The Poacher's Fate

It's always refreshing to hear music that has nothing to hide behind. The London-based folk duo of Laura Smyth & Ted Kemp have recorded an album that is an unpolished representation of who they are and what they do: there's something very bracing about its clarity and directness. Both of them sing, and the opening title-track immediately whacks the listener round the ears with bold harmonies reminiscent of the Watersons circa For Pence and Spicy Ale. Not many contemporary folkies sing songs unaccompanied, but tracks such as ‘Brave Benbow’ here reveal how powerful a capella songs can sound. Their instrumental arrangements are all the more striking for their economy: Smyth's sombre cello and Kemp's rippling banjo and guitar parts give the darker songs, such as ‘Here’s Adieu to all Judges and Juries' and ‘The Manchester Angel’, a wintry sobriety.

Kemp shows off his concertina skills on an instrumental set and takes the lead vocal on a few tracks. His performance on ‘Murder in the Red Barn’ is assured but not entirely convincing, just sounding a little too hangdog to be the song's cold murderer (though the second his partner joins in, he's a lot more assertive). He comes into his own on ‘Wild Rover’, managing the feat of making an old staple of singarounds since time began enjoyable again. There's one original track: ‘Alizon Device’ concerns one of those accused in the Pendle witch trials and has a chorus that sounds effortlessly of a piece with tradition. A very promising debut indeed.