Track Listing

1. Polly On The Shore
2. Lover's Ghost
3. Fair Annie
4. Dives And Lazarus
5. Four Angels
6. Betsy The Serving Maid
7. Bramble Briar
8. Banks Of Sweet Primroses
9. Rounding The Horn
10. Princess Royal
11. Sammy's Bar
12. Leaves Of Life
13. Air For Mauruce Ogg

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12300 in Music
• Released on: 2001-06-04
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review
After several years in America, guitarist Martin Simpson returns in The Bramble Briar to his roots in English music. Given his stature as an instrumentalist (his influence is easily equal to that of John Renbourne, Bert Jansch or Martin Carthy), it's no surprise that the album's standout moments stem from Simpson's fluid playing, his acoustic guitar chiming like a beautifully pure bell. Drawing its style from both the English tradition and the blues, The Bramble Briar is an instrumental tour de force, overshadowing Simpson's own pleasant voice somewhat. The cello-assisted "Leaves of Live", a dramatic religious ballad, showcases his vocals to the best effect. Martin Carthy appears as one of a handful of guests, but this album very much belongs to Simpson (and his guitar). --Phil Udell

fRoots, July 2001
Martin Simpson has been hither and thither--geographically and musically--over the last decade or so, establishing a proud body of work along the way. But roll out the red carpet, crack open the bubbly, the former boy wonder is back. Back in Britain (temporarily at least), back on Topic, back playing English traditional music and back on form. This is a formidable album. His guitar playing is exemplary, his singing bold and fiery, the material richly powerful, performed with rare conviction. He's a stylist, both as accompanist and singer--and although it's a term that has been somewhat maligned in recent times where a more natural style of storytelling is favoured, Simpson's idiosyncratic exaggeration actually adds tension to the narrative without any sense of manufactured force. Like all great interpreters, Simpson approaches the songs with a respect that borders on awe, nurturing each phrase as a precious commodity to advance the story to the next sphere. The ballad form has certainly undergone an encouraging revival in the last couple of years and performances which get under the skin of the songs with such sustained intensity can do nothing but increase the drama. Great songs like "Dives And Lazarus", "Polly On The Shore", "Rounding The Horn", "Betsy The Serving Maid" and "The Bramble Briar" are given renewed verve, while there's also a superb version of Cyril Tawney's "Sammy's Bar". Simpson's own beautifully crisp guitar nurses the drama with deft enterprise, while Chris Parkinson, Martin Carthy and Barry Phillips provide additional texture. He's a supremely talented and versatile man, Martin Simpson, but this is what he does best.

© fRoots Magazine all rights reserved

Customer Reviews

Superb collection of English songs - great acoustic guitar!
Anyone who appreciates great guitar playing, anyone who has ever enjoyed any traditional music - buy this CD!! The quality of singing, playing and recording are all superb. And he has the legendary Martin Carthy guesting on a couple of tracks. Carthy does not sing on this album, but his influence (both guitar style and vocal phrasing) are very evident on the title track.

Most tracks are traditional songs (three are instrumentals). There is also a wonderful version of Cyril Tawney's "Sammy's Bar", which I think was written in the 1950's, when Tawney was serving in Malta. Difficult to pick out favourite tracks, but if pushed it would be Sammy's Bar and the two nautical songs - Polly on the Shore and Rounding the Horn.

Martin Simpson was already recognised as one of the very best acoustic guitar players in the world. This brilliant album puts him in the top rank of traditional music performers.

Brilliant!
Easily my best-buy album of the past 12 months.
Simpson's musicianship shines throughout this album - his stunning guitar playing is breathtaking in the ease of it's execution, yet it never imposes on the song. As with his friend, Martin Carthy, the guitar line always supports and illuminates the lyrics.
Standouts? - Fair Annie is a big Scottish ballad which is intriguing, moving and captivating. The Four Angels is a Rudyard Kipling poem set to music by Simpson - utterly haunting. And Rounding of the Horn displays the quality of guitar-playing to perfection: at times the harmonies he creates could be coming from an Anglo concertina.
If you care at all about beautiful music, beautifully played, buy this.

The Bramble Briar by Martin Simpson
You do not need to fully appreciate the open tuning of a well played quality acousic guitar, nor have the slightest interest in traditional maritime folk music to realise, on listening, that Martin Simpson has produced an extremely fine and well crafted album in "The Bramble Briar".

Fom the atmospheric "Poly on the shore" to the breath takingly haunted "Fair Annie" never have war, ships, music and death been so masterfully intertwined. So brutal and sad yet so enjoyable to listen to this story teller. This seemingly macarbe musical theme is interupted occassionally with more enlightening contributions, such as the jolly "Rounding the Horn" and the virtuoso instrumental "Banks of the sweet primroses"

"The Bramble Briar" is a musical feast telling stories of lives that were harsh brutal and short, but full of beautiful emotions now ghosting in these songs - not to mention all those ships.

Martin Simpsons best album to date deserves to go down as one of the most intelligent and beautiful albums yet produced in the traditional folk genere. It must surely be top of the "If ever you buy a folk album" catagory.