THE COLOUR OF NIGHT ALBUM REVIEW

★★★★★

'Chock-full of 11 stunning must-hear tracks which flies the proud flag of absolute quality'

Folk Wales

​

This album, Ninebarrow’s fifth, is very special; Dorset-based duo Jon Whitley and Jay LaBouchardiere celebrate their first decade together, and The Colour of Night is chock-full of 11 stunning must-hear tracks which flies the proud flag of absolute quality. They hit on the stage name after Nine Barrow Down, an elongated chalk escarpment which forms the northern ridge of the Purbeck Hills; their perfect sound paints an aural picture of soaring high harmonies which are spot-on, deliciously precise and elegantly garlanded with gorgeous accompaniment from Lee Mackenzie’s soothing and beautiful cello, John Parker’s prowling double bass and quiet but insistent percussion from Evan Carson and Mark Tucker. It speaks of summer, pastoral landscapes, gentle breeze, peace, contentment and love – but it can pleasantly jolt the audience’s minds when they shift a gear and move ever-so-gently into exquisite, slinky and artful pop.

​

Jon and Jay write in the impressively illustrated songbook that accompanies The Colour of Night: “We’ve known each other since we met at school at the tender age of twelve (way too long ago now!) We became ‘an item’ at fifteen and eventually got married in 2017. We’ve grown up together, and learned so much about ourselves and each other along the way.” In the album, Jay fills out Ninebarrow’s unique sound with reed organ while Jon plays ukulele, tenor guitar, octave mandola and dreamy piano.

​

Ninebarrow compose such good, personal songs; however, they carefully and intelligently cherry-pick the high gallery of writing. The opening track is ‘House’, by a London indie musician named Patrick Wolf; Jay has been a fan of his for years, and Patrick’s final stanza goes: “This is the greatest peace I’ve ever known / Only your love makes house a home.” Jay and Jon have a wonderful knack of creating such tasteful tunes; poet William Barnes wrote ‘The Blackbird’, and they combine it with a mouth-watering, catchy melody which they entitle ‘Among The Boughs’. Jimmy Macarthy worked as a horse jockey in the village of Macroom in County Cork, and he wrote ‘Ride On’; Christy Moore scored with a smash hit which has been covered a zillion times – but Jon and Jay’s enticing two-part harmonies and their spectacular arrangement wave a magic wand and make a whole new art form out of it. The restless solo piano heralds the one traditional song, ‘The Snows They Melt The Soonest’; and their passionate voices make this the best track of all.

​

Their original work is so impressive; ‘Names In The Sky’ tributes Tŷ Hafan, the South Wales children’s hospice on the banks of the Bristol Channel, and ‘Walk With Me’ is just a bold, happy song. ‘Kitty’s Song’ is a Devon girl who fell pregnant out of wedlock and was ostracised by the townspeople; the cruel custom was called Skimmity Riding, where the poor unfortunates were paraded through the streets in front of jeering crowds. ‘Ten Miles by Two’ salutes the workers who cut the Purbeck and Portland limestones; and Jay wrote the title song when he headed out to the Ninebarrow Woodland at night.

​

Jay and Jon sign off with ‘River Man’ by the late Nick Drake, who tragically died nearly 50 years ago at the young age of 26. Drake was an enigmatic writer who was best-known for his wonderful acoustic guitar songs; his work failed to win audience acclaim while he was alive, but his compositions have now gained recognition with many artists, and his material has been covered a plethora of times. Ninebarrow have been regarded for interpreting other writers’ work with a very great difference, and they salute and even enhance the great man’s artistry – who could ask for that?

​

​

THE COLOUR OF NIGHT ALBUM REVIEW

'One of the most beautiful folk albums you will hear all year.' 

Daily Express & Daily Mirror

​

One of the most beautiful folk albums you will hear all year. The Dorset duo specialise in warm, close harmonies that draw you into 11 melodic and occasionally melancholic songs. There are five originals, an adaptation of a 19th century Dorset poem, and five quality covers, including Nick Drake's masterpiece River Man.

