‘Sea Song Sessions’, is a collection of British maritime folk songs and sea shanties, performed by a collective of some of British folk music’s leading lights: Jon Boden, Seth Lakeman, Ben Nicholls, Emily Portman & Jack Rutter.
The concept for Sea Song Sessions came to them in 2021, when they were asked to prepare an evening of sea-related songs for the Folkestone Festival. Boden’s celebrated work with Bellowhead (of course no strangers to sea-faring songs) and Ben Nicholls’ band, Kings of The South Seas (who play exclusively maritime-influenced music), formed the natural foundation and inspiration for these acclaimed musicians to conceive the ‘Sea Song Sessions.’
Recorded live with seasoned veteran Ben Hillier (Blur, Depeche Mode, Elbow) over two days, they sought to harness the immediacy of the studio and utilise his experience across other genres to bring a deeper complexity to the production of these tracks. The performances were tracked at Agricultural Audio, Hillier’s own studio in the Sussex Downs built inside a giant farm building using hay bales.
Unsurprisingly from the oldest independent record label in the world and an undeniable steward of Britain’s folk music, Topic has a long history of recording maritime/sea songs, this record serves as a continuation of their classic releases of the 60s and 70s (‘Sea Songs & Shanties,’ ‘Blow The Man Down,’ etc).
Label: Topic Records
UPC: 714822046121 (CD)
Catalogue Number: TSCD612
Release Date: 30 September 2022