Translation by Ian Maun
Dyble,Judy –Flow and Change Published
25-08-2013
After many years of musical silence,
Judy Dyble, who was the first singer with Fairport Convention in 1968, has
gradually returned to issuing albums in her genre of choice, folk music. We
recently had the pleasure of listening to Talking with Strangers, her album
which came out in 2009, but which had a bigger re-release at the beginning of
this year.
Judy Dyble certainly hasn’t thrown in
her hand, returning now with Flow and
Change, her new album which is heavily tinged with folk. For this record,
Judy assembled a group of top musicians, as she did on her previous album. Alistair Murphy, the composer and
musician who made a major contribution to Talking with Strangers, is back. On
Flow and Change, he co-wrote two
thirds of the songs. Another contributor is Simon House, a living legend, who
played violin with High Tide and Hawkwind, and who’s played on a host of
albums, from David Bowie to Nik Turner and from Robert Calvert to Mike Oldfield.
He wrote the music for the first song on the album, the beautiful Black Dog Dreams. Julianne Regan, singer with All About Eve, also co-wrote one
number, the very beautiful Head Full of
Stars.
Among the outstanding musicians on the
album is the ubiquitous Pat
Mastelotto, the drummer who founded Mr. Mister in the 80s and who’s played
on albums by Martin Briley, Holly Knight, Scandal, Al Jarreau, The Pointer
Sisters, Patti LaBelle, Kenny Loggins, Martika, Danny Wilde and even the
Canadian prog-rocker Kim Mitchell. A real ace, as you can see. Mention must also
be made of fleeting appearances by guest artists such as Matt Malley (ex-Counting Crows) and Mike Mooney (of Spiritualized).
Backed by this fine band, on Flow
and Change Judy gives us ten calm and contemplative songs, tinged with
romanticism and sadness. There’s great coherence in the style, Black Dog Dreams and Head Full of Stars standing out from the
other numbers, which have a feeling of sweet and flowing naivety, with Judy’s
angelic voice lending everything a distinctive
grace.
Yes, ‘graceful’ is the word for Flow
and Change. Full of beauty and tranquillity, this album takes the
listener down a slow river bordered with notes of crystal, right up to the ten
minutes of the final number The
Sisterhood of Ruralists, with its birdsong of sweeping, melodramatic
violins. A perfect second addition to Judy Dyble’s recent work.
François
Becquart
**** and a
half*
(Translation- Ian
Maun)
CURRENTLY AVAILABLE FROM GONZO
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