Track Listing

1. The Good Man
2. The Daughter Of Megan
3. Let Me Be
4. Cruel
5. The Blind Harper
6. The White Cockade
7. Young James
8. Falling
9. Bring Me A Boat
10. Polly
11. Sweet William's Ghost
12. Underneath The Stars

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1894 in Music
• Released on: 2003-08-11
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
With Underneath the Stars, her first studio album since 2001's Little Lights, Kate Rusby takes a massive step forward. Like her fellow north-easterner Eliza Carthy, she's still plundering a folk back-catalogue that stretches back several hundred years and finding many a narrative to delight and amuse. But unlike Carthy, who attempts to inject a youthful wildness into this ancient music, Rusby concentrates on the purest, clearest performance of her chosen songs. Tastefully employing accordions, citterns, banjos and mandolins, as well as Eddi Reader and members of the Grimethorpe Colliery Band, Underneath the Stars does achieve a quiet but deeply moving clarity.

All the instruments, like Rusby's sweet voice, are geared only to move along these stories of lovers separated by water, press gangs and death. What really lifts the album to extraordinary heights, though, is the exceptional quality of the songs Rusby has written herself. While "Young James" and "Polly" fit easily among the older tales of perpetually unrequited love, both "Falling" and the closing title track are crushingly beautiful love songs with an enlightened twist, both grieving and glad. Really, they're stunningly good, close to holy, clearly very personal for Rusby but evocative enough to draw the listener helplessly inside. --Dominic Wills

CD Description
Fifth album from celebrated Brit folk artist follows 2001's'Little Lights'. Uniformly praised by the mainstream and the trad press as her best album yet, this blends exquisitely arranged traditionals and Rusby's original material into a seamless whole. Features contributions from Eddi Reader and the Grimethorpe Colliery Band, and includes a version of Nic Jones's 'The Blind Harper'.

Customer Reviews

Well worth your money...
Following on from the recent releases of 'Ten'(the ten year anniverary album) and 'Heartlands' (the film soundtrack) this is another must-have album for Kate fans and folk fans alike. The mix of new songs and Kate's interpretation of traditional folk songs set to her own tunes and an excellent Nic Jones cover make for an album which easily matches the quality of her previous work. The opening track 'The Good Man' is a song which was still playing in my head the next day. This is an excellent opener with a catchy tune graced with Kate's clear voice. The music is as always good, aided by husband John McCusker's production and fine playing of a number of instruments. Andy Cutting and Ewen Vernal (from Deacon Blue) play with their usual expertise. The music is never allowed to overpower Kate's voice. Guest vocals from Eddi Reader and Simon Fowler(Ocean Colour Scene)simmer behind Kate's clear and almost fragile voice. Tales of obstacles in the way of love(and many references to the sea!)abound.For me the standout tracks are 'The Good Man', 'Cruel' 'The Blind Harper', 'Polly' and the gentle title track 'Underneath the Stars' reminscent of 'Who Will Sing Me Lullabies' which completes another album of fine songs.Well worth adding to your collection.

Rusby Convert
This was my first Kate Rusby CD, I'd heard "Stars" on the Wogan Show and "The White Cockade" on a Radio Scotland show, these tracks whetted the appetite and I have to say I've had the Cd on the player ever since. It's excellent, the use of the Colliery brass section works very well when used. I would advise any first time buyer to try this album.

The voice ...
Kate's voice is sheer beauty - a wonderful tone, slightly sad, slightly vulnerable, her Barnsley accent shining through on occasions, perfectly suited to the songs she sings.

The traditional and new-in-traditional-style songs on this album vary from middle of the road folk to excellent. The true glory of this CD however is in two of Kate's originals.

"Falling" is heart stoppingly lovely, achingly sad and lost, yet uplifting at the same time. "Underneath the stars" is simply breathtaking, for me one of the most wonderful songs ever, lyrically and melodically. Why on earth nobody else has picked this up and made a galactic scale hit of it I cannot understand.

Covers would never do justice to the originals however, as Rusby's voice has never sounded better, singing to the simplest and cleanest of arrangements. "Underneath the stars" is perfect in this arrangement - Kate and guitar and her wonderful voice.

Seeing her sing this accompanied by her own guitar in concert is one of those live music moments you have to see. She normally ends the show with it, and it's worth the price of admission alone.