…and has it really been six years since Kate Rusby released an album that’s not a Christmas buffet, a covers album or a look back at her earlier years? It seems so, as the fabulous Philosophers, Poets and Kings came out in 2019. And I thought that was a couple of years ago. Tempus does indeed fugit, it seems…
But regardless of the passage of time, When They All Looked Up essentially continues in the style of Philosophers… and its predecessor, Life In A Paper Boat (2016). The music is grounded in folk but the sound design is decidedly modern, with top notch production by Damien O’Kane (of course), some digital magic and a tasteful mix of acoustic and electric instruments. And Kate herself is… Kate, with her lovely delivery and presence.
The gorgeous front cover pretty well describes the music: there’s that spacious feel to it, and both serenity and brightness. With the polished soundscape, though, I have to admit the album flowed by me a little bit at first listening; pleasant, of course, but not really grabbing my attention.
So I returned to it and found songs I connected with more strongly. The Girl With The Curse is an effective telling of a relationship going nowhere; Ettrick, composed to a poem by Alicia Ann Spottiswoode (1810-1900) is simply beautiful; Jim Mackie’s The Yorkshire Couple is a story both sad and hilarious and she delivers it perfectly. But perhaps my favorite is Today Again, a song of support and encouragement for the dark times in one’s life. Her lyrics are beautiful, as is her performance.
So, in my books When They All Looked Up is, in a way, Kate’s return rather than any kind of new turn in her story as a songwriter and singer. It’s a solid outing that continues her amazing career in an admirable way.
https://katerusby.bandcamp.com/album/when-they-all-looked-up
FolkNotes 