This newest offering from Maddy Prior and the Carnival Band is a very light-hearted offering to the folk / Celtic music crowd. Maddy Prior, the lead vocalist for Steeleye Span, is in fine voice, and the Carnival Band is ready with a rather diverse collection of instruments (everything from the lute to the kazoo, the recorder to the electric guitar, etc.) The combination creates a rather bright and cheerful album.
Hang Up Sorrow And Care tells the story of Old Simon The King, discovered at an Ale House getting utterly drunk. The album is divided into three sections, very different in tone. Each section relates Simon's drunken wits.
Part I reflects on the joys of drinking and getting drunk. "The Prodigal's Resolution" describes the joys of inheriting money, and the parties that one can have. "The Leathern Bottel" makes a saint of the man who invents a bottle that will not break or spill when stumbling around.
When Old Simon The King begins to become enamoured of the barmaid, his mind turns to reminiscence on women. Part II dwells on various women, including the gentle love of "An thou were my ain Thing" and "Now O Now I Needs must Part". But there are a couple of surprises, such as "O that I had but a Fine man" - a tango (yes, a tango!) about a woman who *really* wants a man, and the classical sound of "Man is for the Woman Made". Of course, there is still a song or two here singing the praises of "The Little Barley-Corne".
During Part III, Old Simon The King begins to recall somewhat bittersweet memories of times gone by. This can be seen in the mildly melancholy "Never Weatherbeaten Saile" and "In the Days of my youth". The album concludes with a happy note from "Old Simon The King" himself.
This album has a number of fantastic surprises in store for the listener. There is the unusual instrumentation of the Carnival Band that reminds this critic slightly of Gryphon. The vocals of Maddy Prior are raised in a number of a capella tunes, sung in rounds with the gentlemen of the Carnival Band. Even the CD booklet is written and annotated in an old English style.
All in all, Maddy Prior and the Carnival Band have a winner here. But be warned - Hang Up Sorrow And Care is *not* an album to be taken too seriously. This is not a recording to listen to with headphones, rather with a small group of friends over a couple of pints of ale. Fans of Maddy Prior, The Carnival Band or Steeleye Span should look into this album. Also, if you are interested in Celtic music, folk music, or the progressive style of Gryphon, take a look at Hang Up Sorrow And Care by Maddy Prior and the Carnival Band.
