Blackbeard's Tea Party
Album: Reprobates
Label: Proper
Tracks: 12
Website: http://www.blackbeardsteaparty.com

The wonder band have returned! Blackbeard's Tea Party is one of the UK's favourite folk bands and anyone who has sampled their three previous albums will see why. The use of traditional folk instruments, booming voices, appealing stories and modern electric instruments makes the band appealing for all folkies.

The release of the latest album 'Reprobates' has just shown how Blackbeard's Tea Party continue to dive from strength to strength and will be filling up our shelves for many years to come.

The fourth instalment continues the familiar music style we have grown to recognise and introduces is to a new batch of exciting stories and gripping songs which are new and exciting but do not compromise or move away from what fans want.

There is a good mix throughout the album of having electric instruments in the forefront and then having the fiddle as the focus such as for 'Hangman's Noose'. It is also good that the band are continuing to mix instrumental tracks with vocal pieces as well, this has always been a common theme for the band and something fans enjoy to help keep the album interesting and varied. 'Reprobates' has mixed the tracks up even more than in the past albums by having essentially half the album as instrumental and half including stories. The band has chosen a good array of stories to tell in their music 'Jack Ketch' and 'The Steam Arm Man' being particular favourites in this instalment.

The dynamics of the band members seem to be ever growing, having been playing together since 2009 it is nice to see how all styles have adapted to fit in with each other and create such an appealing style.

I hope there are many more to come!

Paul Rawcliffe