Review: Adelphi Has To Fly by Lucy Ward

Lucy Ward's debut album, Adelphi Has To Fly, has been eagerly awaited by me since it was first announced after she blew me away with 2 incredible sets of virtually completely different songs at Shrewsbury Folk Festival last year. Thankfully, this CD certainly didn't disappoint! It's bookended by the two best tracks - a simply gorgeous version of Samuel Lover's Fairy Boy which starts off acappella and picks up a few notes on piano from Belinda O'Hooley, whose playing sets off Lucy's voice beautifully, and the self-penned Bricks and Love, featuring the chorus of the Eriskay Love Lilt. However while this pair are my favourite songs, that's certainly not to say there's any lack of quality in between them - her tune to the old Tudor song Death (Rock Me To Sleep), possibly written by Anne Boleyn (depending on who you listen to) is superb, and the other songs she wrote herself are all impressive, with a welcome reappearance of the song she wrote for the excellent Derbyshire music Mills and Chimneys project, Alice in the Bacon Box.

A special mention to Stu Hanna's production, which never fails to highlight just how beautiful Lucy's voice is, and avoids overshadowing it at any points, and to the excellent standard of musicianship - which is to be expected, given the people playing on the album include Hanna himself and his wife Debbie, better known as the duo Megson, and another superb pairing in O'Hooley and Tidow.

For the chance to sample Lucy's exquisite voice for yourself, check out her Myspace which included clips of Fairy Boy, Alice in the Bacon Box, and Adelphi, as well as a wide selection of covers ranging from Blur's Tender to Dolly Parton's Jolene by way of the Nine Inch Nails classic Hurt - which she puts her own spin on, successfully making it really different from both the original and the acclaimed Johnny Cash version.

Full track listing

1. The Fairy Boy
2. Alice In The Bacon Box
3. Maids When You’re Young
4. Death (Rock Me To Sleep)
5. The Unfortunate Lass
6. Julia
7. The Two Sisters
8. Adelphi
9. F For Love
10. A Stitch In Time
11. Bricks & Love