CD review

Burning Sun
Hilary James
   
Rock 'n' Reel
A solo album from Hilary James has been a long time coming. Her work with Simon Mayor on his mandolin albums has been that of a side musician with her vocals occasionally creeping in to add to what were very successful instrumental albums. Now she has issued 'Burning Sun' and its an unexpected pleasure in more ways than one.

Using the James/Mayor base of instrumental highlights she has subtly added sax and harmonica to the basic string line-up. With her own sweet voice given free rein its an album which covers a wide range of material. From such diverse sources as traditional English and Scots ballads to their French counterparts to madrigals and straight classical pieces. It also has original material which adds to a fascinating collection. The inclusion of madrigals and the Handel piece 'Lascia ch'io Pianga' are not disparate, as her voice, though folk based, has the range and power to cover these perfectly. It has some wondrous moments like the John Donne inspired 'Busy Old Fool' and the extended trad 'Two Sisters' carrying on where Clannad's verson left off.

The instrumental line up has some deft touches on mandolin and fiddle from Simon Mayor while the sax and harmonica are both used with stunning simplicity and accuracy. The result is a beguilingly charming album that evokes the old Consulate advert 'cool as a mountain stream' and pleasantly refreshing. Beautiful stuff. More please.
John O'Regan, Limerick

English Dance & Song Magazine
http://eds.efdss.org
Hilary’s acclaimed debut album of 1993 hasbeen skilfully re-engineered and reissued, andit’s a magical and atmospheric blend oftraditional folk songs and original material.What is apparent, however, by a comparison ofthis and her more recent work, is howtremendously her voice has mellowed andmatured over the past fifteen years.

While her voice undoubtedly rises like alark on the wing, and she is deservedly praisedfor her clarity and precision, the voice of ’93, re-mastering notwithstanding, is just a promiseof the one we hear on Laughing withtheMoon, her more recent collaboration with long-term musical partner Simon Mayor, whoprovides top-notch backing on several BurningSuntracks. (Not for nothing is he consideredby many to be Britain’s foremost exponent ofthe mandolin). Indeed, compare the exquisitevocals on ‘Newcastle’ or ‘Still the Lake atEvening’ (from Laughing) and make your ownjudgement; they’re both downloadable assound clips from Hilary’s website www.folksong.co.uk, and how quick off themark did she have to be to register thatdomain name?

What appealed to me from Burning Sun?Her great songwriting…the opening track ‘O’erthe Ocean’, with impeccable guitar andmandolin accompaniment and ‘Busy Old Fool’,which for days afterwards I was still humming;the final track ‘Sail Away’ had the same effect.And there’s an extremely elegant version of‘Seeds of Love’.

Simon Mayor contributes the mainacoustic backing, although of course Hilaryproves that she herself is an extremelyaccomplished instrumentalist; and there’s acredit for the soprano saxophone playing ofAlan Whetton: very sweet, very sexy (not,unfortunately, a word often found in folk circles).

Hilary has been described by others as ‘aclass act’, and I have to firmly second thatdescription. Her fans will more than welcome arevisit to these early days.www.acousticrecords.co.uk
David Warwick


Northern Echo
Hilary James is a name that will be familiar to fans of mandolin maestro Simon Mayor, but a new name to many others. This week Hilary releases her first CD "Burning Sun" (Acoustics CDACS016). She has one of Britain's finest voices. The album is an unusual mix of James' originals, traditional tunes and songs and a classical piece from Handel. Hilary's sweet, pure voice is superb throughout, whether vocalising in English, French or Italian, and the music is superb. The multi-talented Simon Mayor supplies stunning mandolin passages as well as guitar, fiddle and whistle and Alan Whetton colours the sound with bursts of saxophone. An intelligent release well up to the standards we have come to expect from Acoustics Records.
Michael Ollier


Folk North West
Wonderful - every track superb. For me, the best album of the 90's so far. Oozes class, with arrangements tailored like Saville Row suits. Take a hammer to the piggy bank and rush to your nearest record store. Buy, buy, buy.
Dave Day  

NetRhythms.co.uk
Hilary's debut album, Burning Sun, was originally issued in 1993; it was the first occasion where she stepped out from behind production and promotion duties on her partner Simon Mayor's mandolin records and took the limelight in her own right, and it brought her much deserved acclaim.

The album gets a 15th anniversary remix, remaster and reissue here, and sounds just great: full and detailed, with admirable presence. Of course, Hilary's superbly pure voice is supported by the considerable instrumental skills of the aforementioned Simon (on assorted mandos, guitar, fiddle and whistle), while old friends Alan Whetton (soprano sax), Brendan Power (harmonica) and vocalists Andy Baum and Zoltán Kátai make guest appearances (the latter's rich bass tones especially noteworthy). (I'm not sure that the box credits are complete, otherwise all seems present and correct.)

The selection of material is an appealing and well-balanced one, almost a template for her albums to follow. It combines traditional folk material (the beautiful Bay Of Biscay, together with Seeds Of Love, Two Sisters and a sensitive version of Polly Vaughan) with Hilary's own intelligent arrangements of anything from madrigal to Provençal carol (the beguiling La Marche Des Rois), alongside her own compositions Sail Away and Busy Old Sun (the latter inspired by the opening line of a poem by John Donne).

Hilary also presents a faultlessly crafted rendition of Fauré's Les Berceaux and a nicely-turned Handel lament (complete with mandolin choir!). And I really liked her lively Balkan-bluegrass take on Lonesome Day. Altogether tasteful and lovingly conceived, this is a joy of a record that should easily find appreciation with a new generation of listeners.
David Kidman

Rambles.net
When you hear Hilary James, you know you have heard Hilary James. Her voice is magically suited to the songs -- varied as they are -- that she chooses. With the wonderful backing on Burning Sun, you can sit back, relax and let the music flow over you.

The dozen tracks on this new CD range from the well-known traditional to the lesser known, with some lovely new works interspersed. She opens the proceedings with her re-interpretation of an old American folk song, "O'er the Ocean." The opening lines of a poem inspired her next track and James has expanded this into a haunting and thoughtful "Busy Old Fool."

"La Marche des Rois" will give you a flavour of the comprehensive musical credentials onthis album. It started as a 13th-century carol in Provence, it was borrowed by Bizet and here you hear in it French sung by singers of English and Hungarian backgrounds. From carols we jump to a tale of gruesome murder on "Two Sisters," but somehow her lovely voice almost hides the sad nature of the tale. Listen to the wonderful strings on this track.

On "Lonesome Day" she again brings us wild and wonderful mixture with a tune with Eastern European inspiration and words of an American traditional song of English origin.

The magic of this album is that although the origins and mixes of inspiration span time and geography, Hilary James manages to produce a sound that will never jar. Her harmonious voice, perfect diction and the magical backing give the listener a fantastic audio experience.

BBC Radio 2
...the fantastic voice of a wonderful musician and singer, Hilary James... I urge you to get hold of it; it is absolutely full of brilliant music.
Mike Harding
 
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Acoustics Records
PO Box 350
Reading RG6 7DQ
England
Tel: +44 (0)118 926 8615
www.acousticsrecords.co.uk