Outstanding.

​

​

THE COLOUR OF NIGHT ALBUM REVIEW

'Ten years and five albums into their career folk duo Ninebarrow have crafted their finest album to date. 'The Colour of Night' is pure class.' 

Folk Radio UK

​

Ten years and five albums into their career (from pretty much a standing start), folk duo Ninebarrow have crafted their finest album to date. While there’s a trend in current folk to be a bit more earthy and ramshackle, Jon Whitley and Jay LaBouchardiere instead strive for musical perfection. And there’s room for both approaches – and everywhere in between – in the vibrant and varied British folk scene. For Ninebarrow, this is the culmination of a decade-long artistic coherence, and The Colour of Night is pure class.

​

The duo expanded from early beginnings to perform as a trio featuring Lee MacKenzie on cello and as a full band, adding John Parker on double bass and Evan Carson on percussion. The whole lineup features in various forms, adding texture, technique and tenacity to the finely curated eleven tracks. Renowned producer Mark Tucker captured the musical magic and also added extra percussion.

​

Six songs are by Jon and Jay, alongside an eclectic mix of well-chosen covers and a radical reworking of a Wiliam Barnes poem set to a new tune. The album arrives with what became an anthem for the duo during their pandemic-enforced online concerts (which were so successful and technically proficient they are still happening). House is by indie songwriter Patrick Wolf, an ode to domesticity and togetherness under one roof. Its straightforward heart-on-the-sleeve sentiments could end up seeming corny, but here it’s evocative, poignant and moving.

​

The same is true of Ninebarrow’s composition, Walk With Me, which celebrates Jon and Jay’s personal and professional relationship. But it has a universal appeal to anyone who has found joy and comfort in companionship: ‘I could walk alone/ But would you walk with me?’

​

It’s just one of a fine set of new songs, the most affecting being Names in the Sky. They were inspired by a BBC Radio 4 programme of the same name, which told the story of a children’s hospice in Wales Tŷ Hafan (‘House of Hope’). A sound artist, Justin Wiggan, was asked to create a ‘sonic memory garden’ for the home. What he did was quite extraordinary: inspired by birdsong in the hospice garden, using an algorithm, he turned the names of children who had passed away into birdsong to play alongside the real bird’s calls. Now, the birds are learning them and, as they migrate, are singing the children’s names far across the world. The song simply and sensitively brings the story to life. Both heartbreaking and uplifting, Names in the Sky is simply beautiful.

​

Kitty’s Song is a rare beast for a duo renowned for their vocal harmonies, being an instrumental but showcasing Jon’s sensitive piano playing. The tune segues into the well-known folk song, The Snows They Melt the Soonest. You may have heard many renditions before, but Jon and Jay’s take – inspired by the redoubtable Dick Gaughan’s version – is dreamy and divine, with the pair sounding as perfectly matched in harmony as their very best work. It may be the only traditional song on the album, but it’s a corker.

​

The album closes with a cover of Nick Drake’s River Man. I always find it hard to contemplate anyone approaching or even matching the late, tragic and much-admired songwriter’s recordings, let alone recording what has become one of his most admired compositions. But this is different. Jon’s piano-based version is a revelation; it is a new interpretation that stays faithful to the Harry Robertson arrangement of the tricky 5/4 time signature. Drake’s original will always be my first love, but Ninebarrow’s reworking is a delightful bit on the side.

​

Ten years in, the cottage industry of Ninebarrow, with their live streams, walking books and tours, and musical holiday breaks, has returned to what started it all: immaculate arrangements of beautiful songs to delight the ears and stir the soul. It’s worth purchasing the Songbook that accompanies the music, which is beautifully put together with images, lyrics and in-depth explanatory notes on each song. This is an album to treasure.

