New Music 2015 - Part 67 - Phillip Henry and Hannah Martin - Watershed

Nothing gives me more pleasure than writing about this. It is a couple of years since I was introduced to this duo by Ian Lyster via North Dorset Folk Festival and Marnhull Acoustic Sessions. I have seen the duo live at least five times now and it can never be once too many.

It is not really so long since Mynd was released (2013).  This is about the new studio album but in the meantime they have released the CD Live At Calstock (2014).

Watershed is released on 25 September by Dragonfly Roots.

Less concerned with historical themes than their earlier work it is indeed a watershed. To assert otherwise would be wrong I think; the track titles alone give lie to that:

• Watershed
• Stones
• Tonight
• Yarrow Mill
• Conkers
• December
• January
• Letter (Unsent)
• Foundling
• Lament
• London
• Taxis

More immediate and intimate it is certainly is, but no less stunning. This is just a sample of it and, amazingly, adding video from FB wasn't quite the total pain that I thought it would be.
Should you want it ASAP then Proper Music have it on a limited pre-order deal for £10.99 and that includes UK delivery and the CD is signed!

New Music 2014 - Part 25 - Phillip Henry & Hannah Martin - Live In Calstock

Phillip Henry and Hannah Martin were relatively little known until s 2012 when, nominated for, and then winning, 'Folk Duo' at BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2013 their public profile changed a little. They seem not to have changed at all.
Less than a week after they were receiving the aforementioned award at London's Royal Albert Hall they were were playing to a capacity crowd of ninety at Marnhull Acoustic Sessions (and they had played Dulverton Village Hall in the meantime).
Somewhere along the line they had hatched a plan to record a live album - a proper live album - recorded in a single take with a real audience in a small venue. This is that album, released 14 July and recorded 14 May at Calstock Arts.

I have mentioned this release before in the 'Something Else To Listen To' section of the blog side-bar. I have to say that if there is a better acoustic live album released in 2014 then it will be truly a year to remember and I'd like that to be true.
For a much more detailed analysis I commend to you this one from Folk Radio UK.