Tom and Barbara's first CD, Where Umber Flows, was released on the Wild Goose label in May 2000. Their second album, Prevailing Winds, in May 2002.  Only a few copies of these CDs now remain.  Tide of Change was released in March 2006, and West Country Night Out  was released in 2007. WCNO  was not promoted or sent for review as it was made for the local and village hall live-gig market - but some people insisted on reviewing it!  The most recent CD, Beyond The Quay was released in August 2008.  Extracts from various reviews are shown below.

Reviews of "Beyond The Quay"

Intheboatshed        Folk North West          NetRhythms

Shreds & Patches          EDS           What's Afoot             Folk London

Tom and Barbara Brown are old friends, and I’m very pleased that they should put out a CD of sea-songs. Songs connected with the sea have been out of fashion around the folk scene’s clubs and festivals for far too long in this country.

Interestingly, even though I’ve recently heard the claim that sea shanties are the new Rock’n'Roll, there are none here. Instead, this CD is full of songs about ships, ports, sailors, and of course heroes and villains. Most are traditional and many belong to the West Country.  Tom and Barbara’s performances are marked by some very effective harmony singing, of which there are two excellent samples here: a classic English woman-dresses-as-man adventure Young Susan and a version of The Death of Nelson to a tune learned by the couple from traditional source singer George Dunn of Staffordshire, with additional verses from the broadside ballad.  Another aspect of this disk that I particularly like is that it includes a very nice but less well known version of one of my favourites, The Bold Princess Royal. Tom’s version from Bristol is much harder to sing than the one I know from Sam Larner - so much so that he gets extra points from me for making an excellent job of it. I gather it came originally from a singer called Albert Lightfoot.  

And I should also add that Tom and Barbara have been lucky enough to be supported on this CD by our old friend Keith Kendrick and young musicians and singers Emily and Hazel Askew.   BACK

It’s always a pleasure to receive a CD from Wild Goose by these two good friends and this album is no exception. It’s down to the sea and all things nautical (the clue is in the CD title!) on this their 4th album with Wild Goose.

 

As always the performance on all the tracks is carefully arranged and excellently rendered showing both Tom and Barbara’s long standing experience with folk song, whether contemporary in traditional style or purely traditional, works. Tom accompanies with guitar, melodeon, English concertina and harpeleik (a fretless zither) on many tracks but they are also joined by my old partner in crime Keith Kendrick on some. The Askew Sisters have also been (willingly!) roped in with some lovely instrumental accompaniments as well as chorus singing. They’ve even got Doug Bailey to help fill in the choruses, Joan Holloway plays the ’nakkers’ (bones!) on a track or two and Malcolm Woods plays a tenor drum to good effect on the opening track.

 

The songs are varied and their version of ‘The Herring’s Head’ is almost type cast for these two... bickering in public.. whatever next! The idea of putting a few songs together in the track entitled ‘Short Song Set’ works very well with seamless changes from song to song.  One of my favourite tracks ‘The Bold Princess Royal‘, sung a capella by Tom, is a fine example of this song and superbly performed.  Likewise, Barbara’s empathic rendition of ‘Little Fishes’, with a subtle concertina accompaniment from Tom, is equally as appealing.

 

The careful programming of the variety of songs from sad to funny and from slow to up tempo and so on means the album never palls and over an hour of listening passes surprisingly quickly. Add to this interesting and informative sleeve notes from Tom and Barbara and an attractive sleeve design by the talented Hilary Bix and you have almost the perfect album!     BACK

For their fourth Wild Goose record, the companionable West Country couple have chosen to present an entire programme of songs with a maritime leaning - but with not a shanty in sight! And it's a resounding success.

