Fen, Farm & Deadly Water

As intimated by the title of this fresh second album, the Fens – the marshy region in Eastern England with a rich history – is a recurring theme for the Norfolk-based Shackleton Trio. Three tunes from the region and a broadside ballad once published in Norwich show the band's flair for uncovering gems from their own neck of the woods. ‘Fenland Song’, the pick of the bunch, was collected from a local pig farmer in the 1970s. It is rendered with a wonderful lightness by the trio: fiddler Georgia Shackleton, whose fragrant singing is supported by Nic Zuppardi's soft mandolin, and Aaren Bennett's agile guitar. The trio's local and historical focus – three of the tunes predate the 20th century – is offset by ideas from further afield in the shape of Nordic dances ‘Only Viveka’ and ‘The Penknife Killer’, and an enjoyable dose of Americana (including a swinging old-time tune, ‘Old Blue’). Shackleton's own tunes don't always carry the same weight as the traditional songs, but there is much to enjoy in her hard-driving fiddle tune celebrating the Stanford Arms in Lowestoft. It all comes back to East Anglia with The Shackleton Trio.