Album Review : Cruel Sister***** & The Bairns***** - Rachel Unthank and the Winterset The Bairns was released last year, Cruel Sister (the debut album) in 2005. I do like a bit of folk inbetween my usual diet of thundering guitars and singers screaming in apparent extremis. Rachel Unthank's voice is bewitching, defiantly British and with the lovely flat vowel sounds of Northumbria, with sister Becky, Niopha Keegan and pianist Belinda O'Hooley she creates a mesmeric, enticing and scintillating sound. There is are some wonderful songs on both albums, I love the wry humour of 'On A Monday Morning' on Cruel Sister, a sorrowful paen to the joys of the weekend, you can't help but smile as Rachel croons "If only the sun was a party giver, if only someone else could have me liver". On The Bairns the band describe humour of the blackest kind in 'Blue Bleezing Blind Drunk' as the song's protagonist bemoans her lot in life, she's married a man for his money, but he's a drunk and a wife beater. On both albums Belinda O'Hooley's work at the piano is restrained and balanced, it provides a counterpoint as the Unthank sisters weave their voices together, Niopha Keegan's fiddle work provides a similar supporting role, never obtrusive, always part of the whole. I'm in love with these albums because of the girl's voices, all of the songs are driven by the vocals, the various other instruments provide some depth and roundness but all the way though it is the glorious, slightly breathy, vocals that make the songs into something truly special. It is widely said that Fairport Convention's 'Liege & Lief' was the most important folk album of it's generation, if that is so then both of the Winterset's releases are its equal, possibly with Cruel Sister containing a larger body of strong songs. I can't say that these albums will make you love folk music if you don't already, I'm quite picky in the folk field myself, there are an awful lot of acts currently performing who are dull and formulaic and who do not not seek to add anything new to the genre. The Winterset do push at the accepted boundaries though, from quickies lasting less than sixty seconds to eight minute epics they show restless invention and creation. Some songs are what anyone would pin down as 'folk', 'The Greathem Calling On Song' for example, sounds as folksy as anything, but it is also a wonderful, quirky, oddball little tale of entertainers plying their trade, it also features some of the male members of the Unthank clan providing supporting vocals. Other songs like 'Raven Girl' for example, an up tempo accapella piece which is alomst pop-ish in it's approach, shows off the girls breadth of songwriting and performing ability. If you fancy something a little different, then go out and buy both of these albums, you shouldn't be dissapointed, they are packed with talent and magic and beauty, voices to enchant and beguile, songs of charm, wit, life and loss, two absolute gems from an inspired and original group, listen and fall in love. N.B. I don't have then ecyclopaedic knowledge of folk that I have of obscure metal bands, I am informed that most of the songs on these two albums are interpretations of old folk songs, but the music is none the worse for that.