Bill JonesCountry of origin:England Type of music generally:Contemporary and traditional folk Status:Most recent release Two Year Winter (2003) See also:Bill Jones official site Comparisons:Kate Rusby, June Tabor Covers/own material:Mostly traditional, some covers and some of her own compositions General comments:There are a fair number of singers who sing traditional British songs, so why might you choose to listen to Bill (Belinda) Jones in addition to or even instead of all the others? The overall freshness of her sound. She doesn't have a traditionally beautiful voice—it's a little reedy though still can sound full-throated and strong—but she's well able to make it sound lively, lilting, haunting, angry, or dreamy as her material calls for. She's a straight interpreter of the sings and uses fairly simple backing. There's a lovely purity yet expressiveness to her presentation of her material, which helps her avoid the treacly sweetness and new-agey feel of so many other interpreters. She can be spare, haunting, lovely, and playful. I find her music quite captivating. (Neile) Recommended first album:Any, but Panchpuran is my personal favourite. (Neile) Recordings:
Turn To MeRelease info:2000—Bedspring Music (U.K.)—Boing 0008CD; Compass Records (U.S.)—4338 Availability:U.S. and U.K. Ecto priority:Highly recommended for fans of traditional music Group members:Bill Jones—vocals, piano, accordion, flutes, alto whistle, D whistle Guest artists:Simon Haworth—guitar, cittern Produced by:Brian Bedford Comments:A lovely collection of songs (and three tunes), including "The Handsome Cabin Boy", "Young Waters" and Buffy Ste Marie's "Universal Soldier". A mix of lively and plaintive material: charming, clearly and cleanly presented. Bill Jones has an engaging voice and singing style. This is a highly enjoyable and often affecting collection. (Neile) PanchpuranRelease info:2001—Brick Wall Music—BRICK 002CD; Compass Records (U.S.)—4318 Availability:U.S. and U.K. Ecto priority:Highly recommended for fans of traditional music Group members:Bill Jones—vocals, accordion, whistle, piano, harmony vocals Guest artists:Barry Coope—harmony vocals Produced by:Karen Tweed Comments:This album has a greater range than Turn to Me, in sound and mood: there's a greater range of instrumentation and additional backing vocals, and there's also some a cappella singing. Her versions of "William Taylor", "The Tale of Tam Lin", "The Barley and The Rye" are all wonderful, as is the rest of this album. It still has the freshness, but is also richer. The title track is especially lovely—written by Bill Jones, sung a capella, about the immigration experience of her Anglo-Indian aunt who moved from India to England in her youth. (Neile) bits & pieces EPRelease info:2001—Brick Wall Music—Brick 003CD; also released in a set with Two Year Winter by Compass Records (U.S.)—7 4366 2 Availability:U.K., or in the U.S. Two Year Winter set Ecto priority:Recommended for Bill Jones fans Group members:Bill Jones—vocals, accordion, piano, whistle Guest artists:Kathryn Tickel—fiddle, viola Produced by:Bill Jones (3 tracks), Karen Tweed (1 track) Comments:4-track EP, two songs of which also appear in live versions on Live at the Live. All four are well worth hearing. (Neile) Live at the LiveRelease info:2002—Brick Wall Music—Brick 004CD Availability:U.K. Ecto priority:Highly recommended for fans of Bill Jones Group members:Bill Jones—vocals, accordion, piano, whistle Guest artists:Roger Wilson—guitar, fiddle Comments:Bill Jones live is just as lovely as on album. The versions are similar to the album versions, but with different instrumentation for this band configuration. Almost all of the tracks appear on the albums with the exception of—take note, ectophiles,—a cover of Kate Bush's "Never Be Mine", which gave me shivers. The stark setting makes the song really ache. (Neile) Two Year WinterRelease info:2003—Brick Wall Music—Brick 004CD; Compass Records (U.S.)—7 4366 2 Availability:U.S. and U.K. Ecto priority:Highly recommended for fans of traditional music Group members:Bill Jones—vocals, piano, accordion, whistle, flute, "diddling" Guest artists:David Wood—guitar Produced by:Bill Jones Comments:Another mix of lively and haunting tunes and a mix of richer and simpler arrangements. Again, mostly traditional materials. This hasn't quite struck me as much as the previous discs but that may simply be because I've listened to it less. (Neile) |
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