Although these days I live in New Zealand, I was born and raised in a small fishing town in the West of England. Although my dad was a foreigner (although still born in Devon, it was all of 30 miles away), my mum was from a solid Brixham family, and I grew up in a community where it paid to be nice to everyone as it was possible that we were related in some way! Like many of my generation I left to get my degree, and although I did return for a few years I departed permanently more than 30 years ago and have only ever been back for the odd visit. But even though “my” Brixham now only exists in my memories, or in the watercolour on my lounge wall, I still know that is where my roots truly lie, in the small town where I was born, as was my mum, as was her mum, as was her mum back for many generations.
So why am I telling you all this? One day last year my sister sent me a link to a YouTube video for a song called “Fisherman John”, which is all about a jack the lad called John Quigley, written and sung by Maggie Duffy. This immediately piqued my interest as not only was it a really enjoyable folk number, but I knew the person she was singing about. Quigs was a trawler skipper, and a mate of my dad’s, and when I was a teenager, he was a person I knew fairly well. All this led me to contacting Maggie, and after a few emails it transpired she knew both my dad and sister, and from there it was just a small step to grabbing her latest album. I have just been undertaking some research, and for some reason or another I am unable to find a single review for this album, nor much information on who is involved. I know Maggie sings and plays acoustic, while she was definitely joined by Bob Thomson are various instruments, while it is possible that Phil Beer (Show of Hands) was also involved as there is some fiddle here and there and he has worked with Maggie in the past.
There is always a concern for me when I contact an artist, as opposed to the other way round which is far more normal, as I have sought them out and what happens if I do not like the album for some reason? There was a huge sigh of relief on my part when I realised within a few bars of the first song, which is the title cut, that I had hit upon an absolute gem. On her site Maggie lists some of the artists she has worked with or supported, and they include the likes of Fairport Convention, Phil Beer, Aly Bain and Phil Cunningham, Phillip Henry and Hannah Martin(Edgelarks), Blazin’ Fiddles, The Albion Band and many others, and that experience shines through on this release. Her vocals are pure and clear, somewhat like Judy Dyble, with plenty of emotion and control. One of the songs on the album, “Yondercott”, is just Maggie singing (with some very gentle reverb), and no accompaniment whatsoever, yet it captures and transports the listener from the first note to the very last.
It is hard to pick a favourite, but the title track is wonderful, and it is no surprise that it has been picking up awards. Here we have two intertwined acoustic guitars, with wonderful lyrics (which made me think), and a bright melody. I can imagine Steve Knightley having a load of fun with this one, as it is very reminiscent indeed of Show of Hands, but just with acoustic guitars, no need for a double bass or percussion. The lack of bottom end or drums means the whole album has a very light and delicate feel, with Maggie’s vocals always to the fore, with strong lyrics and melodies. This is modern folk as opposed to sitting firmly in the tradition, and it is light and airy, full of joy. I can only hope that more people discover this wonderful album and artist, and this is a delight from beginning to end.
Rating: 9/10
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Track list: N/A
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