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The Living Tradition _________________ SOURCE Scottish CONTENT INSTRUMENTS
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| The Johnson Girls - “Sea Chanteys and Maritime Music” - JGIRLS 01 | ||||
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Here
we have a group of singers throwing themselves into a programme of maritime
songs with vigorous attack, giving full rein to their powerful voices, singing
their hearts out!. Nothing unusual in that you might say, that’s the
right way to sing shanties. Quite so, but normally such groups are male.
The Johnson Girls, who sing the ‘chanteys’ here are five women
from New York with a love of singing in general, and a special focus on
sea songs. They certainly do know their subject as the selection on this
album shows. There are some familiar titles, ‘Round Cape Horn’,
‘Essequibo River’, ‘Sally Brown’, and others like ‘Jump
Isabel, Bright Water’ that I for one have never heard before. These
women have considerable singing skills. They can belt a song, swing it,
or blend into harmony when required, and fittingly, and believe me, they
do have Power.
Whatever the sceptics may say, women can sing shanties. Joy Bennett, Maggie Bye, Alison Kelley, Bonnie Milner, and Dierdre Murtha, certainly can. They are over here this summer at Warwick Festival, Bodmin Folk Club, and Sidmouth. Check ‘em out and you’ll find I’m not wrong Roy Harris |
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