Nancy Elizabeth - Wrought Iron

  by Maarten Schiethart

published: 8 / 11 / 2009

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Review

An unsung heroine of English folk pop Nancy Elizabeth, her first names and not her full name (N.A. Cunliffe), returns after two years with her third solo effort. Her voice is a little insecure on the first few tracks, but Nancy Elizabeth climbs to great heights on the B-side, or the latter tracks of the CD format of this record. She's an eloquent gal from the North, playing the piano with steady grace, and one of the finest voices in music of today. If this is anything to go by; she probably knows her Nick Drake, Sandy Denny and Fairport Convention stuff better than anyone her age. Nancy Elizabeth shines brightly on this, if one looks at its cover,, misleadingly grim looking, but still compelling set of songs. She blends uplifting tunes and more introverted compositions as her voice can be soft and warm but also clear and firm. The wordsmiths of music welcomed with praise her previous album 'Battle And Victory'. Prior to this stunning full-length debut, she worked with various nu-folkies. 'Divining' has Nancy Elizabeth bending her piano and Matthew Halsall’s trumpet into wonderfully fine shape. 'Canopy', 'Lay Low' and 'The Act' come in a row as a fine show of how her fragility turns to strength. 'The Act' has a proud, perfect arrangement. Inbetween waking up and dreaming away, 'Wrought Iron' closes off with the tender 'Winter Baby', which has her boding for Spring time.

Track Listing:-

1 Cairns
2 Bring on the Hurricane
3 Tow the Line
4 Feet of Courage
5 Divining
6 Cat Bells
7 Canopy
8 Lay Low
9 The Act
10 Ruins
11 Winter, Baby

Band Links:-

http://nancyelizabeth.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/nancybeep/
https://twitter.com/nancynancybeep

Label Links:-

http://www.theleaflabel.com/en/index.p
https://www.facebook.com/theleaflabel
https://twitter.com/theleaflabel
https://www.youtube.com/user/theleafla
https://plus.google.com/10909849748304