MUSIC
WEEK
Diving for Pearls
Allie Fox's
debut album Diving for Pearls …… a really exceptional
release.
BOB
HARRIS, BBC RADIO 2
I spend
most of my waking hours listening to new CDs that come in and deciding
whether I want to play them on the programme or not. Mostly it's
not actually, because a lot of the listening is invisible in the
sense that you're getting CDs in day by day and a lot of them you're
thinking - 'No I don't really like that' or 'No I don't particularly
want to play that.' In the case of this one, the first thing that
attracted me to it was the reviews which were absolutely superb
and saying what a delicate and beautiful album this is…Gradually
it began to wash over me and I got into the spirit of the album
and began to really enjoy it….I think it's a really nice album
and I'll definitely be playing more tracks from it in the weeks
to come.
MAKING
MUSIC
Allie Fox - Diving for Pearls
Drawing
on the talents of some top Scottish session musicians and producer
Iain McKinna, Allie Fox has crafted a varied and warm album. From
the folky bounce of The Moon Above the Rooftops and Backstreet
Girl to the Latin-tinged percussive thrust of Marguerita,
there is a consistent quality here. Some lovely backing vocal arrangements
- particularly on the Motown-y I Was Wrong - enhance things
nicely……
EDINBURGH
EVENING NEWS
Pearls of Emotion
From the
outset, Diving for Pearls has the feel of a well-honed project.
Borders singer-songwriter Allie Fox achieves a dextrous balance
between relaxed, even upbeat, rhythms and thoughtful lyricism. The
clarity of Fox's voice is crystalline. With a sound that has hints
at times of Sandy Denny, she commands attention - not only to the
songs, but to what she is singing about.
This is
music for the evening, perhaps a summer one at that. The occasional
thrum of Spanish-influenced guitar certainly enhances this idea,
but just as you think you have Fox pinned down, the music takes
another turn and the mood deepens. The touch of violas and cello
on I Was Wrong creates a sweet melancholia - although the
Border pipes could take you by surprise.
It's the
musical twists which keep this CD fresh. The quirky percussion intro
to The Moon Above the Rooftops - which gives way to country-inspired
guitar and a hint of the transatlantic to Fox's vocals - cannot
help but bring a smile.
Behind the
gentle chords and dreamy arrangements there's an underlying tender
solemnity which ensures Diving for Pearls leaves an impact
which lasts for days not hours.
Kaye
McAlpine
THE
HERALD
Allie Fox Live at the Edinburgh Fringe - The Tron August 10 2000
Allie Fox
once used the same loo as Paul Simon. This isn't a claim to fame.
Rather, since it happened during Simon's mid-1960's British folk
scene odyssey when Fox was already a youthful fellow performer,
it's confirmation of her long service in music.
Borders-based
Fox recently released her well-received album Diving for Pearls
and showcased some of it here. A sweetly expressive singer and able
guitarist, she also has an attractive, optimistic songwriting style.
Life's bummers - redundancy, severe weather - provide vehicles for
refreshingly witty, chin-up observation…. Fox is producing
some fine work deserving of wider attention.
Rob
Adams
