Mary Hampton - My Mother’s Children

Folk music rich in poetry and passion

Having worked with modern folk royalty such as Eliza Carthy and the Stereolab extra-curricular project Imitation Electric Piano, not to mention support slots for St Etienne and British Sea Power, Hampton’s first full album under her own name sticks rigidly to English folk traditions of yore. The songs may be self-penned, but there are more than a few hints of her earlier influences, from Bob Dylan to Bach, with a side order of Nick Drake.

There’s a frailty to Hampton’s voice that perfectly suits the Elizabethan plainsong stylings, but it’s often at odds with the stark lyrical content of Because You’re Young or Honey, fleshed out by a largely acoustic troupe of musicians, among which cellist Alice Eldridge should be singled out for special mention. The Bell They Gave You is particularly spooky, creating an ethereal chill that used to be the near-exclusive domain of Kate Bush.

At a time of increasing mass interest in British folk, My Mother’s Children may be a little too “out there” for many tastes, but it’s convincing evidence that there are pioneering voices in the genre that look as much to the music’s future as they do its past.

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Reviewed by Terry Staunton
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