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Kind Letters
 
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Kind Letters

~ Martin Simpson
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
Price: £5.98 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Kind Letters + The Bramble Briar + True Stories
Price For All Three: £20.94

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  • This item: Kind Letters ~ Martin Simpson

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • The Bramble Briar ~ Martin Simpson

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  • True Stories ~ Martin Simpson

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Product details

  • Audio CD (7 Mar 2005)
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Label: Topic
  • ASIN: B0007ULLQU
  • Other Editions: MP3 Download
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 25,336 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s

Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or view the MP3 Album.

Samples
Song Title Time Price
Listen  1. The Cruel Brother 5:03£0.79
Listen  2. Love Henry 3:59£0.79
Listen  3. Bareback to Bullhassocks 2:57£0.79
Listen  4. Here's Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy 4:10£0.79
Listen  5. Adieu, Adieu 4:48£0.79
Listen  6. Creeping Jane 4:19£0.79
Listen  7. The Flying Cloud 6:58£0.79
Listen  8. House Carpenter 5:45£0.79
Listen  9. A Blacksmith Courted Me 3:41£0.79
Listen10. When First I Came To Caledonia 4:50£0.79
Listen11. Peggy & The Soldier 2:58£0.79
Listen12. Clerk Sanders 9:31£0.79

Product Description

Album Description

Kind Letters sees Martin returning to the mainly British traditional material that he explored on his Award winning CD, The Bramble Briar. With the addition of a beautiful rendition of "When First I Came to Caledonia", the wonderful banjo-accompanied track, "The House Carpenter" and his self-composed tune, "Bareback to Bullhassocks", (in honour of his road manager and great friend, Terry Oliver), this collection of songs finds Martin at his most relaxed best.

Martin enlisted the help of some good friends for this recording--the wonderful Irish band, Danú on the tracks "When First I Came to Caledonia", "Here's Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy" and "Adieu, Adieu"; the extraordinary young duo, Nancy Kerr & James Fagan on "The Cruel Brother", "Love Henry" and "A Blacksmith Courted Me"; plus the ever-brilliant Chris Parkinson on "Creeping Jane" and "Bareback To Bullhassocks". This gave him the chance to work with a group of exceptional musicians and singers who have added all kinds of light and shade to the pieces, complementing Martin's expert guitar-playing at all times.

There are plenty of solo tracks of course--"The Flying Cloud" being a spell-binding performance of one of the most atmospheric of traditional ballads there is, plus a welcome return to a bit of banjo-wizardry with his great interpretation of "The House Carpenter", as just two examples.



CD Description

For several decades, Martin Simpson has been a contender for the Finest Fingerstyle Folk Guitarist in the World Award. But on Kind Letters he puts himself in the running for Finest Arranger as well, with several subtly adventurous and completely wonderful settings including "The Cruel Brother" (check out the gorgeous string writing and the quiet but wild electric guitar behind his acoustic guitar and voice) and "Here's Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy." Also noteworthy are a spare and lovely guitar-and-accordion arrangement of Simpson's own "Bareback to Bullhassocks" and his fine clawhammer banjo playing on "House Carpenter." Simpson's ability to sing freely around the rhythm while playing with a solid, square beat isnothing short of amazing, and as a singer he does a very good job of making the most of his somewhat limited instrument. The album's finest moment comes right in the middle, on a sad and beautiful arrangement of one of the great British death songs (of which there are so many), "Adieu, Adieu." Thisis another in a long line of exceptionally fine albums fromone of British folk's brightest stars.

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Customer Reviews

3 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Yet another 5-star Martin Simpson review by me!, 17 Jun 2007
By Mr. Dominic L. Brown (Newcastle-upon-Tyne, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
I've reviewed a few other Martin Simpson albums - every one I own to be specific, because I think he's great! If you had read any of my other reviews you'd have seen me batting on about how wonderful a musician he is, and how flawless his guitar technique is and how he is one of the truest and most knowledgable interpreters of the traditional music he obviously loves and so on...

That said (and it does bear repeating), the reason I love this album so much is that it really gets to me! Whenever I put it on I find myself drawn in and my emotions move with the stories of love, adventure, betrayal and death so expertly told here.

My favourite at the moment is the haunting "Flying Cloud" which ALWAYS moistens my eye. It's about a young man who goes to sea, ending up on the crew of a notorious pirate ship, and the song is written while he waits to hang for his crimes. His memories of the vibrant life he led and the terrible things he saw and sometimes did are simply stunning, and Martin Simpson's interpretation is perfect. It's not often I get mushy over anything, being 6'6" and 18 stone, and moving pianos for a living like I do, but it gets me every time.

Other favourites include "Love Henry", a simple joyful tune, with a tragic twist. "Clerk Sanders" is a devastating 9 minute epic, featuring some exquisite guitar, and some incredibly powerful lyrics - I have heard it many times, and the first few notes of the introduction send shivers down my spine imagining the dark story that will soon unfold - it is a superb track, and my favourite version of the tune by far. "The Cruel Brother" is another standout tune.

I am not sure that "non-folkies" will be converted by a record like this, but for fans of honest, powerful music from the heart, it is an absolute must! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Folk - It's the new Soul, 4 Sep 2007
By Mr. N. Peach "Less is More" (Matlock UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I am new to Simpson's work but this disc is one of the finest I have heard in any genre. If your view of folk is earnest men with earnest beards then prepare to wipe the slate clean. Simpson's voice and arrangements of these traditional songs is unbelievably moving, it would bring tears to a glass eye. If you have always found folk sterile music then this will convince you otherwise. Open your mind and this will be one of the finest recordings in your collection.
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1 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Decoration, 6 Aug 2007
By Paul Callick (manchester) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Yes, it's beautifully played and there are some great songs, but I found myself exhausted by it all. So much, er, guitar-playing, simply. Every phrase of each song is decorated by little guitar fills and passing notes. Nothing is left alone to speak for itself. It's like jolly nice ingredients being covered in rich and complicated sauces. And another thing: I do wonder why every track has to be recorded using, I guess, brand new guitar strings. He seems to do this on other albums too. It gives the music a silvery sheen and sustain which just isn't that nice, really. And they then add to this by upping the reverb in the mix. What's wrong with keeping it all plain?
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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Kind Letters
55% buy the item featured on this page:
Kind Letters 4.0 out of 5 stars (3)
£5.98
True Stories
21% buy
True Stories 4.8 out of 5 stars (5)
£8.98
The Bramble Briar
9% buy
The Bramble Briar 4.7 out of 5 stars (6)
£5.98
Prodigal Son
8% buy
Prodigal Son 4.9 out of 5 stars (18)
£6.98
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