Miguel Heatwole – Even More People Have Songs

Miguel Heatwole – Even More People Have Songs

CD review by Tony Smith

TN2575-90 – $25

TN174 Dec 25

This is Volume 4 in the series produced by Miguel Heatwole.

This 2021 collection of about 50 minutes brought the number of songs on CD to over 70, but with an expectation there would be more to come.

Each volume features a couple of songs about singing itself.

This album opens with Eric Bogle’s ‘The Sound of Singing’.

Matthew Clarke leads the singing in a group of a dozen voices.

It ends with ‘The Old Songs’.

The words are by Bob Copper sung by Chris Maltby to a tune by Peter Bellamy.

The harmonies in this very English song leave an excellent impression on the ear.

The bass notes are especially sweet.

There are a few traditional English tunes including the well-oiled shantyman’s ‘Fathom the Bowl’, with Tom MacDonald singing the verses, and ‘Green Grows Me Bogling Fork’ with mysterious lyrics by Barry Took, and Marty Feldman is sung by Pete Jenner.

‘O’er the Hills and Far Away’ with words from ‘The Beggar’s Opera’, a satirical work of 1724 by John Gay, is nearly traditional.

Michael Handy and Lisa Stewart do an excellent job with the call and response in this all too brief song.

Not to leave the field to the English, harpist Cliona Molins sings and plays the traditional Irish song ‘Roger the Miller’.

This is a warning not to be greedy.

Several songs are rendered a capella.

Joni Mitchell’s ‘The Fiddle and the Drum’ is sung by Deanne Dale, Rosie McDonald and Anthony Woolcott.

‘Somewhere Along the Road’ by Rick Kemp is sung by Di Clifford and Kath Morgan and ‘Who Will Sing Me Lullabies?’ by Kate Rusby is sung by Claire Stoneman.

‘Idumea’ with words by Charles Wesley, tune by Ananias Davisson, is sung by Caitlin McHugh, Ruby Foster, Halcyon Foster and Sophie Moore.

This is sacred music and the harmonies soar.

There are several originals.

‘Atheists’ Prayer’ is written, sung and played by Darren Whitaker and ‘The Nursing Home Song’, written and sung by Nick Fury, expresses the horrors ‘waiting for us all’ -let’s hope not!

‘I Hope You Like It’ by People Have Songs regular Paul Spencer, is sung by Suze Pratten and Tid Ritchie, backed by pizzicato uke.

‘Memories of Paul’, written, sung and played by Glenys Eddy, has a haunting quality based around an interesting story and a child’s innocent view of people.

‘Monica Moon Face’, written, sung and played by Brian Jonathan, tackles a subject that is very real but which few songwriters would have the courage and sensitivity to tackle.

The disparity in wealth between rich Australia and rural Asia means that many women are exploited sexually, in this case, in Sydney.

The singers in this album are also in a number of significant choirs, including Sweet Songs and Soft Guitar, Black Joak Morris, Strangelove, Raw Honey, Stay Tuned. Seanchas, Virago, Ecopella, Andsome Friends, The Fossickers, The Solidarity Choir, Taurai and Take Time, Forty Degrees South, MaD aDam and Song Brother.

The variety of arrangements and the range of voices make this a particularly strong album in Miguel Heatwole’s growing collection which already contains over a dozen CDs.

I’d also venture the opinion that they continue to improve.

Ed. Miguel Heatwole has four albums under his name and four albums listed under Ecopella, all of which are available for sale from the Trad&Now website.

Most of these albums have been uploaded to the Trad&Now Live radio platform and can be heard there from time to time.