This is such a beautiful album from The Brothers Gillespie. Released in 2019 and featuring Sam and James Gillespie on shared vocals, acoustic guitars, mandolin, whistle and fiddle alongside Siannie Moodie on clarsach on two tracks and Tim Laine on percussion on Northumberland, it is a wonderful blend of original folk music largely self-penned by the brothers.
I managed to get a copy of this, their second album when I saw them on their 2024 UK tour The Brothers Gillespie at the Grimsby Folk Club and whilst some of the tracks are available on Spotify I would urge anyone to seek out a ‘hard copy’ to support them in their work.
I was immediately drawn to the beautiful artwork by Cathy Fisher, a well-published artist from Pembrokeshire who perfectly captures the essence of the album.
The quality of the songwriting is remarkable, deeply entrenched in the spirit of the landscape, nature and people of the British Isles and particularly their home ground of Northumberland their songs also relate to wider cultural themes with a humane outlook to global events and a calling for closer connectivity and understanding.
Track One, Golden One sets the tone with stunning guitar picking and vocal harmonies, the hauntingly poetic Northumberland 1 reminds me of Jim Morrison’s poetry to music and there is a gentle nod to the blues which comes through in their guitar playing from time to time. Coventina’s Daughter is a lovely stroll through the countryside with a beautiful Irish whistle blowing across the guitar.
Second albums always have an added pressure, particularly on the back of a good debut. The Fell set the tone for the future and their latest album The Merciful Road (2023) They prove the future is bright for the English Folk movement with both.
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