DAVID CARROLL AND FRIENDS
Bold Reynold TALKING ELEPHANT
Folk veteran releases belated solo debut.
In the late 70s when punk broke, interest in folk rock was in decline and multi-instrumentalist and singer David Carroll left his band Spinning Wheel to concentrate on making instruments and playing sessions. But some things come at their appointed time and, on his debut solo album, Carroll has assembled a stellar cast, including Fairport Convention bassist Dave Pegg and fiddle player Chris Leslie, plus Gryphon members Brian Gulland on winds and keyboards, Dave Oberlé on drums and vocals, and Graeme Taylor on guitar production. It’s as good as all that might imply, a brilliantly played, arranged and sung collection with a feel of the halcyon days of 70s folk rock, and echoes of the folk rock collective Albion Band. Like that group they’ve also recorded a moving version of The Poor Murdered Woman. Carroll has made inspired arrangements of other timeless folk belters, like Higher Barbaree and She Moves Through The Fair, as well as more modern variants on folk forms like Andy Barnes’ visceral anti-whaling tract The Last Leviathan and Dave Cousins’ epic The Battle. We look forward to that ‘difficult second album’ with anticipation.