Artist: Lakeman, Seth
Label: EMI Records
Release: year
Seth Lakeman is a British multi-instrumentalist who plays folk rock. The guy comes from a musical family and is already a pretty well-established name in the UK. Poor Man’s Heaven is his fourth studio album. Besides his solo projects, he also works with other established names, and he was a member of Equation too, with whom he put out four albums.
His biggest support on Poor Man’s Heaven is his brother Sean, yet another multi-instrumentalist in the family, who also helps out with the production. Seth wrote all the tracks himself, with Steve Knightley lending a hand on just three of them and joining in as an additional vocalist, while one more song is a reworking of traditional folk melodies (Sound of A Drum).
With Poor Man’s Heaven, Seth Lakeman has put together a pretty listenable album, full of melodies that crawl under your skin and stick in your head after just a few spins. Over the long haul you get a bit sick of the tunes, but as easy-going entertainment they’re more than decent and endearing. From a folk rock album you might want to hear a little more energy, but Lakeman often falls back on sadder motifs, which are fine for melancholics, but sometimes you just crave something more dynamic.
Seth Lakeman’s main trump card is his melodic touch on every instrument and just enough technical variety. Here and there a bit more virtuosity wouldn’t hurt, but songs packed with strong hooks can work just fine too. Of course, Lakeman gets help on the album from a bunch of good musicians who often bail him out when he starts running low on ideas. Besides the strings and his brother’s mandolin, there’s also a heap of traditional Celtic instruments (plucked ones) that add a lot to the record. So, if Lakeman’s big plus is his top-notch melodic quality, the weak spot is his voice, which can get a bit too whiny and mournful at times, and also poppy and syrupy. It might be enough for serenading some comely village maidens, but to get more recognition he’ll have to do something more in this department too (maybe a duet with a female singer would do the trick).
Despite the minor flaws, Poor Man’s Heaven is a really pleasant, listenable record that lodges itself in your memory thanks to its good melodies. The lyrics are pretty solid too, in the tradition of true Celtic troubadours. He’s not exactly a singer-songwriter with ideas as piercing as Bob Dylan’s, but Seth Lakeman is more than satisfactory in this field. The album will definitely suit all fans of Celtic folk music with a slight hint of rock. Happy listening!
Lineup
Seth Lakeman – vocals, violin, tenor guitar, viola
Sean Lakeman – guitar, mandolin, harmonium
Ben Nicholls – double bass, bass guitar, banjo, harmonica, mandolin
Andy Tween – drums, percussion
Guests:
Ged Lynch – drums, percussion (2, 3, 5 and 6)
Steve Knightley – vocals (1, 7 and 8)
David Rhodes – vocals (1, 7 and 8)
Cormac Byrne – plucked instruments (2, 5, 6 and 11)
Richard Evans – slide guitar (2), acoustic guitar (3)
Kathryn Roberts – vocals (3 and 6)
Jake Watson – hurdy gurdy (4)
DBG – vocals (4 and 8)
Production
Seth and Sean Lakeman
Track list
1. The Hurlers
2. Feather In A Storm
3. Crimson Dawn
4. Blood Red Sky
5. Solomon Browne
6. Cherry Red Girl
7. I’ll Haunt You
8. Race To Be King
9. Poor Man’s Heaven
10. Greed And Gold
11. Sound Of A Drum
