Faustus
Album: Broken Down Gentlemen
Label: Navigator
Tracks: 10
Website: http://www.faustusband.co.uk

You might well be amazed that this dynamic outfit has managed to keep going while its members have all been heavily involved in other high-profile ensembles (Paul Sartin and Benji Kirkpatrick both as key members of Bellowhead, Saul Rose with Waterson: Carthy and latterly with Whapweasel). But here, after taking only a mere two-year break, the guys deliver a further inspiring and fresh collection of songs deeply rooted in the English tradition, tastefully and inspirationally arranged. But informed with an even more powerful sense of presence. So the album title is surely more than a touch tongue-in-cheek? Broken down? - no way! For there's an infectious energy here, with each song treated with a directly expressed passion that's shot through both playing and singing. The Stu Hanna production is crisp and clear, and the sound is admirably full-bodied at all times.

Faustus are thrice blessed, too, in that each of the musicians, though not primarily known as a singer, is a singer of real character in his own right, which gives the album an extra dimension of freshness and variety. Moreover, each singer proves well suited to his individual "lead" songs: in particular, Paul to Captain's Apprentice and American Stranger, Benji to I Wish, I Wish and Banks Of The Nile, and Saul to Apprentice Boy and Thrashing Machine (shame he only gets to sing those two, while Paul and Benji each take the lead on four songs). The possibilities afforded by the relatively limited instrumentation are more extensive than you might expect, and textures are constantly interesting to say the very least - and abundantly rich for the most part (The Captain's Apprentice especially so, I thought, and I Wish I Wish with its thrusting Seth-Lakeman-like charge).

And the sense of earthy conviction, a wide-eyed joy in discovery and sharing these song variants, is very strong - indeed, there's often a distinct feeling that this is almost to be treated as an object lesson in effective presentation of traditional material, eschewing any gimmicks and bringing it to you straight down the line with full force and commitment. The only aspect of this brilliant album that feels a let-down is its packaging. (It almost wins the award for the least informative accompanying booklet; why go to the expense of including a four-page insert at all, if it contains no information? OK, so the lyrics and "extended notes" are available on the band's website, but then we're left with all the hassle of having to re-format and print them out…) That unfortunate non-musical aspect notwithstanding, this album is extremely likely to turn up in critics' year-end best-of lists.

David Kidman