Stick in the Wheel Present From Here: English Folk Field Recordings Vol 2

Recorded in living rooms and kitchens across England, this second volume of English Folk Field Recordings by Stick in the Wheel's Nicola Kearney and Ian Carter is a superlative musical exploration of what it is to be English and to be making English traditional music at a time when political strains on the Union sheds new light on English identity. It's worth quoting Kearney herself to show what they were looking for, and what they found: ‘To try and understand who we are, where we are going, where we came from. Now more than ever, our identity is important.’

It opens with the distinct vocals of Nancy Kerr, followed by Rachel Unthank, and proceeding through the likes of Newcastle singer Richard Dawson, singing an unaccompanied ‘The Almsgiver’, a wonderful ‘Barbara Allen’ from veteran singer and English concertina player Mary Humphreys, and June Tabor revisiting Dave Sudbury's racing pigeon classic ‘The King of Rome’ from her Aqaba album. The album notes have each artist setting their choice in context, while contemporary tracks from Grace Petrie and Chris Wood set England today against the backdrop of its rich, unruly folk heritage.