'If there's thunder in your heart, I'm here to steal it".  A very useful opinion.

The second, and much waited for Suntrap album has finally made its way into my house.  I had to wait awhile for it - I could have ordered a copy, but held out until I saw the band live.

Suntrap are a London Based folk band, who write their own material, and also play traditional music.  Their line up has slightly altered since this album was recorded (Mary is having some time out and a lass called Nicola is filling in.  They will eventually be a four part band.)  For this cd they are:

Paul Hoad - vocals, guitar, accordion, bohdran (Irish drum) whistle, song writer. 

Sara Byers - vocals, accordion, bohdran (Irish Drum) whistle, song writer.

Mary Wilson - vocals and fiddle.

The tracks: Now, the sleeve notes are quite sparse, so most of the additional information comes from what the band have said at various gigs.

'High Germany'  - a traditional song.  Most folk singers know and sing this, so recording a surprising arrangement is no mean feat.  A lively opening track about a bloke going to fight in High Germany, and persuading his pregnant girlfriend to follow him.

'Two Brothers' - Mary and Sara sing this one unaccompanied.  I think it's an American civil war song about how pointless war is.   Oddly, they've chosen some very medieval sounding harmonies, very effective.

'Accident' - Paul Hoad wrote and sings.  This is a very powerful track "you're an accident waiting to happen, he's a building waiting to fall, and when that accident happens, you'll feel the weight of it all".  Two people held by a combination of fear and love.

'Only One' - again Paul wrote and sings, with some very unsettling harmony lines going on.  This is quite a romantic song about rekindling love in a longstanding relationship.   It's rather sweet.

'Enter the Queen' - Sara Byers wrote and sings.  Very striking piece, about the kind of woman who can walk into a room and dominate it.  "Enter the Queen, enter with all her jewels shining, enter the Queen, watching you watching her smiling.  And she knows that you're hers, because she remembers you".

'Red Red Shoes' - Paul Hoad again.  This reminds me a bit of 'The Eagles' - wouldn't sound out of place alongside 'Desperado' or 'Hotel California'.  Its about a guy who beds a woman only to find out that she is married.  Being a fairly decent chap, he's quite upset about this.

'Two Magicians/Pale Fire' - 'Two Magicians' is a very old song - a proud woman is approached by a blacksmith who intends to bed her, she doesn't want to know and shape shifts into many things to avoid him, but each time he catches up with her -  she becomes a ship, he a captain, she a hare, he a hunting dog, until eventually she gives up and becomes a bed, at which point he becomes a coverlet.  In some versions its a song about pursuit and rape.  Sara has written a few extra verses to go on the front, and has turned it into a lust fuelled game.  Its a very striking piece of music and quite a tale.

'Heads or Tails' - written by Sara, sung by Mary.  Apparently its about making a major decision, the sort where you decide to leave it to chance (heads or tails) but then keep throwing the coin until you get the result you wanted.  "Do I turn and take my chances, heads or tails, on whether I can do without you?".  Very moody song, a touch reminiscent of 'Stars' from 'Long Winter Coat'.

'Midnight on the Water' - classic Ron Kavana track, sung by Paul - this is about drinking and dancing slowly, mellow, end of the evening sort of song.

'Cherry Head' - written and sung by Sara, this is a very unsettling track "Cherry head, leave your bitter stones in my, in my bed".  It sounds to me like a potent, alarming, inescapable sort of relationship.  The band haven't ever said much about it, so I am not especially enlightened.  Very intense though and very memorable.

'Bold Grenadier' - traditional song about a soldier getting his way with a young lass and then leaving her.  Sung unaccompanied by Sara.  In folk music, when people go off to listen to the nightingale, they are usually romping in the bushes, and "pulling out your fiddle" usually means much the same thing.  Both things happen in this song.

'I shall be released' - written by Bob Dylan, and the sort of song where people sway from side to side and join in a lot.  Excellent end to a wonderful album.

At this point, what I do is play it again.

There's a good mix of new and traditional music on this cd - so it will appeal to hardened folk enthusiasts and to followers of new music alike.  There are a range of influences apart from the folk, so if you like singer/songwriter stuff of any persuasion (you know, tunes and words) then you might well enjoy this.  I have yet to find anyone who doesn't like them.

Live, they are superb.  (They played my folk club last Saturday....still reeling).

Bryn Colvin (bryn@hollowhills.fsnet.co.uk)

16/04/02