Eliza Carthy has been forging an inspirational career in traditional and modern music for over thirty years. Influenced by her groundbreaking family dynasty, yet fully aware of contemporary musical developments beyond the folk scene, she has led the acoustic world into the 21st century and continues to delight and entrance us with songs of fire and steel.
On her new album being released this month, Frenemies, Eliza is partnered by Ben Seal – the Scottish producer, arranger, mixer and mastering engineer – who brings significant experience to the piece having worked with many of our leading folk artists, including Karine Polwart, Kathryn Joseph and Bella Hardy.
Alongside her excellent band, The Restitution, a stunning host of special guests delivers across the fifteen tracks, including Jools Holland, Robyn Hitchcock, Jos Vantyler, Miranda Richardson, Tim McInnerny and Queen of Harps.
Opener Call You In begins promisingly with piano and drum at a brisk pace and it’s not long before Eliza’s vocal takes centre stage and pulls you into a tale of tender childhood memories and parental pointers. Echoes of classic production touches filter throughout and the chorus builds to a suitable climax, setting a thrilling standard for the tracks to follow.
The following track, A Tree Used To Grow Here, immediately reveals a harder yet knowing thoughtfulness, reminiscent of the darker elements in Kate Bush’s Hounds of Love. Atmospherically closer to Eliza’s folk roots, the mix of distorted guitar, emotional violin and expansive choral parts expresses a depth and maturity to be appreciated with further plays.
Frenemies, the title song, introduces more ethnic influences which, when coupled with an almost 1980s pop sensibility, takes you by the hand and tells of loss, yet skips away from division and down its path of hope and understanding. “Time to go / I’m going with gone / Time to go / The loneliest girl in the world is going solo.”
Mr Sits In The Dark, a summer single, released alongside a superb video courtesy of Marry Waterson (Martin’s niece), is a heartfelt tribute to the English godfather of folk, Martin. As Eliza says, “Mr Sits in the Dark is a tribute to our dad. Years of sitting behind or beside my dad in the car or on trains, going to gigs, watching him nod off, watching him go over his words again and again, watching him hugging his guitar watching the TV with the curtains drawn on a bright summer day…knowing he is never more alive than on a stage.”
Initially, Swing For You launches us into a session somewhere in a favourite pub, but the mood changes dramatically as a hard-driven drumming pattern and dub-style bass kick in. A catchy chorus adds a welcome earworm and the blend of styles beguile most effectively.
Moisturise stirs in a Lily Allen almost spoken vocal whilst engaging with its humorous lyric and sci-fi embellishments. While there’s no doubting the wonderful keys of Jools Holland, which set afloat the barbed and timely observations in Eat The Weak.
Delighted springs more surprises with its main salvo triggering the idea of the German experimentalists Trio being invited to a festival in the northern countryside. Meanwhile Never Again takes no prisoners and aims squarely at, presumably, the rising right-wing sections of the political spectrum if the callout of ‘Nigel’ is anything to go by.
A hammered piano note introduces the intriguing Eggshell that develops into a voluminous soundscape with a classical feel. Closing on a compassionate note, the final track, The Wine Song, focuses exquisitely on Eliza’s vocals as she brings a Costello-esque vision to the judgement of a relationship.
Frenemies is a sublime collection from a mature artist in full flow, with passages reflecting her finest moments as a writer, musician and cultural commentator, yet deftly incorporating musical constituents from beyond her home ground. Highly recommended.
