First Farewell

This is a remarkable album by a singersongwriter, multi-instrumentalist, activist and writer who grows more impressive as the years go by. Peggy Seeger’s last, much-praised set, Everything Changes (2014) was recorded with a band, but now comes a dramatic change of direction. She accompanies herself on piano, and there are reminders of her classical training and the influence of her mother, an award-winning composer, in arrangements that are often sparse but bravely original. Her singing is as intimate and gently powerful as ever (you would never guess she is 85), and the only other musicians involved are her family. Her sons Calum and Neill MacColl add guitar, daughter-in-law Kate St John plays cor anglais, oboe and accordion, and all three were involved in co-writing some of the highly individual songs.

The mood constantly changes, from bitter-sweet memories of childhood and death to a powerful lament for an au pair, and – best of all – songs about ageing. ‘The Invisible Woman’ is gloriously defiant (‘she has plenty to say and she won’t go away’), but without self-pity. For the finale, she switches to guitar for ‘Gotta Get Home by Midnight’, a delightful, stomping song about ‘getting younger by the hour.’ One of the albums of the year, and I refuse to believe it’s her farewell.