Hen Party - Nobody Here But Us

Hen Party got together in 1995 when they did an impromptu performance at Bracknell Harmony Day. Each member brought a unique style to the trio - Alison sang in a duo with Sheila March throughout the '70s before joining the famous harmony group Bread and Roses. Sarah (also a former member of Bread and Roses) has long performed in folk theatre, and sung with various acts including Appalachian vocalist Mary Eagle and fiddle player Mike O'Connor. Heather, a singer with the '70s folk/blues band Hannington Light, brings a lilting, punky edge to the Hen Party sound. This CD shows their eclectic range, as they move from the vigorous opener, The Wind and The Rain, to Jean Richie's The L&N Don't Stop Here Any More, a haunting song about the striking miners in 1940s Kentucky, to Cape Breton Lullaby, a song of love and loss that is delivered sweet but without sentimentality. All the songs chosen for this collection have strong narrative style, particularly anti-war ballads such as The Wife of the Soldier, Bertolt Brecht's chillingly simple homage to a war widow.