Dai Woosnam's review the Victoria Parks CD "Wild English Rose"

Date: Sun, 29 Jun 2003 21:28:13 -0700
Newsgroups: rec.music.folk
Size: 5,250 bytes

Below is Dai Woosnam's review the Victoria Parks CD "Wild English Rose"
To see the review nicely formatted in your web browser, please view
the version at:
http://www.surfnetusa.com/celtic-folk/fr-VictoriaParks.htm
To go to the folk and celtic CD index:
http://www.surfnetusa.com/celtic-folk/index.html
------------------------------------------------------------------- A Review of the CD "Wild English Rose" by Victoria Parks
-------------------------------------------------------------------
"Wild English Rose"
by Victoria Parks
Copyright: 2003 Wild Mane Music.
(Wild Mane Music. WMM-40501)
http://www.victoriaparks.com
http://www.cdbaby.com
mailto:email-address-deleted
This review is written by Dai Woosnam, email-address-deleted, 6/03
Just when I begin to despair at the decision of so many contemporary
artistes to continue to write their own songs when they patently have no
great aptitude in the songwriting department, along comes this album
from a lady with a clear talent to draw this listener into her songs.
And what’s more, engage him fully whilst he was there, and spit him out
the other end wanting more.
Victoria Parks is based in Columbus, Ohio. This is her second album. Her
first was released in 1995, and the long 8 year gestation period before
this 2003 release, tells me that it was less a case of “writer’s block”
but more“finely honing her skills”. I was sublimely unaware of her 1995
release, but I would be fascinated to see what development there has
been in her writing between the two. If her first album was HALF as good
as this, then it will still be worth digging out.
Most of the songs here are self-penned, and range from ballads recalling
historical events to songs that celebrate ancient Celtic holidays. There
is throughout a constant sense of the links between North America and
the British Isles: links that are historical, musical and cultural.
The voice is probably more that of a mezzo-soprano, for she is not
altogether certain in the upper register. And there is a bit of wobble:
an unintentional vibrato. But, guess what? To hell with the rulebook: to
my ear she seems a splendid singer. Her effortless lower register really
gives me a FRISSON of excitement on occasions, but what REALLY stirs me
is the intelligent way you can hear her emphasising key words.
She is surrounded by a dizzying number of talented musicians playing all
the usual folk instruments – plus one or two that aren’t, like the
electric sitar! – and playing them rather well. It was absolutely no
hardship for me to play this album my customary three times before
writing this review.
As to the songs, it is fair to say that I was less enamoured of the
Celtic holidays/New Age stuff, than I was of her ballads recalling past
family/historical events. Her opener is a bobby-dazzler of a number
called “Brandy From The Cherry”, relating how her dad born in the
Prohibition years, was saved in infancy from death-through-fever by
small amounts of illegal cherry brandy. Quite why I found this song so
affecting, I am not sure: it is a powerful opener in that it tells an
unusual story with words that pay their rent in every line, and has a
driving melody and attractive hook to boot. But that in itself doesn’t
explain why to me it is the best song on the CD: I think in my case, the
fact that for some years I travelled the length and breadth of Britain
selling a cherry wine (Kirsberry isn’t a brandy, I know) may have had
something to do with it.
Hot on its heels is a fine song called “The Ballad of Uncle Davey”. It
is the best song on the dangers of coal-mining I’ve encountered, since
first hearing the great Vin Garbutt sing “If I Had A Son” some 11 years
ago. I wonder though if there wasn’t something more here, and then the
penny dropped. My affection for the song was based in part on my losing
my coal-miner dad to “black lung” when I was just ten years old.
And talking of loss: there is a song here called “Beautiful Hands”. It
made me think of that Jackson Browne song “For A Dancer”. Raw honest
confrontation with the aching void that loss brings. That I could even
bracket it with that great searing song, well, it is praise indeed.
Buy this album. You won’t be wasting your money.
Dai Woosnam
Grimsby, England
email-address-deleted
Track List: * Brandy From The Cherry (4.44) * Dear Sister (4.46) * Song For Ostara (4.24) * Song For Beltaine/Cliffs of Moher* (2.51) * Daphne Daisies & Daffodils (3.56) * Caroline of Edinboro Town* (5.01) * Banks of the Kennebec (4.46) * Beautiful Hands (4.53) * Song For Yule/A Cube of Sugar*(3.41) * Wild English Rose (4.10) * Ballad of Uncle Davey (5.38) * We Are Not Alone (5.55) * Song For Samhain (4.55)
All songs written by Victoria Parks except those marked * (These are
Trad.)
Ownership, copyright and title of this folk music CD review belongs to
me, Dai Woosnam. Ownership, copyright and title are not transferable or
assignable to you or other parties regardless of how or if you or other
parties use, copy, save, backup, store, retrieve, transmit, display,
publish, modify or share the CD review in whole or in part.