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Track Listings
| Disc: 1 |
|---|
| 1. Hard |
| 2. Albion |
| 3. Bleary Winter |
| 4. Lord Bateman |
| 5. One In A Million |
| Disc: 2 |
| 1. Our Captain Calls |
| 2. John Barleycorn |
| 3. Walk This World |
| 4. Summerfield Avenue |
| 5. Cottager's Reply |
| Disc: 3 |
| 1. John Ball |
| 2. England In Ribbons |
| 3. Mad John |
| 4. Riches On The Bold |
| 5. Lady Of York |
| 6. Come Down Jehovah |
Product Description
Review
Although a respected stalwart of the U.K. folk scene for three decades now, it was only with 2005's critically-lauded The Lark Descending that Kent-born songsmith Chris Wood rose from the supporting cast to become a leading player. A powerful yet sensitively performed collection of traditional and self-penned material, The Lark! established its creator as an artist with a deep connection to the English landscape and people, harking back to a bygone age without yearning for it mawkishly.
The Trespasser sees Wood continuing to explore similar themes, and once again it's a quiet triumph. While the traditional songs are as expertly delivered as ever, it's his own compositions - delivered in a tremulous voice seeping emotion - which really stay in the memory. Opening offering, Summerfield Avenue, is dreamily pretty, if a little slight, but the album instantly moves up a gear with The Cottager's Reply; a passionate eulogy to the importance of family roots which epitomises Wood's gift for marrying delicate acoustic textures to poetic lyrics of real depth.
At 13-minutes long, England In Ribbons forms the epic centrepiece of The Trespasser. Originally recorded as part of a BBC Radio 3 tribute to traditional dance, music and song, it recreates the ancient travelling Mummers plays that once toured the English countryside in a gently swirling torrent of fiddle, guitar and narrative to become Wood's Tam Lin or A Sailor's Life. Come Down Jehovah, which closes the album, is a another highlight; Wood duets hauntingly with acclaimed Scottish vocalist Karine Polwart, giving the track a stark, spectral grace that recalls Bonnie 'Prince' Billy's best work.
As the founder of the English Acoustic Collective, a project dedicated to promoting folk music and teaching its instruments through an annual summer school, Wood's commitment to the future of his chosen genre clearly runs deep. If he continues to produce albums with the fragile beauty and profoundly human warmth of Trespasser, then that future should be very bright indeed. --Chris White
Find more music at the BBC This link will take you off Amazon in a new window
CD Description
With gentle intelligence he weaves the tradition with his own contemporary parables, his writing has been said to share the same timeless quality as Richard Thompson at his best. Since the release of The Lark Descending Wood’s appeal has gone way beyond English folk music. He was invited to sing at last year's WOMEX where he garnered much praise and found many new followers. Likewise, his spot at this year's WOMAD festival was testament to his widening appeal. He has musical commissions from BBC Radio 3's Late Junction and Between The Ears also from The Sage Gateshead and has completed work for Arts Council England whilst also writing and lecturing. Wood is also now a central figure in THE IMAGINED VILLAGE joining Billy Bragg, Martin & Eliza Carthy in Simon Emerson's project. Tracks: Summerfield Avenue / The Cottager's Reply / John Ball / England In Ribbons / Mad John / Riches On The Bold / The Lady Of York / Come Down Jehovah Also available: THE LARK DESCENDING (RUFCD10).
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Chris Wood's "Trespasser" is loosely concerned with the idea of enclosure and imprisonment -- from the enclosures of common land in the agricultural revolution which drove the rural workforce into urban wage-slavery, to the creeping loss of liberty which afflicts English society today.
"Mad John" tells the story of rural poet John Clare, driven insane by the loss of the land in which he loved to wander; "Summerfield Avenue" quietly mourns the generation swindled by the post-war "you never-had-it-so-good" suburban confidence trick. Sometimes it's impossible to tell traditional songs ("The Lady of York", "John Ball") from Wood's own compositions ("England in Ribbons", "The Cottager's Reply") without consulting the sleeve notes, so rooted is his gift in the fabric of English history and tradition.
A bearded bear of a man, Chris Wood doesn't have the youth or good looks of a Seth Lakeman or a Kate Rusby. However, his gift for songwriting and communication through music is so strong that almost any listener will be moved by something on this album. Even if you think you don't like folk music, give it a try.
