(2020) Sam Sweeney - Unearth Repeat          


Review:
Unearth Repeat celebrates a new direction, not only for Sam Sweeney but for English music. His new band are injecting into the English tradition something that has never been heard before. The music has the groove and swagger of traditional English music with the huge sound, flare, energy and festival spirit of bands coming out of the Celtic and Scandinavian music scenes. Enlisting some of his favourite musicians, Sam built a band containing two guitarists, plus bass and keys, much like a rock band setup, albeit with the violin taking centre stage. The result is hugely enjoyable from start to finish as well as highly confident and wonderfully played throughout. Importantly, Sam and the band don’t seem to want to overtly state their intention to change things up, so the result is elegant as well as fun and lively, which is a perfect balance. Take as an example the gently harmonically plucked acoustic guitar (played by either Jack Rutter or Louis Campbell) that introduces ‘Winter 350’; it is an unexpected sound on this recording, but it settles with the second guitar behind the violin for the remainder of the tune and adds plenty of flavour and depth to the piece, as does the strummed guitar part that pops up at times during ‘Dark Arches’, bringing that more urgent feel to the tune. And the word ‘tune’ is crucial here as it is for the entire album, because Sam is always adamant that the tune is the element that needs to be best served, and that is clear throughout this set, as each of the fourteen tracks are singular beauties. Interestingly though, Sam has purposefully ensured that the informative sleeve notes avoid mentioning the source of each piece on here, instead focusing on slippery little nuggets of information, like ‘some started life by reading a tune book upside down’ and ‘some were learned by ear, while others started as a short series of notes’. What this does is lose all focus on which tunes are traditional and which are originals while listening; this is all just music being played by people who love to play it. And one thing that shines through on this set is the love of it, because the playing across fifty-five minutes is not only as first-class as you would expect, with the talents of the two guitarists mentioned (Louis Campbell is a prodigious Sam Sweeney protégé we will certainly hear more from) along with the ubiquitous Ben Nicholls on bass and Dave MacKay on keys, but it is also exciting and adventurous. ‘Highway to Warrington’ is a decent example, because the tune is as immersive as you could hope and particularly exciting when it shifts gears halfway through into a more urgent piece. The unexpected little sonic flourishes that dance in the background are ace too, like Campbell’s slightly twangy electric guitar flicks and the sparingly used high keys that are sometimes barely there. Also completely irresistible throughout is Nicholls’ bass, which regularly demonstrates his ability and experience, with him finding a deep groove in places and playing the most spacious parts in others. ‘Maid of the Mill’ is a good example of the latter, with a particularly effective background of repeated and restrained piano chords and the minimal bass and quiet acoustic playing of Jack Rutter beautifully framing the innocent and sweet nature of the tune. It’s hard to pick highlights on this album, it being such a list of quality pieces, but after listening to it for some time, I find myself consistently bewitched by ‘Half of One’. Of course, I have no idea whether this one is traditional or original or a bit of both, but it is certainly very beautiful and again contains a wonderful tune at its core. It is the longest piece here, at six and a half minutes, and is one that subtly shifts through many tempos and moods, although a suggestion of yearning is present throughout. But an album this consistently enjoyable and this varied in tone and mood will throw up a new favourite each listen; the slightly heavier playing of ‘Princess Royal’ is another that sticks in the mind, as is the beautifully uplifting ‘Shepherds Hey’, with a pleasing stop-start nature until a more buoyant second part takes flight to come to rest in a pretty violin and guitar mini-duet. Also, a delight is final track ‘Red’, which brings the mic in closer to pick up a slow acoustic strum, before each instrument beds in and carries the tune. Sam’s playing is patient here and Ben’s spare bass notes are deep and rich. It’s a subtle piece, but one that demonstrates the virtuosity of this band and their meticulous judgement. The slow and repetitive conclusion is also a gorgeous way to end the album. As it says in the notes, ‘this is an album of tunes’, and those tunes are indeed glorious and cannot fail to affect those listening to them, but also important here is how they have been handled, which is with care and flair in equal measure, by musicians who love their craft. Unearth Repeat is a significant leap forward for Sam Sweeney in terms of his solo work. It is a highly creative work that brings something new to the mix, while also celebrating the simple joys of instrumental folk music. Mesmerising and irresistible stuff.





Track List:
1.Unearth 00:40
2.Steppy Downs Road 03:27
3.Highway to Warrington 04:55
4.Maid of the Mill 05:29
5.Half of One 06:30
6.Winter 350 03:27
7.Dark Arches 06:13
8.Repeat 00:38
9.The Old Wagon Way 03:58
10.Princess Royal 03:48
11.The General 03:14
12.Shepherds Hey 04:39
13.Sun Beams 04:11
14.Red 03:50


Media Report:
Genre: folk
Country: UK
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec, 16-bit PCM
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits


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