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(2022) Josienne Clarke - Now & Then [FLAC]
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Sometimes artists seem to sneak things out, perhaps checking to see if anyone is paying attention; everyone should be paying attention to Josienne Clarke’s extended EP Now & Then. As a collection of covers, it dabbles in folk’s distant past along with more recent days. While not necessarily an indicator of a new direction, it provides a good feel of where she is today; and what a fascinating place that is. The EP opens with “Reynardine”, and while I’d like to say it has its roots in Fairport Convention, this traditional folk ballad goes back to the early 1800s, it’s a tale that takes on new magic in Clarke’s hands. With partner Alec Bowman Clarke on bass, Matt Robinson handing the keys and Dave Hamblett doing the stick work, they create an intriguing mix of what has gone before, remodelled for a new generation. While there’s initially a chill to the air, the keys provide tones of warmth, even though all will not end well. Moving forward over 200 years, “Nude” provides new colours to the Radiohead song. A solemn drumbeat leads the proceedings as bass, organ and eventually piano fill in in the background. With lines like “You’ll go to Hell/ For what your dirty mind/ Is thinking.” Shiver-inducing in both simplicity and message, the song is an interesting choice, shocking and successful. She transforms Sharon Van Etten’s deep cut ‘You Shadow’ from her 2019 album ‘Remind Me Tomorrow’ into a graceful number, replacing the tempestuous tautness of the original with a gentle yet bright acoustic backdrop, highlighting the uniqueness of Clarke’s interpretations and how other music speaks to her. “The last few years I’ve gone through a process of change as an artist and what better way to orient yourself as a singer and a songwriter than through songs and the work of songwriters you deeply admire. Perhaps this seems like an odd collection of songs to release now and/or to have alongside one another but these are all songs that I’ve been singing live or have secretly held a notion of how I’d interpret them when I gave myself the chance. Each one deeply melancholic in a way that particularly speaks to me, as a singer, songwriter and an admirer of lyricism in songcraft.” When it comes to melancholy songs, Nick Drake was always in a class of his own. “Time Has Told Me” was clearly one of his best. Clarke plays the song fairly straight, never over-singing. Surprisingly there’s not a guitar to be found, a choice that highlights her ability to recontextualize a classic song. She works her same magic on Sandy Denny’s Now and Then from which the album takes its name. The song remained buried for many years, originally recorded as a demo in 1968 and didn’t see the light of day until after her death in a series of anthologies. She moves “The Month of January” into musical pathways it has rarely taken before. Creating shadings on guitar and synth take this tune kicking and screaming into a 21st-century context that is light years beyond what one might expect. It’s a brave, bold experiment. How you feel about it may depend on your own particular point of view, but it shows a willingness to experiment that needs to be praised. To say that the past few years have been strange is a statement of fact. One that is hard to deny. When Clarke concludes this collection with “Undo” she admits as much. “I (have) included a reworking of my own song ‘Undo’ because in the same way, my own songs have various lives and this song felt timely, during a period of change and upheaval.” What Josienne Clarke has done with Now & Then is to create a masterpiece of the moment. It signals no future direction; instead, it was an opportunity to sing songs in the manner that she heard them at this moment. Whatever the future holds, we’ve had a moment with seven songs performed most marvellously. That should be enough for anyone.— folkradio.co.uk
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