Some of its songs have been in Tom and Barbara's repertoire for years in one form or other, but this themed disc furnishes an ideal opportunity to revisit them. Two sets of paired songs have their origins in Seascape, a show about North Devon maritime history which Tom and Barbara put together back in 1979: Padstow Bar To Lundy Light, an evocative travelogue, was specially composed by Tom for the project, as was The Wreck Of The Montagu, the true story of an embarrassing naval disaster. Other songs discovered by Tom & Barbara at around the same time include The Watchet Sailor (for which Tom provides Barbara with an imaginative guitar accompaniment) and the Newfoundland ballad The Spirits Of George's Bank. The latter, together with a further six of the disc's sixteen tracks, is sung unaccompanied - a testament to the excellence of the couple's sturdy singing voices. These are also heard to good effect on The Ship In Distress, for which the sole instrumental accompaniment is provided by some eerie harpeleik (Norwegian fretless zither) chordings. Although Tom and Barbara always treat their chosen (predominantly traditional) sources with respect, they're not averse to having fun with the material too, as their brilliantly characterised “argument” of The Herring's Head demonstrates, while they also relish Redd Sullivan's venomous Firing The Mauritania. Elsewhere, Barbara delights in singing The Blackbird “in the old way” (in the version collected by Fred Hamer from Shropshire singer May Bradley) - as also does Tom with The Bold Princess Royal.

Outside of the purely unaccompanied selections, the Browns are accorded some distinctly spirited backing from (among others) Keith Kendrick and the Askew Sisters, whose contributions so perfectly match Tom and Barbara's own lively, passionate delivery. For instance, I don't think I've heard a more infectious treatment of Ten Thousand Miles (Away): here you can virtually feel the salt spray in the wheezing bellows-action of Hazel's melodeon, with Keith's anglo concertina and Emily's breezy fiddle steering the gallant barque along on the morning tide.

Sporting informative (if somewhat discursive!) booklet notes, this is a superbly programmed, vitally performed collection that convinces on all levels: neither a dry, dusty ship's chest of maritime academia nor a hastily-cobbled set of songs to appeal to the sea-faring novice or tourist, but a significantly entertaining hour's worth of good songs well sung, proving that the traditional folk experience is very much alive and well.       BACK

Tom and Barbara have been active in the folk world for almost 40 years and many of the songs on this recording have been in their repertoire for many a year.  There’s a strong south-west theme to this collection of sea songs, “Beyond the Quay”, sixteen tracks, a good twenty songs.  There’s a good number of unusual songs they’ve dug out or come across and they also have refreshing versions of songs you think you know too well.   The Herring’s Head is a great duo version sung in an argumentative question and answer style, not the common aggregating chorus version which I hear often.  A couple of Tom’s own songs fit seamlessly in, including the jolliest shipwreck I’ve ever heard.  No shanties, the nearest they get is a medley of short silly songs.

 

Tom has a deep rich voice, a clearly phrased traditional style, sounding deceptively straightforward on first hearing, but with many fine inflections which make his songs a real joy on repeated listening.  Barbara to me has two distinct styles in her singing, a clear simpler style which works well when singing harmony with Tom and when singing most of her accompanied songs.  Best of all is her unaccompanied singing; clearly phrased, melodious with sensitive and subtle variations in pitch – quite equal to the Irish ‘sean nos’ style in its own way.

 

Altogether this recording grew on me with every listiening, their experience manifesting itself in the finely crafted detail of the singing.  There are also 4 past CDs available from their website.      BACK

Although they live just up the road at Combe Martin, it’s quite rarely that I hear Tom & Barbara sing, and it often takes a CD such as this to remind me what accomplished performers they are.

 

This album is, I think, their best yet, with the nautical theme offering a splendid variety of largely less well known traditional songs, of which I especially enjoyed Little Fishes and The Spirits of George’s Bank.  Even The Blackbird was  a poignant minor-key variation on the almost music hall sounding familiar version.  The Bonny Sailor Laddie is another song where a real gem of a tune hides behind an unremarkable title.  There’s ample light relief from the perils of the deep, transportation and unrequited love in The Herring’s Head, and the medley of short songs.  Tom’s own compositions, Padstow Bar to Lundy Light & Wreck of the Montagu are also particularly pleasing, with strong local connections.

