Oysterband The Oxford Girl & Other Stories

'The Oxford Girl is not, the band insist, a 'Best Of' album, or a retrospective, but 'a set of all-new acoustic recordings to mark Oysterband's 30th anniversary'; and so we get 14 classic cuts from across the band's history, reimagined and rearranged. The original fiery spirit remains intact in the band's unplugged state, and their strong vocal harmonies stand out on the ebullient 'When I'm Up I Can't Get Down' or the hazy spirituality of 'The Soul's Electric', while the lovely 'By Northern Light' features subtly arranged woody and wheezy textures. The murder narrative of 'The Oxford Girl' still chills, while the warm, cello-led 'Put Out The Lights' wraps up the set and sends it home. As this album's instrumental refiguring confirms, Oysterband make music for changing times, just as they have changed with them.' Songlines 3..great tunes, superb voices, clever lyrics and a big dollop of the stuff that turns a band into a Great British Institution. **** ý (R2) '...the stunning Little Brother, a heartfelt, unsentimental and unflinching description of raising an autistic child, remains a unique and unparalleled achievement.' Sunday Times '...these...sometimes radically different interpretations to the originals do make them sound fresh and modern. ... Sometimes simplicity is best and this welcome and welcoming spring-clean through the band's own history proves it rather neatly. Looking forward to their diamond anniversary.' fROOTS.