Among Sandy Denny's albums, I place this one just slightly below the works of the Convention and her two wonderful early solo efforts, but we are still on high levels, indeed. This first (and only, for many years at least) album of the new band led by Sandy and Trevor Lucas is a beautiful record. We are in the realm of folk-rock with electro-acoustic ballads that range from typically British-folk tones to those typical of American folk-rock (like the inevitable Dylan cover or "Ballad of Ned Kelly," which nonetheless has its own Englishness in Lucas's voice), well arranged, with splendid vocal harmonies in addition to Sandy's superb lead vocals. At times, the melodic Englishness and the inspirations from across the ocean (the early Joni Mitchell, contemporary to her, is a clear influence on at least a couple of Denny's songs) are one and the same. Some songs, with their British-influenced folk-rock, are not far from the path that her friend Thompson, Riccardino, would take shortly after. Many tracks, particularly the beautiful, intimate, and emotional folk ballads, are penned by Sandy Denny (wonders like "The Sea," "Nothing More," or "Winter Winds," etc.), while the rest are handled by Lucas (or collaboratively, as in the beautiful "Peace in the End") or consist of rare and excellent covers (I mention the splendid electric folk of "The Way I Feel" by Gordon Lightfoot). Inevitably, the peak arrives at the end with the typical British traditional, a chilling rendition of "Banks of the Nile."
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