 

With unaccompanied pieces, two-part harmony, Tom’s own accomplished guitar, melodeon and concertina accompaniment (also the harpeleik whatever that may be!), and support from Keith Kendrick, the Askew sisters, etc. on various instruments, this is a very well balanced album that further enhances Tom & Barbara’s already strong reputation as fine singers of great songs.  Colin Andrews   BACK

 

You are cordially invited to join Tom and Barbara Brown on a cruise up the north coast of Devon and Cornwall.  From Padstow Bar up to Lundy Light you will be royally entertained by two stalwarts of these parts, ably assisted by a crew of accomplished musicians and singers.  Fine performances as you would expect from Tom and Barbara and the same must be said of the accompaniment.  Naturally, the fare will be nautical, but as there is no work to be done we have no need of shanties.  Now that’s a bit different.  This is a trip that, if you haven’t the sea-legs, can be equally enjoyed from the comfort of your armchair.  And a grand trip it is too.

 

There are songs that have been in their repertoire for years and some that are relatively new.  The subject range is wide and moves from the depth of storm to the lightest of airs.  Although you may think you know most of the songs on reading the play list, think again.  Years of collecting and writing mean that there are some very interesting versions offered on this, the fourth collaboration between the Browns and Wild Goose Records.

 

The insert notes were very interesting but had me scratching my head a bit as they bore no relevance to the running order of the CD.  Another minor irritant is the over printing of black text on a dark background.  Definitely one for grumpy old folkies!

 

A favourite Islay malt of mine has been described as ‘sea tangy’.  I think it would be fitting to have a glass of the aforesaid near to hand while enjoying this excellent CD.    BACK

 

This is the fourth album from Tom and Barbara and unless one includes their popular compilation of West Country songs, the first one that is thematic in approach.  There is always a risk I feel with building an album around a subject, in making sure that the material is sufficiently varied to maintain interest.  The Browns have achieved this on a variety of fronts, using a successful balance of unaccompanied and accompanied songs, solo and duet performances, and versions of songs that span the familiar to the less so.  As might be expected, the majority of the material is traditional with the exception of Redd Sullivan’s heartfelt polemical ‘Firing the Mauritania’, Joseph Geoghegan’s ‘Ten Thousand Miles’ and Tom’s own 7-minute epic ‘Padstow Bar to Lundy Light’ cleverly coupled with ‘Wreck of the Montagu’.  Of the traditional material, the Devon variant of ‘The Herring’s Head’ nestles comfortably with ‘Little Fishes’ made famous by actor cum ‘folk singer’ Spencer Tracey, and Broadside Ballads ‘Ship in Distress’ and ‘Bold Princess Royal’.  Although their performance is competently complemented by musicians such as the Askew sisters and Keith Kendrick, the thing that is consistent with the Browns is, what you hear on the CD is what you heard in the club and what you heard in the club you take home on the CD.  Enjoy one and you can’t fail to enjoy the other.  BACK

 

 

 

From reviews of "West Country Night Out"

Hotpress       Shreds & Patches       NetRhythms         What's Afoot

Alternating lead and backing vocal duties, the pair are both blessed with deep, powerful voices whose timbres are similar enough to generate the kind of rich, luxuriant harmony one associates more commonly with all-male ensembles. Brown is also an impressive instrumentalist, ably contributing on octave mandola, concertina, melodeon and more; his finger-picked guitar accompaniment on The Watchet Sailor is particularly tasty. BACK

Of 21 tracks, 12 have been released on their previous CDs, but don’t let that deter you: the quality and value of this compilation makes it a real gem! Finally, for the record, my favourite is Sir Francis Drake / The Bold Privateer - the first being sung to a roped drum, the second with the addition of the fiddle - both awesomely presented.   BACK

This latest offering from Tom and Barbara, those irrepressible West Country singers who are perennially welcome visitors to folk clubs and festivals around this fair isle, has only just come to my attention - however, it was actually issued last year, as what the duo themselves term "a project specifically for the village hall circuit and for local sales".

