Ground Of Its Own (2013)

"Sam Lee is doing all he can to ensure that the British folk revival doesn't fail by becoming predictable. He's an avid song collector, a folk entrepreneur and a singer who sets out to revive lesser-known traditional material in an often startlingly unexpected style. He has a distinctive, unforced voice and his quietly compelling, at times crooned, no-nonsense approach is matched against constantly surprising backing. There are no guitars on his debut album, but he makes use of almost anything else to bring out the eerie mystery or emotion in many of the songs. So "The Ballad of George Collins" is backed by Jews harp, banjo and fiddle, while "On Yonder Hill", a bittersweet story about hares is, told to the sound of trumpet and tank drums, and on the upbeat lament "Goodbye My Darling" he brings out his shruti box to add Indian drone effects. He didn't need the samples of nightingales, swifts and other singers, but this is an impressively brave and original set." (The Guardian, 4 uit 5 sterren)