JUDY DYBLE – Talking With Strangers – CD review

JUDY DYBLE
Talking With Strangers
US reissue

Over in the United States, they’ve finally got round to releasing this album from original Fairport Convention vocalist, Judy Dyble.  After leaving Fairport Convention she was briefly involved a recording session with Giles Giles and Fripp, pre King Crimson, which explains some of the personnel involved in this.

It’s certainly a strange one, veering as it does from folk-rock into prog-rock into goodness who knows what rock, especially on the lengthy ‘Harpsong’, which probably says just as much about co-writer and producer Tim Bowness (No-Man) than it does anything else, despite it being a potted history of the life of Judy Dyble.

The opening acoustic number, `Neverknowing’ gives no indication of what is to come, but by the time you reach the title track you know you’re off somewhere new and unexpected.  With stellar musicians such as Ian McDonald and Robert Fripp (King Crimson), Celia Humphris (Trees), Jacqui McShee (Pentangle) and Simon Nicol (Fairport Convention) all lending a hand, you can be sure that the quality is never going to drop.

Expect the unexpected, then prepare yourself for something even more unexpected.

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