 

It’s a generously-filled (72-minute) thematic compilation, which collects together a dozen tracks from the duo’s existing recorded output for WildGoose and nine newly-recorded tracks. Indeed, West Country Night Out proves a very attractive stand-alone release, even if you already own one or more of Tom and Barbara’s previous three CDs (and if not, then why not?!) - having said which, this compilation may well provide the incidental incentive to complete your collection!... For you can’t go wrong with these rich and characterful renditions of songs and tunes, both well-loved and lesser-known, originating from Somerset, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall. Tom and Barbara are the ideal interpreters of this indigenous material, and they can always be relied upon to bring warmth, affection, vital expression and a keen sense of fun to their renditions, whether acapella or with selective yet perfectly-judged instrumental accompaniment. The programme for this delightful "night out" encompasses typically bracing versions of "popular" (yet no less welcome) selections like Tavistock Goosey Fair, The Farmer’s Boy, Widecombe Fair and Lamorna, the original "west-ender’s song" (well, only because it namechecks Albert Square I guess!), and less well-trodden (though brilliant) comic creations like My Old Game Cock, Mortal Unlucky Ol’ Chap and Paul Wilson’s Bampton Fair, also the quite charming miniature Barnstaple Fair, within the context of which nestle comfortably more lyrical material like Seeds of Love, The Watchet Sailor and Barbara’s own lovely air Where Umber Flows.

 

The whole disc contains many neglected gems of repertoire that well balance the chestnuts - though even these are blessed with sterling performances that would be hard to better. Although Tom and Barbara are variously augmented by other fine musicians here and there, the freshly-recorded songs are true duo performances (well, virtually - for label boss Doug Baily adds some chorus vocals!) that really do reflect their companionable, unpretentiously captivating and thoroughly entertaining live act. Thankfully, you don’t need to go all the way to a far-flung west country village hall to get a copy of this excellent CD - just go to Tom and Barbara’s website... And now there’s even better news: Tom and Barbara’s next all-new CD, another themed collection (the maritime-flavoured Beyond the Quay), is due any time now - can’t wait!    BACK

 

Taplas   Folk London    The Folk Mag     Folk North West  

Living Tradition   NetRythms    EDS    What's Afoot    Tradition

Kevin McCarthy’s Celtic & Folk Music CD Reviews

Mardles         Shreds & Patches

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Two minutes into the CD, I would have put a wager on me saying no [because] they’d kicked-off the album with what must be the worst song the great Eric Bogle ever wrote.  But guess what? At the end of the album I felt that it had more than overcome the hurdles it had imposed on itself.  And, getting into the album now, let’s actually deal with those two seminal songs of the Folk Revival [Lowlands of Holland & Barbara Allen] and tell you that they were triumphs, especially Barbara’s Barbara Allen. When tackling them they apply a real INTENSITY that surprised me. Veteran singers making the songs sound [as though] they were written just yesterday. Not an easy thing to do.   The liner notes, as you would expect from WildGoose, are a model in how things should be done. With In Friendship’s Name, they end the CD by doing a version of a song from the singing of the great Borders shepherd, Willie Scott. But they refused to do a cod Scots Border accent! They insisted it be translated out of dialect, and into RP English. I salute them both.  BACK

Tom and Barbara mainly alternate on lead vocals. The song that gives the CD its title laments rather than welcomes what we amusingly know as progress. This is the default position of folk music when it comes to change.  Tom’s own lyric, Exe, Barle and Bray addresses them with vitriol, based on the chorus of an Exmoor hunting song, the song leaves no doubt as to the depth of the anger out there.

