(Water Music) www.watermusicrecords.com

While American folk singers were still trying to capture the spirit of Woody Guthrie in song with their battered Martin guitars, across the pond in England outfits like the Strawbs, the Incredible String Band, and Fairport Convention were trying to take traditional folk music in different directions. With the benefit of hindsight, it's been rightly concluded that Fairport Convention was the best of breed, the band's brightest line-up including possibly the best folk-rock singer ever in Sandy Denny, the serviceable pipes of vocalist Ian Matthews, and the incredible fretwork of Richard Thompson. The band's second and third albums – What We Did On Our Holiday and Unhalfbricking, both released in 1969 – are timeless collections of elegant British folk-rock music.

Fairport Convention poached Sandy Denny from the Strawbs to replace departing vocalist Judy Dyble just in time to record the band's sophomore effort, What We Did On Our Holiday. The change in the band's sound was remarkable, Denny bringing an ethereal quality to the music that was absent from the debut album. A mix of originals penned by band members, with a smattering of well-chosen, unlikely covers, the album was more pastoral than the band's debut, but no less ambitious.

Denny's angelic vocals soar across songs like the ethereal "Fotheringay," while the bluesy "Mr. Lacey" displays Thompson's growing guitar skills. The Joni Mitchell cover "Eastern Rain" is an atmospheric piece with rumbling percussion and swells of instrumentation, while the traditional "She Moves Through The Fair" melds all of the band's talents into a haunting performance wherein voices and music achieve perfect balance. It is amazing to consider, nearly 40-years after the release of What We Did On Our Holiday, the fact that none of the band members were older than 23, and three (including Thompson) were still in their teens.

Matthews left Fairport Convention in late-1969 to form Matthews Southern Comfort, necessitating another change in the band's sound. More than just a male counterbalance to Denny's powerful vocals, Matthews also provided songwriting support. With Matthews largely absent from the making of Unhalfbricking, the band would edge closer to the “folk” side of the folk-rock equation. As such, Unhalfbricking is a strong, if not spectacular collection, weighing heavier on covers and traditional tunes (including three – count 'em! – three Dylan songs) than previous.

The album nevertheless offers its share of whimsy, such as a Cajun remake of Dylan's "If You Gotta Go, Go Now" as "Si Tu Dois Partir," sung in French, and an unlikely British chart hit. Denny's beautiful, gossamer "Who Knows Where The Time Goes?" is, perhaps, the singer's best-known song, but Fairport's eleven-minute romp through the traditional "A Sailor's Life," featuring future band member Dave Swarbrick's fiddle, is a breathtaking ride on the waves of the band's future.

Standout Tracks: "She Moves Through The Fair," "Eastern Rain” (WWDOOH); "A Sailor's Life," "Who Knows Where The Time Goes?" (Unhalfbricking) REV. KEITH A. GORDON