There is no doubt that Martin Carthy MBE, one of Britain’s most influential folk musicians, remains a defining force in the genre. Renowned for his distinctive guitar style and deep commitment to traditional music, Carthy was a key figure in the 1960s folk revival, influencing artists such as Paul Simon, while I first came across him some 50 years ago through his collaborations with Dave Swarbrick and his tenures with Steeleye Span. In May this year, to celebrate his 84th birthday, he released a very special album which takes a fresh look at his debut, released 60 years earlier, with new versions of many of the songs included there. He is joined on three tracks by his daughter Eliza Carthy on fiddle and some vocals and on three more by sitar player Sheema Mukherjee.
Folk, like blues, is a genre where age is not a distraction to vocals, and in many cases, it actually adds gravitas and passion, and that is exactly what we have here. Martin is an old man now, but he has lost none of his guitar playing dexterity which made him such an icon, his vocals are still in tune and his experience and knowledge of the genre are second to none. There are few people who have rightly been called folk royalty, but his wife Norma Waterston was known as the “matriarch of the royal family of British folk music”, and rightly so.
If you have ever wondered where the modern interpretation of “Scarborough Fair” came from then look no further than Carthy, as Paul Simon learned it from him, and here he brings it up to date with sitar having an important part to play, although for me the highlight is the deftly picked and emotional “A-Begging I Will Go”. There can be very few musicians still releasing music six decades after their debut, let alone revisiting that first album to bring it up to date with all the experience gained in between, and this is a delight from beginning to end. 9/10 by Kev Rowland
