Rachel Unthank & The Winterset - 'The Bairns'

I'm a relative latecomer to Rachel Unthank & The Winterset and their marvellous album, 'The Bairns'. I got the album late last year and have been listening to it every now and then. It was nominated for a Mercury Music Prize and one song was even nominated for a Baggie.

Rachel and the lasses are unashamed folk, singing old songs and new in folk stylee, mainly keyboards and strings with powerful vocals. She sings in a Northumbrian accent and uses Northumbrian dialect words and phrasing and I love that, even though it might be a barrier to wider popularity but shows integrity and belief in their work. I approve. I just love hearing some of the words, like 'hinny' (love or lover), 'gannin yem' (going home) and some of the place names. They make a lovely sound.

Many of the songs are melancholic and grey, some are full of joy and all are thoughtful. The beautiful 'Blackbird' with it's cheery piano phrasing and riffing will make your heart burst with the simple joy of living while 'Blue Breezin Blind Drunk' tells the sad tale of marrying for money.

My favourite song is the magnificent 'Fareweel Regality' (by Terry Conway) with fiddle and piano and Rachel's expressive voice. It's a lovely song of loss and moving on and talks of old Hexamshire. I used to be familiar with Hexham, growing up 15 miles or so away from it, a county town of Northumberland, and have fond memories of it. I can't see any reason why I would go back to Hexham so it tugs at the heart strings a bit. The song conjours up a winter evening and leaving the town, your friends and your old life forever. It's beautiful.

"We'll cry farewell Regality
And cry farewell the Liberty
To honest friends' civility
To winter's frost and fire
And there's nowt that I can bid ye
But that peace and love gan with ye
Never mind wherever call the fates
Away from Hexhamshire"

'The Bairns' is their second album so I'll need to track down their first and give it a spin. I can quite understand they won't be to everyone's taste but pop on over to their MySpace site and give them a listen. I'd love to see the lasses play live.