Sensible or Otherwise

Widely regarded as one of the UK’s finest flatpicking guitarists, Charlotte Carrivick offers up a dozen tasty instrumental tracks on her latest album, Sensible or Otherwise. For Carrivick and her cohorts – Evan Davies (mandolin), Kieran Towers (fiddle), Eleanor Wilkie (double bass), Laura Carrivick (dobro, fiddles) and John Breese (banjo) – Sensible or Otherwise represents a deep dive into contemporary bluegrass waters. Carrivick wrote all of the songs, most of which are based on old-time fiddle tunes. Stylistically, the material ranges from breezy waltz (‘Jagersee Waltz’) and western swing (‘Ron’s Duck Blanket’) to traditional jig (‘Evie, Brighton Breesey’) and meditative introspection (‘As Far As the Eye Can See’). Drawing on sources including her niece (‘Robyn’s Tune’), one of her son’s drawings (‘Little Red Riding Hood’) and a springer spaniel (‘I’m Glad That’s Not My Dog’), Carrivick paints a compelling musical portrait comprising equal parts vivid imagination, joyous spirit and emotional insight.