Roaring Forties, The – Shore Leave

The Roaring Forties – Shore Leave
CD review by John Williams
This is a must have CD if you are a fan of accapella harmony singing. It is also well worth a listen if you are the sort of person who likes to try new musical experiences.
The six singers, Robin Connaughton, Brian Grayson, Tom Hanson, Jennifer Lees, Margaret Walters and John Warner are practiced practitioners of their craft. Their voices blend to create lovely harmonies.
All singers take the lead in a variety of songs with the others joining in with well crafted harmonies at various times. Repeated listening enables the listener to join in the many choruses. If you are like me, may I suggest a quiet place such as the shower is a good idea.
All tracks are presented with the gusto you would expect from this sort of full throat singing. The group choose their songs from a variety of sources ranging from traditional hymns such as ‘Bright Morning Stars’, ‘My God, He is a Rock’ and ‘Bringing in the Sheaves’ through contemporary writers, such as James Keelaghan’s ‘Hillcrest Mine’ and traditional writers such as Rudyard Kipling’s ‘Oak and Ash and Thorn’.
There is even a track, ‘Waltzing With Bears’, based around a Dr. Seuss book! Sea shanties such as ‘Snap the Line Tight’ also figure. They are not afraid to get political as well with tracks such as ‘They’re Taking it Away’ It doesn’t get much more varied than that!
This was a CD I found easy to listen to in quieter moments. It is not for everyone but I enjoyed it and can recommend it as essential if you like this kind of music. I’d even suggest you give it a go if you are a person with wide tastes in music who wants to broaden your horizons.