Review...

The Whirligig of Time The Tradition Bearers LTCD1103

Brief résumé; apprenticeship on Manchester folk scene; member of Canny Fettle for roughly a decade then eleven years as a highly regarded pro on the folk scene with four acclaimed albums for Fellside. Drifted away from folk music in early nineties developing his own music retail business, returned to performing about four years ago.

His initial festival audiences were probably those who remembered him. Steve had always been a highly regarded performer, but this was no nostalgic retrospective; the returned Turner was performing in a more powerful, authoritative and commanding way and this very fine album validates this claim.

The opener confirms his intense interest in Napoleonic songs; and comparing the version of Isle of St. Helena here with his take on the same song on his 1979 debut album demonstrates the greater majesty of the mature Turner. Ballads were always his metier and there are some fine authoritative performances here; Sir Colvin, Young Waters, Bonnie George Campbell and possibly the best of a magnificent bunch, The Rambling Beauty sung to moody guitar played by Martin Carthy. It is a brave man that invites the folk scene's finest - Kerr & Fagan, Miranda Sykes, Ollie Knight etc. - on to his album. It is a very talented man who can use them in the way that Steve does here to enhance his very considerable talents.

Steve thinks that this is, by some way, his best album; he is not the only one.

www.thetraditionbearers.com

Vic Smith fRoots November 2008