Blindman's Holiday - About Time

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Australian a cappella group Blindman's Holiday first made their mark on the folk circuit performing traditional songs from around the world, but in recent years they have also incorporated original songs into their repertoire. In this, their fourth album, they delight us with increasingly confident and sophisticated arrangements, and rhythmically complex vocals well supported with a variety of percussion instruments.

In contrast to their previous work, only six of the thirteen songs are traditional. Embala Eu, an Afro-Brazilian prayer to a goddess who may or may not be Mary, is a gorgeously celebratory beginning. De Sa Turr? e Su Forti is a re-arrangement of the remarkable close-harmony music of Sardinia, usually sung by all-male groups. The harmonies remind me of medieval European music. Traditional Acehnese lullaby Jak Ku Timang combines delicate vocals with a low metallic percussion line.

To me, one of the joys of folk songs is their lyrics, evoking the lifestyles of the past, and About Time has several lovely examples. Lively and risqué, Quebecois song Son Voile qui Volait tells the story of a young girl whose stockings are scandalously revealed by a breeze. Returning to one of BMH?s primary source regions, Bulgaria, the singers of Zavedime Yalino invite the listener for a stroll around their farm. So atmospheric it could have been produced by Peter Gabriel, Búza Közé is an enchantingly beautiful Hungarian love song, sung above a basic drone with other supporting harmonies weaving in and out.

The originals on this album show increasing confidence. Several are written by present or past of the group, while others are sourced outside the group. The amusing and jauntily performed Canzone Delle Sei Sorelle (Song of the Six Sisters) comes from a folk opera by Roberto de Simone and based on a Neapolitan folk tale called El Gata Cenerendola (Cinderella the Cat). In the song, each of the six sisters is visited by the prince and tries to capture his attention.

Lee Hildyard of Xenos has sung with BMH in the past and contributes The Choice is Yours (Coffee Song), a lighthearted piece about café culture. Living Beyond Our Means by Eleanor Tucker is a sharp, tight, humorous song about the financial schemes proliferating in modern life. As an extra bonus, it delightfully includes references to a number of classic money-themed songs. The final song, and the only song written by a present member of the group, Linda Marr?s Love Lust Commitment and Trust has a great groove, and lyrics which many modern women would relate to.

Many of the songs have a political edge. Cancion de Cuna Aborigen is a lullaby for indigenous children, original but with a strong traditional influence based on Afro-Peruvian harmonies and rhythms. Doin? Time was written by Eleanor Tucker in collaboration with female inmates (mostly Aboriginal or Islander) at the Emu Plains Detention Centre, most of whom are in jail for drug-related crime: they ask Does the punishment fit the crime? Written in the early 1990s but sadly still relevant, Alistair Hulett?s Behind Barbed Wire protests against Australia?s policy of mandatory detention of asylum seekers.

This album is BMH?s most confident yet. They cover an impressive amount of musical territory and a wide range of themes with assurance and skill. My tastes lean more towards the grooves, and less towards the straighter beats of the Sardinian and Peruvian music; the standout tracks for me are Embala Eu and Living Beyond Our Means and the gorgeous Búza Közé. About Time is a great showcase for an excellent group. - review by Betty Evans for indie-cds