This album was originally released on Topic in 2001, and originally described by the late John Peel as “truly great” while Hutchings himself thinks that it is one of the finest albums he has been involved in. The concept behind the album is fascinating as Hutchings has brought traditional songs (the lyrics to the originals are included) up to date, and has then gathered together different singers and musicians to give bring them to life. Hutchings himself only plays on two of the songs, as he has brought together a cast of stars. It is hard to pick a favourite as there are just so many stellar performances, but Cara Dillon’s vocals on “He’s Young But He’s Growing” is nothing short of perfect, while I have yet to hear a poor performance from Steve Knightley and on “Endless Pages” he shows again while he has recently received an honorary doctorate in music. I didn’t hear this when it was first released, but all praise to Talking Elephant for making it available again in 2017, as this is an album that anyone into English folk or acoustic music would do well to seek out.
Hutchings, Ashley - Street Cries
, Kev Rowland
