Hannah Sanders
Album: Charms Against Sorrow
Label: Sungrazing
Tracks: 11
Website: http://www.hannahsandersfolk.com

At last, here's Hannah's full-length debut album, following on nice and swiftly from last autumn's "official taster" three-track EP Fate, of which I bemoaned its brevity while praising its content. Just one of the EP's tracks, its opening number I'll Weave My Love A Garland, is reprised on Charms Against Sorrow, while the remainder of the set comprises freshly conceived "grass roots" recordings made at various (and sometimes unusual) intimate locations - the kitchens and living rooms of Hannah herself and her engineer/producer Ben Savage, the Lake District cottage of friend (and brilliant singer, storyteller and harpist) Nick Hennessey, and a massive empty room in an old mill in Suffolk. As Hannah says, this was done in order to "deliver a real range of mood and feeling, to bring the listener in to a place where they can feel more."

Another aspect of the very special atmosphere of this album, its sheer intimacy, is conveyed by that very quality within Hannah's own singing, whose carefully managed dynamics and yet entirely natural inflections speak of a close bond with, and respect for, her chosen material as well as a sure grasp of vocal and interpretive technique. These impressive attributes are mirrored by the equally close rapport she shares with her fellow-performers both in the actual music-making and in the communication of the songs - here, Ben Savage, Evan Carson and Jade Rhiannon (all from The Willows), bass player Jon Thorne, cellist Anna Scott and Hannah's own sister Ruth. Ben in particular contributes some absolutely breathtaking dobro to Hannah's expertly contoured renditions of this largely traditional repertoire, which include seriously memorable takes on Lord Franklin, Joshuay (a version of The Prickly Bush) and Bonnie Bunch Of Roses (the latter sporting a delicate instrumental coda Mayflower Stranger). A Sailor's Life receives a captivating, individual a cappella reading with some astonishingly powerful touches: a reading quite different from that of one of Hannah's primary inspirations, Sandy Denny, to whom I've previously compared her at times. Also, as I've remarked before, Hannah on occasion displays a pronounced, though similarly positive influence, from early Joni Mitchell, this time in the guitar accompaniment to Lord Franklin as well as on the more overt shades of phrasing (and ease of command of a wide register) within her singing.

There's a truly ghostly resonance to the swoops and howls of The Werewolf (yes, the same Michael Hurley song that was also covered by Barry Dransfield many full-moons back), a track which also demonstrates Hannah's mastery of a jazzier brand of inflection. Her intuitive response to Anne Briggs' charismatically aching Go Your Way complements the refreshingly different lilt she brings to the folk club chestnut Pleasant And Delightful, while her driving account of the broadside ballad Miles Weatherhill & Sarah Bell takes the song into a tougher territory even that that of her source for the song, Nic Jones.

Throughout the disc, in spite of the excellence and aptness of the instrumental accompaniments, I find I'm increasingly unable to tear myself away from Hannah's voice, for she really has the measure of these songs and we can learn much from her readings - if we're prepared to jettison needless preconceptions of how they are to be interpreted for today's audiences. With Charms Against Sorrow, there's no doubt in my mind that Hannah has produced an exquisitely turned artistic statement, one that is both personal and special and yet at the same time outward-looking and inclusive, likely to appeal to a wide audience that's prepared to listen attentively.

David Kidman