Website [Release date 05.12.26]
Sam Carter is a BBC Folk Award winning finger picking singer songwriter, who has travelled the world playing his narrative rich songs.
He carries on this fifteen year tradition with five songs on this EP. He has delved deep into folk history and adapted these songs from songs lyrics and melodies stretching back over two hundred years.
He grew up in Rutland, and went to school half a mile from Oakham Castle so the tale of the Oakham Poachers has always resonated with him. Unfortunately the poachers weren’t as successful as Sam in their chosen career, one of them died in chains in prison, one was deported to Australia and the other was hanged in Oakham woods. “The poacher is often cast a folk hero” says Sam, “there is something shared between the folk singer and the poacher – both acts reclaim what was ours to begin with”
Track one is credited to Jean Ritchie, a one woman treasure trove of American folk songs, a lot of which would have come over from England.
Track two and five are traditional English folk songs arranged by Sam.
Track three has taken its lyrics from Charles Mackay, a Scottish songwriter, poet journalist and novelist
Track four credits the melody to Edmund Dumas a Primitive Baptist minister politician and songwriter from the late 1800’s , with the words attributed to Farwell from New Selection of 1806.
So a deep dive down the rabbit hole of traditional English and American folksongs, with all the arrangements by Sam. Any fan of this genre will welcome this collection of songs, and any fans of Fairport Convention, Richard Thompson, Fotheringay and Steeleye Span should also check this boy out. Everything about Sam Carter is right to be playing songs like this, – his outstanding guitar work, his voice, his delivery, he does everything a folk fan would want. ****
Review by Andy Sharrocks
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