Basket of Light

Released

If nothing else, The Pentangle understood the value of a good tie-in – Basket Of Light’s opener, “Light Flight” was the theme song for BBC1’s Take Three Girls, introducing the group to a wider audience by stealth. If the first few Pentangle albums were attempts at marking out territory – how do these five stellar musicians intend to go about combining folk, blues and jazz, really? – Basket Of Light is where it all coheres, with the frisky joy of “Light Flight” and the regal mantra of “Once I Had A Sweetheart” early highlights, though the core of Basket Of Light is a run of songs that suggest new possibilities for folk song – “Lyke-Wake Dirge” and “The Cuckoo” are lovingly performed, full of refracting colours and acoustic psychedelia; “Train Song” unravels across bumpy railway tracks, careening across the terrain. Lesser musicians would make a hash of this generic hybridity; but the quintet here are lyrical, flexible, steadfast.

Jon Dale

Suggestions
Parallelograms cover

Parallelograms

Linda Perhacs
Bernice cover

Bernice

Kaleidoscope
No Roses cover

No Roses

Albion Country Band, Shirley Collins
Midnight Cowboy cover

Midnight Cowboy

Various Artists
Crosby, Stills & Nash cover

Crosby, Stills & Nash

Crosby, Stills & Nash
Sandy cover

Sandy

Sandy Denny
Saint Just cover

Saint Just

Saint Just
This Is The Sea cover

This Is The Sea

The Waterboys
Liege & Lief cover

Liege & Lief

Fairport Convention