Kind Letters

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Martin Simpson has long been considered one of the world's best acoustic and slide guitarists, both technically and artistically. Although English, he lived for many years in the USA and is steeped in American music of all kinds. This CD concentrates on the music of the British Isles, but brings all his many influences to bear on a recording project that he considers his very best. He is joined on the album by 10 other musicians including members of the Irish group Danu. Guitar-based music has proved to have been the most successful strand of acoustic music over a period of many years and Martin Simpson is a practitioner of this craft par excellence.

From the Label

Martin says of his latest release, echoing the words of the writer Kazuo Ishiguo, "Traditional music is a treasure chest waiting to be opened," and he was never more aware of the beauty and the value of the contents of that hoard than in the process of making this recording. Kind Letters is a kind of follow-up to the his award-winning 2001 release The Bramble Briar in that he has chosen songs largely from the English repertoire--some of which have been with him for as long as he can remember.

Martin’s unequalled talents on guitar, banjo, and vocals are joined by a host of outstanding musical accompanists including Nancy Kerr and James Fagan, Chris Parkinson, and members of the celebrated Irish group Danu to produce what is probably Martin’s best album to date.