'Collection' by KC Jones
Review
KC Jones, that is to say Karen & Colin combined, have a new album out today, their third (after ‘Captive' and ‘Roots') and it's called ‘Collection'.
There are dark hints that it might be their last & in that light, some of the features make plenty of sense. I'm going to stick my neck out and say that they've made it for themselves and what's wrong with that?
The evidence is various: there is a definite sense of their having invited friends (such as Keith Donnelly, Bob Powell and Marion Fleetwood) to join in and to some extent there has been a sort of rummage through their own favourites as suggested by the cover art as much as the tracklisting.
The final effect is of a miscellany ranging from the inclusion of their previously released & well received single "The Apocalyptic Horsemen", through some often radical reworkings of really well known songs (and these definitely weren't necessarily classified as "folk" in their original incarnations) to other newer songs of their own.
As I say, making sense of what they've recorded makes plenty of sense in the context of sharing their own enthusiasms regardless of genre expectations and wouldn't it be churlish of anyone to criticise these? I hope they will continue writing and recording, but there is plenty of potential in any career for a declaration of "this is who we are". I think that one reason I've rated KC Jones has been their refusal to be restricted by the tyranny of genre, when too many people pander instead to those expectations & are duller and certainly more predictable for so doing.
Unsurprisingly (unlike a couple of the arrangements which will definitely cause you to raise your eyebrows), the performing is top notch and you will detect plenty of love mixed in with the technique. It's probably worth saying too that although not all of the songs started their various journeys at a place called "folk", that's nevertheless where they've all ended up.
The pair are launching the album on June 4th at the Godiva Sessions at The Humber in Coventry: I'd imagine some or all of their guests will be there to perform the relevant songs, and given that the event seems to be free, rather good value.
