Chris Ricketts: Port of Escape
Acoustic Fusion: AF01 Opening with a Didgeridoo the first track leads us into South Australia, where the lead vocals are strident and youthful, and this sets it apart from other versions of this very well known song. Hanging Johnny is a terrifically twisted tale on which the instrumentation is balanced perfectly to allow the song and guitar style to shine. Round the Bay of Mexico is a change of pace and one that sits comfortably despite the bass & drums making it sound a little clinical. Mingulay Boat Song peaks about two minutes, when there is a section with just Chris’s vocals backed by a fiddle expressing his love and respect for the tradition. Blood Red Roses lifts every thing up to 11! It is a perfect example of English Folk/Rock when it works, the vocals could have been a bit louder in the mix but a really good song that sounds like the love child of Fairport Convention and Pink Floyd. Boston and St John’s is a beautiful song and it really suits Chris’s voice, but it is let down a little by the uninspired drumming. Essequibo River is a cheerful romp and is faultless in its arrangement, performance and production. Spanish Ladies brings us comfortably back to England. This is a superb string accompaniment, behind a vocal performance that has both passion and conviction. Haul Away Joe is a very over played song but Chris manages to inject it with freshness here, really making it his own. Northwest Passage is the only unaccompanied song and leaves you wishing there was more. This is what he does best, so I am pleased that it is the longest track on the album.
We are left with a brilliant version of Leave Her Johnny finally letting us hear that terrific guitar playing style. Anto Morrison Review from Folk London - December 2011
