Archangel Hill

2023 studio album by Shirley Collins
Archangel Hill
A pastoral scene with horses walking toward green hills
Studio album by
Shirley Collins
Released26 May 2023 (2023-05-26)
Recorded2022[a]
StudioMetway (Brighton)[a]
GenreEnglish folk
Length37:28
LabelDomino
ProducerIan Kearey
Shirley Collins chronology
Heart's Ease
(2020) 		Archangel Hill
(2023)

Archangel Hill is a 2023 studio album by British folk musician Shirley Collins. It has received positive reviews from critics.

Reception

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Archangel Hill received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 84 out of 100 from seven critic scores.[2] Editors at AllMusic rated this album 4 out of 5 stars, with critic Mark Deming writing that this "offers a brief taste of what Collins was like as a performer shortly before [Collins]' retirement" which lasted almost 40 years, concluding with 2016's Lodestar and he sums up that this album "documents a singular artist with a tremendous command of her gifts".[3] Mojo's Jim Wirth gave this album 4 out of 5 stars, summing up that with "its own low-key sparkle Archangel Hill stands testament to a musical third act every bit as engaging as anything that went before".[4] Ben Hogwood of musicOMH rated Archangel Hill 4.5 out of 5 stars, calling it "another life-affirming encounter with a remarkable artist" that "once again shows her ability to communicate with her listeners as though they are the only people in the room".[5] NPR's Jonathan Williger characterizes this release as "sagelike, Collins presents these songs as a testament to a life well lived, all its sentimental nooks and crannies fully intact" and ending "that sincerity, the bridge between now and then, is the great gift of Collins' music and underpins the power of these songs that have resonated throughout her homeland and her life".[6] Neil Spencer of The Observer gave this work 4 out of 5 stars, writing that "weathered tones come with unforced gravitas" in Collins' voice.[7] Jim Hilton of The Quietus noted that there was some jubilance the music and additionally, "the songs speak of departure, displacement, pursuit, kidnap, long journeying and delayed arrival".[8] In Uncut, Louis Pattison rated it 4 out of 5 stars, stating that "one of the things that fascinates about Archangel Hill is listening to the way Collins' relationship with this material has changed over time", including how Collins' voice has aged.[9]

Archangel Hill in best-of lists
Outlet Listing Rank
AllMusic[10] Favorite Folk & Americana Albums —
Mojo[11] The 75 Best Albums of 2023 36
musicOMH[12] musicOMH's Top 50 Albums Of 2023 15
The Quietus[13] Quietus Albums of the Year 2023 23
Uncut[14] The 75 Best Albums of 2023 22

Uncut editor Michael Bonner included this album on his list of the best of the year.[15]

Track listing

All tracks are traditionals, except where noted.

  1. "Fare Thee Well My Dearest Dear" – 3:16
  2. "Lost in a Wood" – 3:00
  3. "The Captain with the Whiskers" (T.H. Bayley, Alfred Mullens) – 2:46
  4. "June Apple" – 1:52
  5. "The Golden Glove" – 3:11
  6. "High and Away" (Pip Barnes) – 3:55
  7. "Oakham Poachers" – 2:19
  8. "Hares on the Mountain" – 3:08
  9. "Hand and Heart" (F.C. Ball) – 2:19
  10. "The Bonny Labouring Boy" – 3:21
  11. "Swaggering Boney" – 1:42
  12. "How Far Is It to Bethlehem?" (Frances Alice Chesterton) – 2:06
  13. "Archangel Hill" (Shirley Collins) – 4:33

