Review: Roots & Branches

This vibrant folk trio burst onto the scene in 2003, releasing an astounding debut album Everywhere shortly after winning the BBC Young Folk Award that year, following which came a major change and a catastrophe. First, original guitarist Ben Hellings departed, to be replaced by the amazing Kevin Dempsey (veteran of countless folk sessions and erstwhile member of Whippersnapper with Dave Swarbrick). Second, the trio's violin player and principal singer, Anna Esslemont, had to take more than a year out due to the sudden onset of a major illness - from which thankfully she's now recovered and is performing stronger than ever. (And on the evidence of the trio's showstopping sets and Saddleworth Festival last weekend I'd concur with that!)

So, how could Uiscedwr possibly follow such a mighty debut album? - with an even more impressive second, that's how, and Circle is unquestionably that. The new album's twelve tracks present four songs and eight tune-concoctions (I'd hesitate to call them mere "sets"!). Funky acoustic Celtic-world-folk is a clumsy tag, but it comes closest to approaching an accurate description of Uiscedwr's music at this point in time. Moving on from the ostensibly more classically-poised approach of Everywhere, the new tunes appealingly and artfully mix original compositions with ones from traditional sources, with adventurous jazzy syncopations and a sparkling stridency; key components of the trio sound being the joyful and relaxed high-energy violin-guitar interplay and the fiery bodhran playing of Cormac Byrne which does so much more than mark time or carry the basic pulse. Cormac's quite simply the most extraordinary of the many enterprising and musicianly bodhranists on the scene today (don't just rely on his own little solo extravaganza Tree!). Anna's breathtaking scat-vocal contributions to The Beast and Flea Circus provide a couple more of those jaw-dropping moments, although neither can one resist the sheer vigour of her violin playing, whatever the pace of the material.

As a general comment, I like the way Uiscedwr daringly vary the measure and impact of any given set through constantly refreshing tempo, metre and texture so that interest is never in danger o flagging (check out Not The Hurricane for a good example of this). Last but definitely not least, Kevin's guitar work is a model of fine taste and expert musicianship, with a great line in delicacy too (check out Ceol Aine, one of Cormac's compositions, which also utilises a neat string arrangement by Joe Broughton) have a distinct contemporary edge in terms of their philosophical content; whereas Kevin's solo contribution, The Music Bringer, is a deceptively gentle John Martyn-like musing of real character. For me, although the album maintains a consistently high standard throughout, it's centre triptych forms a particularly magnificent sequence, though I also really liked Anna's tender love song America which at it's track 3 placing demanded a swift repeat before moving on to the spicy Escobar set. Album producer Joe Broughton's guest (mandolin) contribution on the disc's abundantly frenetic finale sets the seal on a pretty dynamic CD that does Uiscedwr far better than adequate recorded justice yet can only ever be a taster for their stupendous live presence..

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