Gift

Liner Note Authors: Eliza Carthy; Norma Waterson.
Recording information: Panda Sound, Robin Hood's Bay.
Photographer: Tom Howard.
British folk giants Eliza Carthy and Norma Waterson have collaborated on numerous projects over the years, but Gift marks the first time that the mother and daughter have released a collection of songs as an official duo. Backed by the usual assortment of English folk dynasty members like Martin Carthy, Danny Thompson, Aiden Curran, Martin Simpson and various other Watersons, Gift offers up the usual amalgamation of traditional songs, all of which are driven through the snow by Carthy and Waterson's rich, commanding voices. Opening with a rousing rendition of Appalachian spiritual "Wayfaring Stranger" and closing with the gorgeous, seafaring ballad "Shallow Brown," Gift is an effortless compendium of ancestral music, crafted by two of its greatest champions, that more than lives up to its name. ~ James Christopher Monger