Solomon's Seal - PENTANGLE***

Sally Free & Easy/The Cherry Tree Carol/The Snows/High Germany/People On The Highway/Willy O'Winsbury/No Love Is Sorrow/Jump Baby Jump/Lady Of Carlisle

Solomon’s Seal was the final album from the influential British folk group Pentangle. By this time their commercial appeal was much diminished and they split up the following year. (US:184)

“Pentangle's fifth album is nothing special but it is still worth listening to if you love British folk music. There are some awesome tracks on here. The Cherry Tree Carol is a great song with a cool instrumental and beautiful lyrics. The Snows is beautiful in the instrumental part and the lyrics are also pretty good. So, overall Solomon's Seal is a pretty reasonable album.”

“At this stage of their career, Pentangle are exhausted after long stints of touring and many years of recording, so this is the beginning of the end. They burst onto the scene as a unique folk-jazz band, who rode the wave of the British folk explosion along with other bands that enjoyed superstar status at the end of the sixties. Solomon’s Seal marks the end of an era for the band.”

“Solomon’s Seal is a beautiful album, no doubt about it. It contains some of Jacqui McShee’s most enchanting vocal songs in The Cherry Tree Carol and the mesmerizing folk ballad Willy O’ Winsbury, which almost brings me to tears.”

“Finally letting their jazz influences fall aside, they turn in nine masterful performances of obscure traditional tunes mixed with a few originals that stay well in touch with the feel of the trads. My only quibble is that Jacqui McShee's voice is at her breathiest and wispiest, making some of the lyrics hard to decipher.”

“The last album by the original Pentangle, this is a fine folk release. A lot of the jazz influence has disappeared, but they use a wider range of instrumentation to very good effect.”

“On Solomon's Seal, Pentangle sound less lively than on their previous albums, but the songs are still good enough to make it worthwhile. The band sticks mainly to traditional folk. John Renbourn's electric guitar provides more of a folk-rock feel, but for the most part, the unclassifiable, not-quite-jazz, not-quite-folk sound of the band's best work is not especially evident here.”