Listening to this, it's easy to believe that
June Tabor was made to sing these old border ballads, tales of the uneasy coexistence of families in the marches between England and Scotland. Her dark voice is well-suited to the texts, which are often bloody and vengeful, and quite certainly epic -- in some respects, the very essence of British balladry, whether it's "The Battle of Otterburn," with its gloriously textured
Kathryn Tickell arrangement, or the demanding "The Duke of Athole's Nurse," where
Martin Simpson is reunited with
Tabor, his guitar offering shining counterpoint to her voice. The songs, tried and tested over the centuries, are wonderful in themselves, but
Tabor's presentation of them brings them fully to life, like "The Cruel Mother." Harrowing at the best of times, it becomes pure torment in her hands. And her "Sir Patrick Spens" makes the old
Fairport Convention version sound like a playground romp. Intensity has always been one of
Tabor's fortes, and here she takes full advantage of the opportunity to indulge it. While she's very good with other material,
Tabor never sounds more at home than with traditional music, and on these ballads, in particular, she seems as if she's come home. A stunning jewel in a remarkable career, and one of the best things
Tabor's ever released. ~ Chris Nickson