Personnel

Shirley Collins and the Lodestar Band

  • Shirley Collins – vocals (tracks 1–3, 5–10, 12, 13), arrangement (1, 2, 5, 7, 9–12),
  • Dave Arthur – snare drum (tracks 3, 4), arrangement (3, 4, 11), banjo (3), harmonica (5), shruti box (10)
  • Pip Barnes – electric guitar (5), acoustic guitar (10–12), arrangement (10, 11)
  • Pete Cooper – viola (tracks 1, 12), fiddle (3–5, 11), arrangement (3, 4, 11), mandolin (3, 4)
  • Ian Kearey – production, arrangement (all tracks); bass guitar (tracks 1, 3, 5, 7, 11), 12-string guitar (1), acoustic guitar (2, 5, 8), celesta (2, 6), electric guitar (6, 12, 13), acoustic 12-string guitar (7), piano (8, 12), bottleneck electric guitar (8), tiple (12); treated piano, melodeon (11); whistle (12)
  • Glen Redman – drum (tracks 5, 11); arrangement, dance (11)

Additional contributors

  • Matthew Cooper – design
  • Winsome Evans – harpsichord (track 9)
  • Archangel Hill – wind (track 13)
  • Barry Grint – mastering at Alchemy Mastering
  • Peter Messer – artwork painting
  • Peter Schuler – painting photography
  • Al Scott – recording, mixing

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b All tracks were recorded at Metway Studios in 2022, except "Hand and Heart", which was recorded live at the Sydney Opera House in 1980.[1]

References

  1. ^ "Archangel Hill - Shirley Collins". Bandcamp. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  2. ^ "Archangel Hill by Shirley Collins Reviews and Tracks – Metacritic". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. n.d. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  3. ^ Deming, Mark (n.d.). "Shirley Collins – Archangel Hill". AllMusic. RhythmOne. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  4. ^ Wirth, Jim (26 May 2023). "Shirley Collins Reviewed". Articles | New Music. Mojo. ISSN 1351-0193.
  5. ^ Hogwood, Ben (27 May 2023). "Shirley Collins – Archangel Hill". Album Reviews. musicOMH. ISSN 2516-6220. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  6. ^ Williger, Jonathan (25 May 2023). "Review: Shirley Collins' 'Archangel Hill' is a testament to a life well lived". The NPR Music Review. NPR. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  7. ^ Spencer, Neil (20 May 2023). "Shirley Collins: Archangel Hill review – brio and unforced gravitas". Review. The Observer. Guardian Media Group. ISSN 0029-7712. OCLC 50230244. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  8. ^ Hilton, Jim (6 June 2023). "Shirley Collins". Review. The Quietus. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  9. ^ Watts, Peter (1 June 2023). "Shirley Collins – Archangel Hill". Reviews > Albums. Uncut. ISSN 1368-0722.
  10. ^ "Favorite Folk & Americana Albums". AllMusic. RhythmOne. n.d. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  11. ^ "MOJO's Top 75 Albums of 2023". BrooklynVegan. 14 November 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2023. from the original in Mojo, issue 362 (ISSN 1351-0193
  12. ^ Hubbard, Michael (8 December 2023). "musicOMH's Top 50 Albums Of 2023". Lists. musicOMH. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  13. ^ Hilton, Jim (4 December 2023). "Quietus Albums Of The Year 2023 (In Association With Norman Records)". Features | Quietus Charts. The Quietus. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  14. ^ Sacher, Andrew (9 November 2023). "Uncut's Top 75 Albums of 2023". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 15 November 2023. from the original in Uncut, January 2024 (ISSN 1368-0722
  15. ^ Bonner, Michael (6 December 2023). "The Best Albums Of 2023 – the Editor's picks". Features > Blogs. Uncut. ISSN 1368-0722. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  • Archangel Hill at Discogs (list of releases) Edit this at Wikidata
  • Archangel Hill at MusicBrainz (list of releases) Edit this at Wikidata
  • v
  • t
  • e
Solo albums
  • Sweet England (1959)
  • False True Lovers (1960)
  • Heroes in Love (EP, 1963)
  • The Sweet Primeroses (1967)
  • The Power of the True Love Knot (1968)
  • Adieu to Old England (1974)
  • Amaranth (1976)
  • Lodestar (2016)
  • Heart′s Ease (2020)
  • Archangel Hill (2023)
Collaborations
Authority control databases Edit this at Wikidata
  • MusicBrainz release group