Bristol and Bath Folk Magazine and News
Album Review - Windborne: ‘To Warm The Winter Hearth’
To Warm the Winter Hearth is the upcoming album from American folk harmony quartet, Windborne
Appropriately for the time of year, they draw their inspiration from the songs, celebrations and scenes of winter.
Windborne, who are made up of two female voices (Lauren Breunig & Lynn Rowan) and two male voices (Will Rowan & Jeremy Carter-Gordon), have been singing together, whilst pushing for social justice, for 20 years, and they are masters of their craft.
Interestingly in this release, they present their lyrics in English, Lithuanian and Occitan - the ancient and still spoken language of Southern France, Monaco and small parts of Italy and Spain. This multilingual approach brings a feeling of the shared experience of winter magic, across culture and time.
The rich and emotive a capella vocal harmonies truly warm the cockles on a snowy winter’s morning, expressing the spirit of the solstice and midwinter celebrations throughout the ages. Each song has clearly been carefully chosen to express a different aspect of the winter months, which keeps the listener flowing, through the snowy scenes of the album.
Although mostly vocal led, songs such as Malpas Wassail make excellent use of instrumentation, with particularly serene fiddle work from guest performer Katy Mcnally.
The album also features the Lithuanian stringed Kanklės, a relation of the zither. The Lithuanian song Aisim Bernai Kaledaut is my personal highlight of the album. The haunting and emotive close vocal harmonies take the listener on a tense and icy journey.
The album is accompanied with a songbook with magical watercolour illustrations and artwork from Matt Spencer which help turn the release into a truly multi-sensory experience. The illustrations manage to encapsulate the essence of the different characters expressed throughout the album and complements the listening experience beautifully.
Fans of close harmony a cappella singing will be enraptured by this immersive listening experience. Personally I would love to hear the album performed round a roaring bonfire or in a snow covered band stand to fit the wintery imagery which Windborne have conjured up so well.
The perfect companion for the winter months.
Windborne Singers
Lauren Breunig – vocals, jaw harp
Jeremy Carter-Gordon – vocals, banjo, drum
Lynn Rowan – vocals, kanklės, jaw harp, feet percussion
Will Rowan – vocals, guitar, drum
2. The Boar’s Head Carol 3:32
3. Come And I Will Sing You 6: 17
4. Malpas Wassail 4:50
5. Aisim Bernai Kaledaut 2:45
6. The Holy Holly 3:59
7. The Cherry Tree Carol 3:50
8. Satan Es Ben Estonat/Lo Paure Satan 3:56
9. Time To Remember The Poor 4:24
10. The Derby Ram 4:40
11. Welcome In Another Year 3:09
12. The Turning Year 3:15
Jan 26th - Bristol Folk House
Jan 30th - Band on the Wall, Manchester
Feb 1st - Celtic Connections, Glasgow
Feb 8th - Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices with Windborne & Special Guests, St Swithin’s, Bath
Feb 11th - Windborne by Candlelight, St Martins In The Field, London
