Jim Moray
Skulk
Release Date: Apr 9, 2012
Genre(s): Folk, British Folk, Traditional Folk
Record label: NIAG
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Album Review: Skulk by Jim Moray
Excellent, Based on 2 Critics
Based on rating 4/5
Experimenting with rock, beats, strings and rap, Moray's updates of folk tradition have been adventurous but erratic. This fifth album is arguably his most measured, setting his supple vocals to acoustic, subtly innovative arrangements. Dark-hued ballads take prominence and allow his flair for the tender and dramatic to shine. "The Captain's Apprentice" has a maritime, Brittanesque atmosphere, ghostly clanks attend "The 18th of June", while the stately "Lord Douglas" comes with accordion and pedal steel.
Based on rating 4/5
Nine years ago, Jim Moray startled the folk scene by treating the well-worn Early One Morning to a barrage of electric guitar and programming. Since then he has moved towards a more traditional acoustic approach, while developing his skills as versatile singer, player and producer, and retaining the ability to surprise. The cover photo of his fifth album shows him cuddling a fox, an image that's as distinctively English but unexpected, as is his treatment of (mostly) traditional songs, starting with the brutal story of The Captain's Apprentice, in which Moray's edgy piano work is backed by sax and double bass.
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