Folk rock legend Judy Dyble’s history with the few tracks
where the musicians get to stretch out and summon a groove. Yet Dyble’s
distinctive voice offers character enough through strong storytelling and such
bucolic daydreams as Marianna and the Martin Quittenton co-write Velvet To
Atone, a reworking of Fairport Convention and Trader Horne has become more
properly celebrated in recent years, with various reissues and reunions, an
autobiography, a 2013 album that involved collaborations with Julianne Regan
and King Crimson’s Pat Mastelloto, and last year’s Summer the Trader Horne
original. Lullaby For Ellie eulogises her granddaughter, while Dancing,
recorded with Andy Lewis.
This new album comprises sweet and sorrowful songs, gathered
amid a warm, rustic glow. Themes range from grief over lost love to fresh hope,
and folk dominates any rock. “She Now Owns A Heart Of Stone” is one of Faded
Elvis is rather less rose-tinted. For Dyble’s admirers, it’s all about the
voice – extraordinarily English and evoking an era when nature was considered a
valid subject matter for songs. It’s heartening to see a ‘forgotten’ artist
re-energised.
