Working River: Songs and Music of the Thames

This collection of 21 songs celebrating the lives of working people on the Thames is backed by the General Federation of Trade Unions' educational trust and overseen by folk singer-songwriter Brian Denny. The project gathers many talents, some writing new pieces, others performing songs ranging from Ewan MacColl's ‘Sweet Thames Flow Softly’ to protest tunes with historical foundations (‘Strike for Better Wages’, ‘Sing a Song a Sixpence’ and ‘The Match Girls Song’).

The excellent booklet accompanying the CD is very informative, noting how the Hoy Shanty Crew render a rousing rendition of ‘Day Trip to Southend’ – possibly once a music hall song – while Potiphar's Apprentices deliver ‘The Fisherman’, a song collected by Ralph Vaughan Williams back in 1904. While all performances are confidently delivered, some songs are interesting only as polemic – more moving is ‘Lapwing to Shore’ by Kate Waterfield and Charlie Skelton, a beautiful instrumental. Less successful is an attempt at Lord Kitchener's ‘London is the Place for Me’. I bought this album via Bandcamp and, considering this is an educational album, it succeeds in being both enlightening and entertaining.