Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

Impressive, moving, imposing itself upon the senses and the mind from the very start until its final lament, such is the striking set of songs brought forth under the banner of Stand Up Now – A Compilation Of Folk Agricultural Folk Songs, that it takes a while for the listener to find their composure once more in the face of extraordinary beauty and honesty, that those three initial thoughts are but the first in a long line of adjectives that make the heart sing when listening to the various artists on offer.

It may be rare for such a sweeping statement to come straight off the bat, however this particular album does not require an introduction, no words of expression, save for the fact that the fifteen songs on offer to the listener exemplify the truth of our relationship with the land and the songs handed down through the generations of those who see the pasture and the field as sacrosanct to our ability to survive and thrive as human beings – for when we care for the land, when we pay attention to how we produce our food and the soil, the land will care for us.

Through tracks such as Lark In The Morning, We Want The Land, The Drovers’ Song, O’Halleran Sisters, Green Brooms, Rufford Park Poachers and Oak and Ash and Thorn, the collective lead the listener through various images of summer days and autumn evenings, of the characters, of the country, and it is one of resplendence, of aching fascination and open palm offerings.

With arrangements and unique expressions from notable artists such as Ewan McClennan, Kerry Ann Jangle and Theo Passingham, King Driscolls, Annie O’Neill, Robyn Grey, Rita Oldenbourg, and The Norfolk Broads, this daring folk album, recorded by the farmers of the field and the musicians that support them, sees the struggle for a better world tale shape.

Outstanding, poignant, affecting every sinew in the heart, soul and mind, Stand Up Now – A Compilation Of Folk Agricultural Folk Songs is an album for the ages. Tender and wild at the same time, it is an album of absolute joy and one that has learning and insightfulness at its core.

Ian D. Hall