A Number of Work

Cooper and Toller are a folk duo based in the Bristol area. Their debut album, A Number of Work, brings together ten predominantly-English folk songs, four of which are interpretations of numbers collected by Cecil Sharp. Vicky Cooper (fiddle and vocals) and Richard Toller (guitar, mandolin, banjo and vocals) sing solo and in harmony on the record, both a cappella and accompanied by their instruments.

Cooper and Toller have been immersed in the folk scene for their entire lives and have played as a duo since 2015. In the true spirit, the pair move these traditional songs forward. The phrasing feels a smidgen contemporary on occasion. Modern touches such as vinyl crackle and birdsong overdubs give an ethereal air to the album. The instrumental work is superb. They are lifelong players and mesh together wonderfully. Technical with understated deftness, the pair create space for each other to shine. Story is the top line, of course, and the instruments serve as a catalyst for the spellbinding imagery created throughout. It's the pair's enchanting harmonies that really pluck the heartstrings, though. Groundbreaking? Well, maybe not. But if music to you equals Cecil Sharp and back-room-of-the-boozer folk clubs, this is a must-listen.