Full Review

Kris Drever – Mark the Hard Earth

Since winning the best newcomer at the 2007 BBC Folk Awards, Kris has gone on to be one of the highest profile artists on the British folk scene with the all conquering Lau, and somewhere in-between he’s managed to put together this excellent solo album.
The artwork has echoes of a 60s or 70s album with a muted photograph, and this feel entirely appropriate as from the start of the first track the disc feels like an old favourite – it’s warm, welcoming and leaves an impression that it shares as much with the laid back groove of Neil Young’s ‘Harvest’ as it does a contemporary British album.

The content however is broadly rooted in Britain, and in specifically his native Scotland as he covers a couple of tracks from Sandy Wright and Burns’ song in between a couple of trad numbers, but he’s certainly not bound by his roots as he takes in a couple of songs from American artists including the album’s highlight ‘Allegory’.

As befits a man who plays across a number of groups and combination of musicians, this album is full of contributions from some fantastic players including John McCusker, Tim O’Brien, Heidi Talbot, Karine Polwart and Ewan Vernal. With such a strong range of players on the 11 tracks each song features Drever and a range of vocal backing that give the disc its warmth and character.

‘Mark the Hard Earth’ is a unique album, and it stands on its own in the current crop of albums on the folk scene – highly recommended.