Album review: HONEY AND THE BEAR – Journey Through The Roke

www.honeyandthebear.co.uk [Release date 23.04.21]

East Anglian-based duo Lucy and Jon Hart, performing as Honey and The Bear, return with their second album. Like many musicians, especially on the folk circuit, they would normally have spent a lot of the past year on the road, sadly with the current pandemic that has been a no go.

However, the duo adapted and have been hosting a successful series of live streams. They have also been busy in the studio creating this album where they are joined by four members of Sam Kelly and The Lost Boys – Toby Shaer (whistle, flute, harmonium, double bass, cittern and fiddle), Evan Carson (bodhran, drums and percussion), Archie Churchill-Moss (melodeon) and Graham Coe (cello).

Roke: An old East Anglian word describing the smoke-like mist that rises in the evening off marshes and water meadows.

They delve into Suffolk folklore on opener ‘3 Miles Out’, based on the North Sea flood that devastated the eastern coast in 1953. It also allows the listener the first chance to enjoy the soothing, melodious singing of Lucy Hart.

Jon Hart proves no vocal slouch either, combining well with Lucy’s vocals on ‘Freddie Cooper’, another local piece of history brought to life concerning the lifeboat Freddie Cooper rescuing the Red House Lugger in 1996. Musically it has a jaunty jig underpinning the singing and makes for one of the album’s highlights, of which to be fair there are many.

‘My Lagan Love’ is the only traditional song on here, previously sung by the likes of Kate Bush, it is one of those classic haunting folk ballads and Lucy’s vocals suit this one superbly.

‘Life On Earth’ is a lovely tribute to Sir David Attenborough which again sees the duo joining together on the vocals. A couple of very fitting lines to the great man himself – “Open our eyes to the world, Oh the stories you’ve told”.

Plenty of ebb and flow in the pace of the music, from the cello driven opening on ‘The Miller’ through to the soothing album closer ‘Your Blood’, Honey and the Bear have sequenced the album well.

Those who like their folk at the more traditional end will enjoy and savour this release from Honey and the Bear. Exemplary musicianship and songs that, all bar one, are new yet sound like traditional songs given a new polish. ****

Review by Jason Ritchie

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