Ballads of the Broken Few [LP]

British folk crossover Seth Lakeman turns in one of the most organic records of his career with 2016's Ballads of the Broken Few. A collaboration with sisters/cousin trio Wildwood Kin, Ballads is pares down even further from his semi-rustic 2014 effort Word of Mouth, offering spare single-mike renderings of seven new originals and four traditional and cover songs. As is occasionally his custom, Lakeman once again eschews a proper studio, opting to record at an old Jacobean manor house, with Ethan Johns capturing the sessions in all their harmonic glory. The vocal pairing of Exeter-based sisters Beth and Emillie Key and their cousin Meghann Loney with Lakeman's warm tenor is a good one and they make the most of their rich blend on tracks like "Innocent Child," "Fading Sound," and the soulful title cut, the latter of which is given some extra grit thanks to some wild distorted guitar work from Johns. Recorded in single takes around a lone mike, Lakeman and his collaborators gamely work t