Some would ask: Why call an album Tide of Change then include a very traditional version of Barbara Allen, surely a song that everyone knows by heart from school? Er, no, they don’t. It’s perhaps embarrassing to say this but despite having a few hundred folk recordings from the past 30 year - this is the first time it’s appeared on any recording I own. It’s sung by Barbara - and it’s magnificent. There are a couple of fair songs - Bampton Fair and Bridgwater Fair. Sources and writers are credited. Also of note is the concluding In Friendship’s Name, a great singing song from a Scots original which bookends the album with Eric Bogle’s opener Sound of Singing. In between there’s the whole range of folk: comic, sad, protest, ballad, chorus, music hall. You couldn’t really want more. BACK

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     greenmanreview.com     Putting on Airs     What's On Folks     English Dance & Song

     Shreds & Patches     Folkwrite     Rock 'n' Reel     Folk North West 

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I've always rated Tom & Barbara Brown highly as singers, but have only heard them do a few songs during an evening, never as guests. This CD, therefore, came as something of a surprise, and an absolutely delightful one at that! The album, with a definite West Country bias, is a superb selection of songs which do justice to their versatility... It's quite unusual to declare that I enjoyed every track on an album, but this is genuinely the case here.   BACK

You'll find some real gems here, Cornish versions of the Ox-driver's Song titled 'Cornish Ploughboys' and the White Cockade titled 'The Green Cockade'. There is also a Baring-Gould version of 'The Keenly Lode' and a couple of songs, 'The Wives of St. Ives' (Tom) and 'Take Your Time' (Barbara), learned from Mervyn (Farewell Shanty) Vincent who would have been pleased to know that he can still promote the battle of the sexes even from the grave! The CD has comprehensive notes on the songs and their origins as one would expect from such knowledgeable folk as these and is attractively produced by Doug & Co. at Wild Goose. Anything else? Oh yes, of course Tom and Barbara's singing - bloody marvelous - well, what else would you expect?     BACK

Never mind folk's brat-pack: here come the wrinklies. This turned out to be a treat... There are interesting variants on familiar songs - Unquiet Grave, The Flying Cloud, The Green Cockade, some with specially composed tunes - a song composed by Bob Cann and some fine tunes. If you like the recent Baring Gould collection and the whole ethos of Thomas Hardy-style music, risk a few quid on this.     BACK

Many will welcome this overdue CD. What we get on the 14 tracks included is a rundown of the things that have motivated Tom & Barbara's approach to music - west country songs, ballads, harmonising with friends, and love of a good tune... Tom & Barbara deliver their strong, clear, vocals throughout, giving us good honest singing without affectation. Would we had more of it in the self-conscious and starstruck folk scene of today. The Browns have been worthy of recording for a long time now. Well spotted, Wildgoose       BACK

Songs, and a couple of tunes out of the West Country from Silbury Hill down to St Ives. Tom and Barbara sing very naturally and put their material over well. An all female chorus is unusual and effective in 'The Green Cockade' and the sentimental 'Take your Time.' Tom's songs include the humorous 'Wives of St Ives' and 'Mortal Unlucky 'Ol Chap' which is sung in dialect with clodhopping melodeon and must be guaranteed to scatter any listening teenagers! (But also includes fine fiddle accompaniment by Chris Bartram.) These are unadorned but effective performances that leave any distinction between tradition and revival happily blurred.   BACK

Tom and Barbara Brown are fine singers who specialize in the songs of England's West Country. While some of the songs showcase their solo voices, more of them feature lovely vocal harmonies. Voice, or rather, song, is the focus of this recording. The instrumental work is understated. It is there to support the singing and never interferes with the telling of the song lyrics. No one gets fancy, and they would sound out of place if they did. If you love English song or fine vocal harmonizing, you'll want to hear this.    BACK

This is a delightful album featuring a couple from the English west country... They have warm, moving voices and are often accompanied by some fine singers on choruses. Accompaniment includes melodeon, concertina and fiddle along with more modern instruments such as guitar and mandola, and the unusual but effective bass trombone. Songs on the album range from music hall through the humorous to sorrowful; but their version of "The Flying Cloud" is devastating, one of the best I've ever heard of this song.   BACK

