Don't Stop Singing - Thea Gilmore,Sandy Denny Album Review

Thea Gilmore

Photo: Claire Nathan link

Album Review

Folk rock icon Sandy Denny died at the stupidly tender age of 31 having fallen prey to a devastating combination of alcohol and drugs (how history repeats itself). Now 33 years later the prolific Thea Gilmore (who wasn't even born when Denny passed away) has released this new collaborative project that brings together her songwriting and arrangements with previously un-scored lyrics penned by the former Fairport Convention singer.

Late in 2007 a collection of manuscripts that had been lying dormant in the vaults of Denny's home label Island Records were sifted through as part of a BBC documentary and lyrics to 20 brand new and never-heard-before songs were unearthed. Gilmore, who bizarrely was an intern at Fairport's Oxfordshire studios, took up the challenge of agreeing to make an album that was in some senses already written.

The result is a rich collection of beautifully sung and impeccably produced folk-pop that sits comfortably with anything that either artist has released. The gorgeous string-led opener 'Glistening Bay' is a wistful lament from another age that sets the listener up perfectly for the treats to come. Best of these is the joyous 'Don't Stop Singing' (which has a rather prophetic lyric given Denny's early demise) the mournful 'Goodnight' and the upbeat 'London' (very Eliza Carthy).

A splendid introduction if you are new to either artist, and a wonderful addition to your collection if not.

Adrian Phillips