"Mad John" tells the story of rural poet John Clare, driven insane by the loss of the land in which he loved to wander; "Summerfield Avenue" quietly mourns the generation swindled by the post-war "you never-had-it-so-good" suburban confidence trick. Sometimes it's impossible to tell traditional songs ("The Lady of York", "John Ball") from Wood's own compositions ("England in Ribbons", "The Cottager's Reply") without consulting the sleeve notes, so rooted is his gift in the fabric of English history and tradition.
A bearded bear of a man, Chris Wood doesn't have the youth or good looks of a Seth Lakeman or a Kate Rusby. However, his gift for songwriting and communication through music is so strong that almost any listener will be moved by something on this album. Even if you think you don't like folk music, give it a try.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
While those in search of an up-beat barn dance floor filler should look elsewhere, there is unlikely to be a CD that sheds more insight on the past and present state of the UK than Trespasser. While focussed around the broad theme of the enclosure, Wood casts his net to cover topics including rural house prices, the mummer's plays, consumerism and rebellion, all of which is combined with excellent sleeve notes and a song with as good a punch line as you'll hear anywhere. Trespasser will be a strong contender for 2008's album of the year (and not just in Anglicana categories) - highly recommended.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I don't listen to too much folk these days so I'm sure there are other great albums out there that I've missed, but to my ears 'Trespasser' is just like hearing June Tabor, Nic Jones, and Dick Gaughan for the first time, it's that good. I first heard the track 'England in Ribbons' late one night on BBC Radio 3 'Late Junction' and was so moved by it I leapt out of bed to find pen and paper ! Now, at last I've found it again on the best C.D. I've bought in ages. Chris Wood is a weaver of quiet magic, telling stories of deep Englishness to which we should all listen. This is music that taps all the way down to the root, like the very best poetry. Go out and buy it, there's no better music around than this.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Not impressed
I bought this CD on the basis that I thought the "The Cottager's Reply" was very good and looked forward to hearing more of that quality. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Dr. M. Lockwood
A Future Proof Addition to English Music
Chris wood writes. Whatever the subject is, it is written. Longevity is guaranteed. Listen, wonder, learn and remember that this will outlast us all.
Published 23 months ago by Roy Ward
Ignore the Canadian below - this is simply beautiful music
Unlike the Canadian reviewer below, I will review the music and not go off on a tangent about bacon and in doing so embarrass my home nation. Read more
Published on 5 April 2010 by D. Rose
Good Stuff...
I really like Chris' songs. It's a shame there aren't more here. Obviously Atheist Hymn and The Cottagers Reply helped him win the Folk Award for best singer, but I would have... Read more
Published on 19 Mar 2009 by P. C. NEWMAN
Solid Stuff
A name with which I was familiar but I've heard little of his work. I bought it on the basis of 'The Cottagers Reply', which struck a real chord with me, echoing the Country Life... Read more
Published on 15 Mar 2009 by Richard Jarvis
Magnificent, Timeless, music
This record is simply one of the most magnificent works by a solo artist I have heard in my life.
Chris has the ability to imbue his music with a deep pathos, nostalgia... Read more
Chris has the ability to imbue his music with a deep pathos, nostalgia... Read more
Published on 20 Dec 2008 by Chris Marshall
OK offering from veteran folkie
I bought this album shortly after seeing Chris Wood live, and was surprised that the song I liked best on the album is the one I had hated most in his live set - John Ball. Read more
Published on 1 Oct 2008 by M. J. Farncombe
Chris Wood - Trespasser
This is just gorgeous - the musical equivalent of Andy Goldsworthy. A modern artist presenting a contemporary view on 'enclosure' and what it means to be English in a deceptively... Read more
Published on 18 April 2008 by N. G. Hough
Stunning...
This offering will only further the ongoing revival of interest in the English folk tradition. The album had me in tears after the first thirty seconds (in a good way...). Read more
Published on 29 Feb 2008 by J. Scott
Great musician trips over his ego
This is a great album by any standards but after hearing the singer rubbishing The Beatles on BBC Radio Four, I decided to give it a miss. Read more
Published on 29 Feb 2008 by H. M. Brown
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