Chris Foster "Traces" The Living Tradition LTCD3003

HEAR SAMPLE TRACKS

Chris Foster is a weel-kent name from the medium-distance past. In the late 1970s, Chris was a "stalwart of the folk scene" - working with the likes of Nic Jones, Martin Carthy, Leon Rosselson and others - a pretty major-league player, in other words.

Since two albums in the late 70s, aside of a cassette of "green" songs from a stage show, there's been no recorded output from Chris .. until now, that is. "Traces" is ten traditional, two written songs, sung by Chris, accompanied by Chris on guitar. That's all. Like Tony Rose, Chris Foster is a very fine singer, with a slightly more elaborate guitar style, a slightly more nasal voice (but very pleasantly so) and no concertina. Like Tony, he gets to the epicentre of a song and is not frightened to tackle songs intimately associated with others, such as "The Famous Flower of Serving Men" (guess who) and "Arthur McBride" (Smart N'Crafty again, or Paul Brady/Andy Irvine). Once again, by choosing a different version, or simply by being a great stylist himself, he claims the songs as his own.

Of the two Leon Rosselson songs, my favourite is "Barney's Epic Homer" - a daft, but underlyingly sad and haunting tale of a disaffected schoolboy doomed to a production-line job, "turning little piggies into plastic-packaged sausages". Barney rebels by building a giant, scrap-metal sculpture in his parents' garden. When this is demolished, he sinks back into despair and anonymity. Chris Foster gets the perfect balance of jaunty silliness in the story and pathos as it reaches its sad end.

Alan Murray

(This CD was reviewed alongside an album by Tony Rose, hence the references and comparisons to Tony)