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The pairing of Anais Mitchell and Jefferson Hamer is nothing short of magical on this seven-song collection of tracks. Mitchell’s clear, spritely voice is the perfect complement to Hamer’s thick, rich vocals, and when combined with the simple folk stylings of these traditional ballads from England and Scotland, these ballads are made stirring and beautiful. Child Ballads transports you to another time and place, and in so doing becomes one of the year’s most unique releases.
Whether singing about a man who begs his queen to lift her curse on his barren wife (“Willie’s Lady”) or waxing philosophical about a number of life’s greater mysteries (“Riddles Wisely Expounded”), Mitchell and Hamer infuse these centuries-old tunes with life and vitality. Their ability to perform these songs as though they themselves were the original storytellers—that is to say, the passion with which they sing, and the overflow of subtle emotion which pours from their hearts as though they experienced these tales firsthand—is a treat and not something which a lot of artists could accomplish. In truth, the way Hamer carries on in “Willie of Winsbury,” you would think it was he who had impregnated the king’s daughter and who is now agreeing to marry her, and that is no small feat.
Child Ballads is the sort of record that puts you in mind of times of yore, with knights fighting for glory and honor, tales been sung and spun by learned bards, and townfolk living in remote hamlets or on the outskirts of a castle or kingdom. Mitchell and Hamer provide you with gorgeous duets to help add extra color and life to the tales and their settings, and the results are deeply satisfying. Child Ballads is one of 2013’s most fully realized albums.