Settle down with a glass in hand and enjoy listening to Tom and Barbara as if they're actually with you, performing musical tales of the West Country in a refreshing and straightforward style. The CD demonstrates a delightfully clean and light production touch with spot-on chorus and instrumental support by a host of friends. Tom & Barbara sing here with an infectious love and fervor which lifted this listener's spirits: try, if you can, to resist singing along with the joyous 'Norton New Bell Wake'! A great finisher, too, with T & B's many friends stomping away with 'Centenary March', rounding off a wide- ranging mix of traditional-style music of land, sea and 'air'!    BACK

Tom and Barbara Brown have recorded a CD of their own after, at least, 25 years of activity on the folk scene. Many people will be saying "About time too" and thanking them for inspiration and encouragement given at some time during those years, for the Browns are that kind of people. As for this album, well it's a good one, full of handsome songs and tunes with something of a West country bias, not surprisingly, sung with the honest straightforwardness that is a Brown characteristic. They know when they have a good set of words and they let them do their work... Another nice touch among a whole album full of nice touches is that the title tune 'Where Umber Flows', played by Tom Brown, Keith Kendrick, and Chris Bartram, is named after a local river, and was written by Barbara.   BACK

Tom and Barbara have been stalwarts on the folk scene for ages. Then a couple of years ago they left London (wise) for Exmoor and this CD basically reflects their love of and interest in the traditional music of Devon, Cornwall and the West.  Good, solid singing and playing and a good variety of songs from Bob Cann's Dartmoor Song to a very nice version of The White Cockade (this time it's green) from Moe Keast of Bodmin which has Barbara with an all-girl chorus (countered later by Tom and all-male backing on The Wives of St. Ives from Mervyn Vincent of N. Cornwall)... It's all good, and with backing musicians like Dave Webber and Anni Fentiman, Keith Kendrick, Charlie Yarwood and Chris Bartram et al, it would be.    BACK

Many of the titles on this collection will be familiar to anyone who enjoys a good sing. Tom and Barbara approach each song in a lusty, traditional, well-rounded style - as anyone who has heard them would expect... All the tracks are well presented and of equal merit... Nice songs, well sung - but don't take my word for it. Buy the CD and find out for yourself.    BACK

A treat - a real treat. Tom and Barbara have an unerring touch with a traditional song, and here they've assembled a fine repertoire with an even finer supporting cast for backing choruses. The words on the album are crystal clear, so no need to print them as well. It's a joy to listen to such good singing and such a good range of material, from songs that are fairly familiar to songs that are much less so. Highly recommended to anyone who has forgotten what good English folk music sounds like without electronic gimmickry and a drumbeat.    BACK

Tom and Barbara are familiar names to many folk enthusiasts. Here they present us with what is (incredibly) their debut release full of fine songs (and a couple of tunes), which mostly originate from Devon and Cornwall and represent the fruits of many years of research. Both Tom and Barbara sing well with plenty of character, and their lead vocals are supplemented by equally strong backing chorus and instrumental support from some of the cream of the English traditional folk scene - need I say more?! An immensely enjoyable 51 minutes.    BACK

When one considers the speed with which artists put out CDs these days it's a little surprising that this duo have only just produced their first CD and have not got a back catalogue of vinyl waiting in the wings. However, as one might expect from an album that has been thirty something years in the making, the craftsmanship and quality shine through. In performance, Tom and Barbara set out to entertain with material firmly rooted in the tradition, and succeed in making their music accessible to a wide-ranging audience, through their infectious enthusiasm and love of the songs they sing, and this quality has successfully been captured on their recording. The singing is pleasantly powerful and Tom's accompaniment complementary but unobtrusive. I particularly like the guitar Tom puts beneath Barbara's super rendition of 'Jordan' - spine tingling stuff.  All in all a commendable showcase long overdue.    BACK

