Festival Folk Sing – Judy Small

If you’re a regular at Folk Festivals around Australia you’ve probably stumbled across the Festival Folk Sing project that each year produces a tribute album to a particular artist with the proceeds going towards music charity The Troubadour Foundation.

Having covered Joni Mitchell, Eric Bogle and Bob Dylan in recent years the 2013 Festival Folk Sing CD will pay tribute to legendary Australian folk singer Judy Small. The album will feature tracks from Penelope Swales, Ami Williamson, Jez Lowe, Peggy Seeger, The Fagans and more.

Festival Folk Sing Judy Small will be available at the National Folk Festival Shop this Easter and to order via Trad and Now from April. The full track listing is below: 1. The Sky of the Southern Cross – Rebecca Wright

2. Stolen Gems – Jane Thompson

3. From the Lambing to the Wool – Mandy Connell

4. The Futures Exchange – Penelope Swales

5. You Don’t Speak For Me – Ami Williamson

6. Turn Right, Go Straight – Jez Lowe & the Bad Pennies

7. Charlesworth Bay – One Step Forward

8. Mary Parker’s Lament – Peggy Seeger

9. Bridget Evans – Fay White

10. Love is a Fearsome Thing – Tangled Web

11. Walls and Windows – The Fagans

12. One Voice in the Crowd – Jenny Fitzgibbon

13. Until.. – Edna Kenny

14. Lesbian Chic – Glenys ‘Willie’ Wilson

 

CD Review by Chris Spencer

This is the fourth compilation in this series of Festival Folk Sing …, and unfortunately it is the last.

Compiler Marina Hurley has decided that the concept has run its course.

I imagine most readers could think of many more similar compilations that could be done – well I guess all of the themes chosen at the National each year could easily be incorporated into similar projects.

There are some interesting selections of the artists chosen (or asked) to participate on this compilation.

The recruitment of international artists Peggy Seeger and Jez Lowe is a coup.

Two other groups, One Step Forward and Tangled Web were reformed to record for the project.

Both had originally included Judy Small songs in their repertoire during their existence.

Regular readers will recognise most of the other artists, with the exceptions of Rebecca Wright (The Story of the Southern Cross), Ami Williamson (You Don’t Speak for Me) and perhaps Jenny Fitzgibbon who covers One Voice in the Crowd.

Fans of Small will be familiar with the selection of tracks.

As someone who admired Small’s early work but became less familiar with her later work, I enjoyed the recordings of Stolen Gems, You Don’t Speak for Me, Bridget Evans and One Voice in the Crowd.

Other tracks chosen include From the Lambing to the Wool (Mandy Connell), The Future’s Exchange (Penelope Swales), Turn Right, Turn Straight (Jez Lowe), Charlesworth Bay (One Step Forward), Bridget Evans (Fay White), Until (Enda Kenny), and Walls and Windows (The Fagans).

For the most part, artists have avoided recording Small’s more humourous songs. The exception is Lesbian Chic recorded by Glenys Wilson who provides one of the album’s highlights.

I was fortunate to witness the launch of the album at the National at Easter, where most of the artists performed their song on stage with Judy in attendance.

Wilson put in a very spirited rendition and her exuberance is captured on this album.

She plays the ukulele and a trombone accompanies her! Other highlights are Jane Thompson’s version of Stolen Gems, Penelope Swales on The Future Exchange and Fay White’s interpretation of Bridget Evans.

For the most part, most artists have kept their arrangements similar to the original, instrumentation is kept to a minimum, without being cluttered.

Congratulations and many thanks Marina for organising these four compilations.

All are a very welcome addition to my collection and should be mandatory every reader’s collection.