Lovely on the Water

An understated but quietly fierce presence in British folk music, Frankie Armstrong’s career carries on strong, now in its seventh decade – she’s only recently formed the quartet, Green Ribbons, with fellow folk singers like Alasdair Roberts and Burd Ellen. But it was 1972’s Lovely on the Water that put Armstrong on the map, her first solo album, and one of the most powerful collections of traditional song of its decade. Armstrong’s voice is often strident – on acapella performances like “The Cruel Mother”, she sings hard and natural, declaiming the song with ferocity. That’s not her only register, though – “The Maid on the Shore” is gently navigated, full of tonal nuance; when accompanied by other musicians, as on opener “Tarry Trousers”, Armstrong is faithful to both her musical peers, and the emotional sediment deep within the words she’s singing.