melodies are very similar,
these songs are very varied in pace and rhythm,
light and shade, and are perfectly suited to her
voice. They vary from the sensitively crafted,
I’m Falling for you, a song that was written to
be performed at a cancer charity event, to The
Unicorn, risqué, irreverent, and great fun.
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