15/04/2012

State and Ancientry

Hannah James and Sam Sweeney

The second album from this talented and exciting duo. It is good to see them continuing their partnership as there is real chemistry in their musicianship, in the fickle world of folk collaboration duos and groups form, merge and split with depressing regularity, so it is good to see one of the best ones getting even better.

It's amazing that they have found the time to fit this in, with Hannah involved with the Demon barbers and her trio Lady Maisery and Sam being in Bellowhead, the Remnant Kings and the Fay Hield Trio. But they have found odd moments together to follow up their first album Catchers and Glee.

Sam and Hannah are both deceptively modest about their skills, they have expression and fluidity in their playing that many would envy, their strongest skill is in breathing life into these tunes and arrangements. Indeed that skill in Hannah was recently recognised by the Levellers when they got her to play accordion on their new album.

You can read their track by track description of State and Ancientry in their guest editor section HERE.

State and Ancientry is a good title, their music possesses a stateliness that eschews unnecessary 'contemporary' reworking, whilst their chosen tunes have the lustre and power of age. I really hope they produce many albums together, as I believe they will be looked back upon as being at the forefront of English Traditional music.

Iain Hazlewood

You can get a free download of the opening track 'Hole In The Wall' HERE

www.hannahandsam.co.uk