CD
It is a somewhat melancholy task to be reviewing That’s All Folkies, the final album offering from Belshazzar’s Feast. Well, fair enough; amongst their prolific output in numerous other folk groups, Paul Sartin and Paul Hutchinson have been at it for a quarter of a century. The pair met whilst they were both members with the folk rock band Life of Reilly in the 90s, and thus a marvellous duo was spawned.
During the ensuing 25 years “the Pauls“ have recorded no less than 11 albums as Belshazzar’s Feast and have toured mercilessly, embellishing their accomplished musical performance with trademark dry wit and a cabaret approach. Their repertoire blends classical, pop, traditional folk and music hall - sometimes all within the same medley.
Paul Hutchinson on accordion and Paul Sartin on fiddle, oboe and vocals are joined on a few of the studio tracks by guest musicians including James North, Rob Harbron, Will Balkwill, Pete Flood and Brendan Kelly. Many of the tracks have traditional roots in folios of dance tunes but there are also some original compositions and a sprinkling of trad songs and classical pieces. This sampler is a true reflection of the broad reach of Belshazzar’s Feast; selecting just a single track from each album to bring to this sampler must have been an excruciating task.
TRACK LISTING:
