Track Listing

1. Because He Was A Bonny Lad
2. Sad February
3. Annachie Gordon
4. Lucky Gilchrist
5. Testimony Of Patience Kershaw, The
6. Living By The Water
7. Where've Yer Bin Dick
8. Nobody Knew She Was There
9. Flowers Of The Town
10. Not Much Luck In Our House
11. At First She Starts
12. Here's The Tender Coming
13. Betsy Bell

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #144 in Music
• Released on: 2009-09-14
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: CD
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

CD Description
'Here's The Tender Coming' is the third album from sisters Rachel and Becky Unthank and sees them follow up their 2007 Mercury Music Prize nominated 'The Bairns'. Now recording asThe Unthanks and signed to major label EMI, the album sees the band take on another collection of traditional folk songs and while the majority of the lyrical content still deals with the darker side of life the band have opted for a slightly warmer sound than that of 'The Bairns'.

Customer Reviews

Safety warning - careful playing this when driving!
I made the mistake of playing this for the first time driving to work and, by the end of track three, had tears in my eyes! Not good in fast traffic, but its a joy to listen to none the less.

This is a wonderful collection of songs, some of them actually joyful (Because He Was A Bonny Lad / Where've Yer Bin 'Dick / Betsey Bell and, in darker form, the fragment Not Much Luck In Our House) but most of them sad and profoundly moving in that they deal with life's difficulties and what's needed to address them. But that would go for both the sisters' previous records and doesn't explain why I think this is the best of the three.

To date there's always been a sense that the Unthank sisters and their band of musicians might fall into the standard "folk" trap. The one where the musical arrangements becomes stuck in a certain idea of what "real" folk music should sound like - either the idea of "authentic tradition" (which is for me what kills off so much so-called Celtic folk music) or else the "classical" idea (usually involving a lot of fancy piano playing). This new CD demonstrates that they are too canny for that and, together with Andy McNally, have found ways to use something from both approaches to make something that serves they own particular musical vision - witness the use of brass on Sad February and Nobody Knew She Was There. Above all there's a sense of each song getting the particular musical attention it deserves (rather than what a marketing man thinks will sell it) so that, rather than simply respecting the lyrics, they are brought to their full emotional life for a contemporary audience. Anyone who doubts the relevance of this kind of music should listen to carefully to the title track!

For that reason I suspect that a lot of people may find this hard going at first listen because it simply doesn't fit their idea of what "folk" should be. Please persist, its a great record.

Stunning
A stunning new album from the Unthank sisters and their band. Traditional tunes infused with contrasting vocals from the two sisters and acoustic backing that nods towards jazz to great effect (Sad February) and even the Beatles (Check out the orchestral strings on "Living By the Water"). That last named track is a languid tune also featuring tinkling piano & muted trumpet. Perfect musical accompiament for a summer trip down a river somewhere...

Just feel those tingles run down the spine on "Nobody Knew She was there" when the glorious brass instrumental section kicks in...

Here's the Third Coming
I admit I was concerned.
Possibly the greatest musical awakening of my life was down to Rachel Unthank and the Winterset. "The Bairns" was so utterly and triumphantly eye-opening that I was anticipating any new release with equal amounts of excitement and trepidation.

It seems there is no need to worry. The creative wellspring of the Unthanks obviously runs pretty deep. They have produced another finely balanced collection of songs which both delight and inspire. Even though they now have more members and instruments contributing to the overall sound these songs still exhibit the sparse beauty of arrangement which I loved so much in "The Bairns".
Yet again Becky's voice raises the hairs on the back of my neck with alarming regularity but now this can also be triggered by the occasional introduction of a measured and sometimes superbly dischordant brass section lazily emerging from the rich soundscape and then sinking gently back behind the voices and strings.

All 13 tracks exude their own distinct charm mixing the traditional with the slightly more contemporary but none seem out of place. Tunes range between the joyous to the terribly poignant with "The Testimony of Patience Kershaw" and "Nobody Knew She Was There" being particularly affecting.
The band has been quoted as saying they didn't want to make another "Bairns" and they certainly haven't. They've created, at bare minimum, an equal, albeit a close relation, one with the same heart and soul intact which was something I foolishly doubted would ever be possible. The more I listen and the further I fall under its spell I'm beginning to think that they have in fact surpassed the impossibly high standard already set.

This is a fantastic album, an absolute testament to "The Unthanks" various talents and overall creative genius. "At First She Starts" is shaping up to be the standout track for me so far.
I'm also glad, listening to Betsy Bell, to discover that we can still look forward to some more clog-dancing at the live shows.