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Ashley Hutchings & Ken Nicol – Copper Russet And Gold CD

The careers of British folk rock legends, Steeleye Span, have often been compared to a bus ride with members getting on and off along the way. If that is the case, then Ashley Hutchings and Ken Nicol have ridden at both ends of the journey. It was Ashley that helped form the band forty years ago, bringing together the duos of Maddy Prior & Tim Hart and Gay & Terry Woods to record the seminal Hark! The Village Wait album, a release that would come to define a musical genre. Comparatively, Ken is very much part of the band’s future. Ken joined the band in 2002 and is now playing in the band’s longest ever line-up. The pairs’ association goes beyond this one band however, with an affiliation lasting nearly twenty years; first in the Ashley Hutchings Dance Band and then when Ken joined the Albion Band. Despite this long partnership, there has never been a duo album until now. Copper, Russet and Gold will see the light of day in early 2010, compromising all original compositions that delve into the pairings’ rich musical history. The expected folk feel is certainly there, but also mixed with splashes of jazz, blues and rock. Lyrically too the record is a varied experience with tales of Old England, the misery of supporting a doomed football team, Sir Francis Drake, GIs in World War II Britain and the beauty of Paris. It may have taken them a while to produce, but Nicol and Hutchings have made a record that glows with warmth, genuine character and charm. The duo head out on an extensive UK tour in support of the album, kicking off at the end of January and running through to March. And then? Well we can only hope it doesn’t take them so long to do it all again.

Tracklist:

I Am Prologue
The Five-Barred Gate
Busy Streets
Wink Of An Eye
Down, Down, Down
What God Am I?
Never The Same Again
Sleeveless Errands
Drake Went Bowling
Copper, Russet And Gold
Raggle-Taggle Lad
I Am Epilogue