Fair Winds & Following Seas

This conservatoire-trained trio – guitarist Jamie Rutherford, violinist Ning-ning Li and clarinettist Rosie Bott – have produced a delicate and restrained second studio album. It may be a little too polite for some tastes, and could even be termed easy listening, but it is gentleness itself.
The trio met through Joe Broughton's Conservatoire Folk Ensemble, a multigenre orchestra that brings musicians from the Birmingham Conservatoire into contact with folk music. Both their classical musical grounding and the eclectic nature of Broughton's project give Threaded a broad and accessible yet refined sound. Broughton is the producer of this album, which mixes instrumental numbers with a calm, pastoral air, and self-penned songs around the broad theme of journey. The title derives from a traditional sailor's hope for a safe journey and sums up the gentle, drifting quality of the music itself. Songs such as ‘The Edge of the World’ and ‘On and On Again’ have a dreamy sound with catchy pop choruses and happy tunes. By contrast, the instrumentals are generally stronger tracks, with classical folk qualities building from sparse beginnings to rousing climaxes.