BBC Review 1bj6o
Simple classic folk structures, delicious harmonies and the occasional fiery fiddle...
Chris Long 2006
Last year, Seth Lakeman's Kitty Jay received the dubious honour of being the token folk album in the Mercury Prize list, so Freedom Fields is a chance to see if life in the spotlight has changed him.
Only it isn't, as he wrote it before the judges thrust him next to Bloc Party and Coldplay, and as a result, it stays true to the formula of the impressive Kitty Jay, which, in stark contrast to Chris Martin's opus, was recorded for £300 in a kitchen.
Simple classic folk structures, delicious harmonies and the occasional fiery fiddle are the order of the day, with his impressive song-writing skills shining out of every tune.
What wider fame will do to him remains to be seen, but if he keeps returning to what he does best, forming traditional folk in a Dartmoor cottage, he'll have a very impressive back catalogue in a few years.
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