Bird in the Belly
Country of origin:
England
Type of music generally:
Traditional and neo-traditional folk
Status:
Most recent release, Neighbours and Sisters (2019)
See also:
Bird in the Belly's siteWikipedia's entry on Bird in the Belly
Comparisons:
Eliza Carthy, Frankie Armstrong, Cordelia's Dad, Sandy Denny, Garmarna, Kate in the Kettle, Sinéad O'Connor's traditional work, June Tabor
Covers/own material:
Mostly traditional lyrics set to neo-traditional tunes and neo-traditional song of their own composition
General comments:
Bird in the Belly make powerful, evocative, emotional traditional/neotraditional folk music. I really like the interplay and contrast of the two main voices here, the Sandy Denny-like rich, powerful vocals of Laura Ward and the gruff, nasal sound of Jinwoo (Ben Webb). The vocals are strong and haunting as are the songs. Mournful and dramatic, with enough energy to keep it lively. (Neile)
Recommended first album:
Either
Recordings:
- The Crowing (2018)
- Neighbours and Sisters (2019)
The Crowing
Release info:
2018—GFM—009
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended for fans of dark traditional music
Group members:
Jinnwoo (Ben Webb)—vocals, autoharp
Laura Ward—vocals, flute
Adam Ronchetti—guitar, percussion, backing vocals
Tom Pryor—violin, piano, autoharp, backing vocals
Guest artists:
Epha Roe—backing vocals, piano
Barry Ward—backing vocals (10)
Produced by:
Ben Weedon and Tom Pryor
Comments:
From the powerful, mesmerizing first track, this album had my attention. It's a strong collection of songs, powerfully and emotionally performed, with clarity and musicianship. The songs are dramatic and energetic. Mostly somewhat darkly beautiful. And that first song especially kills me every time. (Neile)
