Eliza Carthy initially founded The Wayward Band for her record to promote. This 2013 compilation album featured work from her entire career, which began in the early 1990s. Since then, the English singer / violinist has had just about any hair color, from blonde to blue and from red to her own black. Perhaps that may symbolize all the music styles that she has incorporated into traditional English
… folk music. Her albums are filled with influences from trip hop, ska, dance, jazz, cajun and yet it all remains as English as black tea with milk. With the 11-member Wayward Band, Carthy can go in any direction. The new album Big Machine is very varied, with ancient and new song material. It is filled with loud guitars, howling violins and driving accordions. The whole thing continues to sound organic, as if the group is playing around you. A lot of (digital) cutting and pasting work in the studio was probably not necessary. Carthy and her club just got the hang of it. What a professional, what inspiration and what control! (JE)more
