It's possible to be quite fond of the Brobdingnagian Bards as a duo, and still not take to some of their material. This album is a case in point. There's very mixed quality here -- some songs are beautifully and lovingly rendered, like "Tolkien (The Hobbit & Lord of the Rings)," and some rather choppily produced, like "The Kiss." Overall, this CD gives the impression that the Bards haven't quite reached their stride yet. On the up side, "Tolkien" is a standout. (Yes, they realize they misspelled the author's name. But since the song's gone on to become a Celtic hit, the title, as is, has become the spelling for the song.) Would that all their choices were as well composed and recorded as this one! It definitely merits repeat play. On the other hand, their version of "King Song (I Can't Help Falling in Love)" feels rushed. Since A Million Million Ducats shows they're not adverse to re-recording (as they offer six versions of the same song there), "King Song" is one to consider reworking later. "Maiden's Dance" is a light and sprightly instrumental, and as with much of their instrumental work with autoharp and recorder, it's quite charming. "Wild Rover" is a pleasant vocal rendition, on the ballad side, and they give some cheerfully rollicking versions of both traditional and original drinking songs on "Johnny Jump Up" and "I'll Drink From Dusk Til Dawn." Then there's the sticking point. From a technical standpoint, "A Fairy Story" is functionally recorded, and some will be amused by the sexuality in the twist ending, but others will be saying, "Um, Bards? Not up for that, no." Some experiments don't merit a follow-up, and this is one such. This album will not be recommended for families with young children -- not because the protagonists turn out to be gay, but rather because the tone of this song is mocking, and the king's daughters are depicted as merely sexual choices offered for the knight's potential "reward," rather than as human beings. Some archaic attitudes toward sexuality, particularly portrayals of women as chattels, are better left back in the Middle Ages, rather than revived. It is for these factors that "Fairy Story" gets a major thumbs-down, which reduces the overall rating for the album. The Bards have a vast store of songs -- they can, and have, done much better than this. Give more like "Tolkien" instead, please. There's more emotional honesty on "The Bridge." ("You say you don't hate me, but I guess that I'm scared/that with the river between us you no longer care.") And despite the technical flaws of the recording, this other original song of Marc Gunn's is vastly preferable to "Fairy Story." So they show true promise, despite having some rough edges, still. Fans will be hoping that later releases contain more cuts matching the very positive qualities of "Tolkien."
© Murrday Fisher /TiVo