Where Umber Flows, provides a glimpse of what the folk revival looks like refracted through a strong local tradition. The songs here include local versions of widespread traditional songs, like 'The Green Cockade' and 'The Unquiet Grave', both unusual texts set to handsome tunes. There are also purely local songs like the ballad of tin speculation called 'The Keenly Lode', and the humorous ditty known as 'The Wives of St. Ives', which, as the Browns point out, could be about either the 'scourge of chattering wives', or the complete insignificance of husbands - you'll have to hear it and work it out for yourself. The Browns employ a full retinue of their friends, including Keith Holloway, Dave Webber, Anni Fentiman, Chris Bartram and Brenda Burnside (among others), ensuring that a full chorus and proper band of squeezeboxes, strings, and brass are on hand to back them up, which makes for both richness and variety in their settings.    BACK

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This is a delightful album, which neatly gives the lie to the theory that all folk songs have to be miserable.  A well balanced selection from across the genre - from light hearted to serious, traditional to contemporary and all of them superbly well crafted.  The closing number is ‘Pleasant and Delightful’ (which some will know as ‘The Larks they sang Melodious/Melodeons’ - delete as required). Half way through the first chorus I suddenly discovered I was singing along at the top of my voice  - which says it all, I feel.  For me, this album captures the essence of a really good night in a Folk Club, with nothing pretentious or gimmicky about it - and what a refreshing change that is.  BACK

This CD is full of warmth and homeliness as the opening tracks ‘Coming-in Song’ (Barrie Temple) and the traditional ‘A Cottage Well Thatched With Straw’ confirm.  Their continuing Battle of the Sexes is well represented both in the sleeve notes and the song ‘The Farmer and His Wife’ where Barbara maintains that men have problems with multi-tasking.  Rubbish (the concept, not the song), of course.  As with their first album many of the tracks are accompanied by Tom’s excellent guitar, mandola or English concertina arrangements and backed by a chorus.  There are also extra accompaniments on some tracks.  Even one of our ex-local lassies, champion clogger Melanie Barber, gets to step on ‘The Tithe Pig’!  All in all a fine follow up to their debut CD. BACK

Tom and Barbara are a delightful duo to MC for: to say that this CD is pleasant would be an insult.  They’ve gone as far as possible to recreate, in a recording studio, the atmosphere of a live club performance.  With the first track, Barrie Temple’s ‘Coming-In Song’, the introductory chorus is sung by just the two of them.  Then the support singers start joining in, first one, next chorus two or three, until the whole ensemble are in and harmonising.  Just like a club learning a new refrain.  Tom and Barbara have called on an impressive line-up in support, not only for choruses, but also musicians to add to Tom’s accompaniments, especially effective on the link from ‘Sir Francis Drake’ to ‘The Bold Privateer’.  I particularly liked ‘Louisa’s Journey’, a true story of how a lifeboat from Lynmouth had to be dragged to a safe launching site, to pull of a successful rescue.  Thumbs up for this CD!  BACK

Dirty Linen. Feb/March 2003. Steve Winick     

Tom and Barbara Brown have been singing West Country songs for donkey's years. Their latest album, Prevailing Winds, brings to bear all their experience in selecting and arranging some of the region's best and most interesting songs. Apocryphal lyrics like "The Bitter Withy" were rarely collected but make great performance pieces, and Tom's rich voice and concertina do an unusually satisfying version. Barbara does a similarly round‑voiced rendition of "The Tithe Pig," the tale of a parson demanding a pig from a farmer, and the hilarity that ensues. With a few friends to add harmonies and instrumental accompaniments, the Browns handle it all with style, producing a simple but delightful folk album.  BACK

This CD contains a well thought out order of songs, with a good variety of solo, duo and chorus voices. I just feel at times that some of the spontaneity and enthusiasm for the songs, which is so much a part of Tom & Barbara's live performances, is missing from this studio recording. The raw edge of traditional music has been smoothed a little too much for my liking. BACK