Friday 7th December saw Acoustics at the Altar present Cathryn Craig and Brian Willoughby on the final leg of their UK tour.
Brian and Cathryn have built a fantastic reputation throughout the UK Folk Scene, and gave a performance to remember at St Johns Church in Ryde.
Cathryn, hailing from Tennessee and acclaimed as “one of the finest performers and songwriters on the acoustic/roots circuit today” certainly lived up to every bit of that accolade.
Her voice, with its sweet highs and effortless lows, highlights the duo’s melodies beautifully; she takes the listener on a journey with her, and drops them off at the end with a warm, friendly smile.
Brian, best known as Strawbs guitarist, played perfect accompaniment, joining in with friendly banter and showing off exactly what he does best – turning to his much-loved resonator guitar to indulge us with his trademark solo piece.
‘Alice’ is a heartfelt tribute to Brian’s niece, who has Asperger’s Syndrome. The song was recorded and released by the Acoustic Strawbs in aid of the National Autistic Society and the fine work the Society does to support Autism in all its guises.
Personal favourites: ‘This Night, These Dreams and You’ and ‘Accanoe’ – Cathryn’s ability to throw her voice in the style of a Native Indian chant was just brilliant, and with the acoustics of the church itself, sounded absolutely magnificent.
A superb end to the pair’s 2008 UK tour.
The next Acoustic at the Altar gig will be on 1st February 2008 with ‘Blues Man’ himself Claude Bourbon.
More details to follow soon on the blog.
