Jim Causley - Forgotten Kingdom (2016)

Forgotten Kingdom is the fifth solo album by Jim Causley, the well-respected folk singer and accordion player from Devon; his first for Hands On Music, the label started by fellow Devonians Show of Hands. The album s fifteen self-penned songs are inspired by the ancient British kingdom of Dumnonia and Jim s own experience of growing up within this part of South West England. In the ten years since his debut album Fruits of the Earth, Jim has built an enviable reputation for his tireless work in keeping the traditional songs and music of the West Country before the public eye, and the high regard in which he is held is reflected in the list of top-notch guest musicians on Forgotten Kingdom.

The opening pair of songs, Gabbro Bowl/The Peninsula Prayer , gets the album off to a flying start, not least in terms of production values. The sound of Forgotten Kingdom is a long way from the sparse production of his previous album (2013 s Cyprus Well) and it s a pleasure to hear Jim s writing given such lush and full arrangements. The lyrics of Gabbro Bowl were inspired by the discovery at Hembury hill fort of some of the earliest Neolithic pottery in southern Britain. The gabbroic clay used to make the pottery is only found in Cornwall and provides a connection with the area s ancient trading links of which Jim is justifiably proud. The arrangement carries echoes of more recent (medieval) traditions and features contributions from Steve Tyler (hurdy-gurdy) and Katy Marchant (shawm, flageolet) as well as Steve Knightley on mandocello. The massed backing vocals of Chris Hoban, Jon Whitley and Jay LaBouchardiere (Ninebarrow) add depth to the sea shanty feel of the refrains, the whole leading seamlessly into The Peninsula Prayer and features the combined voices of The Claque (Dave Lowry, Barry Lister, Tom Addison and Bill Crawford) and Steve Knightley and Phil Beer of Show of Hands.

Back in the Day is a fond if downbeat reminiscence of the halcyon days of childhood with Jim s deep and mellow voice prominent in the mix, tempered nicely by Jon and Jay s flowing harmonies. Hannah Martin s bittersweet fiddle lines weave around Jim s syncopated accordion, underpinned by Miranda Sykes bass and filled out with contributions from Phil Beer (la d) and Phillip Henry (chaturangui). The album s sequencing takes advantage of the more introspective mood with Banks Of The Tale ; informed by traditional folk music, this sad tale of love gone bad receives an appropriately sparse arrangement of Jim s vocals and James Dumbelton s acoustic guitar.

jim-causley-forgotten-kingdom-insetUsing the first verse of The False Knight on the Road (Roud 20; Child 3) as a springboard for a tale about a chance meeting with a child he encounters on his travels, The Road to Combebow focuses less on the riddle-solving morality tale of The False Knight in favour of a more descriptive telling of the knight s life and his adventures. It s an effective device which fits well with the narrative style of much other traditional folk music and the arrangement makes a good match. The combination of the voices of Jim, Chris Hoban and Steve Knightley are given a suitably heroic, almost Celtic setting by the twin fiddles of Nick Wyke and Becki Driscoll while Steve Tyler s hurdy-gurdy and Katy Marchant s English bagpipes demonstrate once again why the two instruments complement each other so well. It s a quietly rip-roaring song, if that s not too much of a contradiction in terms, and one of the album s highlights.