Anne Briggs - The Time Has Come

Not quite living up to her reputation

Martin Carthy once said that Anne Briggs did not sound like a little girl. Given that she was still a teenager, singing the ancient songs of an historic people, when he made this remark, it’s ironic that on all too many tracks of this record, made some 10 years or more later, that’s exactly what she does sound like.

Briggs made her reputation singing those old folk songs, and it might make a difference that she’s singing more modern pieces here, the majority of them her own compositions. Some were crafted with Bert Jansch, something of a soul mate, and some have been covered by other artists, notably the title track. It’s quite often the case that the songwriters are not necessarily the best people to deliver their own material and that’s possibly true here.

Like Jansch, Anne Briggs was lost to the music scene for a good few years, but since being rediscovered in 1998 she has appeared in several television documentaries, and her early recordings have become available again in several formats. This isn’t a totally convincing addition to the folk canon and, although certainly a period rarity, beginners should start with her more ancient, less girlish, work.

Water | 192

Reviewed by Tim Holmes
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