John Renbourn - Nobody’s Fault But Mine: The John Renbourn Anthology 1966-2005

Formidable collection of influential acoustic maestro

Whatever else, John Renbourn’s long and illustrious career is illuminated by its mesmerising diversity. To some, Renbourn is defined by his work with Pentangle. To others it’ll be those earlier influential duets with his old chum Bert Jansch, while more recent converts may have been enraptured by various incarnations of his own band.

The overriding thread of this balanced and shrewdly-constructed (by Renbourn and David Suff) collection is the constantly probing nature of his stylisation, exploring Renaissance, blues, Irish, English trad, contemporary song, medieval, jazz, classical, Indian and various points beyond without ever failing to stamp it with his own beautifully fluid and characteristically tender imprint. Various collaborators, including Dorris Henderson, Jacqui McShee, Duck Baker, Tony Roberts and, of course, Jansch, make shining cameos along the way to emphasise that, far from being aimed purely at completists and guitar buffs, this is an album for all seasons.

With a smattering of rarities (including a glorious, previously unreleased 1993 recording of Robert Schumann’s Im Wunderschonen Monat Mai and a rousing take on Merle Travis’ Cannonball Stomp) it clearly spells out why Renbourn’s been so successful for so long. A worthy portrait of a master craftsman.

Transatlantic | TREDD 404 (2-CD)

Reviewed by Colin Irwin
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