Friday, 8 July 2022

Sandy - SANDY DENNY****

It'll Take A Long Time/Sweet Rosemary/For Nobody To Hear/Tomorrow Is A Long Time/Quiet Joys Of Brotherhood/Listen Listen/The Lady/Bushes & Briars/It Suits Me Well/The Music Weaver

Self titled follow up album from the former Fairport Convention vocalist Sandy Denny. Critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful it comprises mostly self penned songs.

“This is the perfect folk-rock for an evening in. Denny's voice, sometimes fragile and at other times rising to something understated and powerful, is always passionate, yet full of longing.”

“There's a sweeping, almost orchestral majesty to tracks such as The Lady which suggests that Denny's music here was moving from its humble, self-deprecating folk roots to something more grandiose. Easily maintaining the high standards of her debut, Sandy is another entry in a solo career that was all so short.”

“This album is often considered to be Denny's best and in retrospect it stands out as one of the greatest folk-rock recordings of all times. The vast majority of the material comprises original songs written by Denny, beautifully performed by her and a superb band, which includes many British folk-rock heroes. Denny's angelic voice and her unique vocal style are simply stellar. An almost perfect album from a lady with one of the best, most purest voices in popular music.”

“This album showcases her voice in a way that Fairport Convention could not. The songwriting is unbelievable, the pacing is right on track, but most of all you cannot put this album down once you hear it.”

“Sandy was Denny's second album after leaving Fairport Convention, and is a transitional effort in that she is still singing in the traditional manner of a folk singer, but with attention being paid to the arrangements and instrumentation that are more sophisticated. Listen to Listen Listen, where the mandolin is reinforced by the sound of strings. But at this point it is a traditional song, like Quiet Joys Of Brotherhood, done in layered a cappella by Denny, but with a violin solo at the end, that stands out although obviously it is something she could not do in concert.”

“Sadly, in our homogenized world of radio pap Sandy's music is nowhere to be found. It would enrich radio, and there's certainly a place for her work, it's just that there are so many people that have never heard of her that her music falls between the cracks.”

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