​

Peter Shaw

​

​

THE COLOUR OF NIGHT ALBUM REVIEW

'Exquisitely crafted harmonies...subtle and beguiling'

Lancashire Telegraph

​

Ninebarrow," The Colour of Night" (Self Released)- The fifth studio album from Dorset duo Ninebarrow provides an eloquent vehicle for the exquisitely crafted harmonies which have become their trademark and set them apart from most of their contemporaries in the folk field. Jon Whitley and Jay LaBouchardiere show impeccable musical taste in their choice of cover versions here, with Nick Drake's "River Man" and the Christy Moore favourite "Ride On" nestlingly snugly alongside a delicate reimagining of the traditional "The Snows They Melt The Soonest ."Jay's own compositions are also well worth investigating, and the two men's enduring love affair with their home county informs "Among The Boughs," their freshly minted new adaptation of Dorset dialect poet William Barnes' poem "The Blackbird." The Ninebarrow band members, cellist Lee Mackenzie, double bassist John Parker and percussion ace Evan Carson also deserve a mention in dispatches for their excellent contributions to this subtle and beguiling set.

​

Kevin Bryan

​

​

THE COLOUR OF NIGHT ALBUM REVIEW

★★★★

'Exquisitely crafted harmonies...subtle and beguiling' 

Morning Star

​

THE fifth studio album from Dorset duo Ninebarrow provides an eloquent vehicle for the exquisitely crafted harmonies which have become their trademark and set them apart from most of their contemporaries in the folk field.

​

Jon Whitley and Jay LaBouchardiere show impeccable musical taste in their choice of cover versions here, with Nick Drake’s River Man and the Christy Moore favourite Ride On nestling snugly alongside a delicate reimagining of the traditional The Snows They Melt The Soonest.

​

Jay’s own compositions are also well worth investigating, and the two men’s enduring love affair with their home county informs Among The Boughs, their freshly minted new adaptation of Dorset dialect poet William Barnes’s poem The Blackbird.

​

The Ninebarrow band members, cellist Lee Mackenzie, double bassist John Parker and percussion ace Evan Carson also deserve a mention in dispatches for their excellent contributions to this subtle and beguiling set.

​

THE COLOUR OF NIGHT ALBUM REVIEW

★★★★

'The production values are faultless'

R2 Magazine

​

The fifth album by Ninebarrow, the duo formed by Jon Whitley and Jay LaBouchardiere, The Colour Of Night maintains the high standard of their previous offerings. On songs that are immersed in rural Dorset and its nature, the duo's sensitive vocals and harmonies get excellent support from Lee Mackenzie (cello), John Parker (double bass) and Evan Carson (percussion).

The opener is a cover of Patrick Wolf's 'House', a lockdown anthem in which 'only your love makes a house a home'. One of five self-compositions, 'Names in The Sky' is a beautiful piece, a story of birdsong being used to commemorate the short lives of some who died in a children's hospice.

'Among The Boughs' has harmonium raising the tempo for an adapted William Barnes poem set to their own tune. A stripped-back version of the traditional The Snows They Melt The Soonest' gives a nod to Dick Gaughan's interpretation, and Jimmy McCarthy's 'Ride On' harks back to their youth. Title track The Colour Of Night' reflects how being anxious in the dark is allayed by imagining the sunshine.

With Mark Tucker in the chair, the production values are faultless and the same can be said of another of Ninebarrow's beautifully produced booklets, with thirty colourful pages of photos, song background and lyrics.

​

​

THE COLOUR OF NIGHT ALBUM REVIEW

'Sublime'

Around Kent Folk Magazine

​

When we were asked to review Ninebarrow's latest album, we jumped at the chance, being dedicated fans, and with good reason. This, their fifth since forming in 2012, sees Jon Whitley and Jay LaBouchardiere continue as exceptional wordsmiths and interpretive musicians. Peter
Sallis once said "When you listen to Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending', you are listening to England." The same could be said of Ninebarrow and their beloved Dorset, although some of the songs on this album cast further afield. Jon and Jay's sublime vocal harmonies and musicianship, joined once again by the Ninebarrow band members Lee Mackenzie (Cellist), John Parker (Double bass) and Evan Carson (Percussion), all equally talented in their own right, create an album that takes you on a colourful journey of light and shade, height and depth, with fragility and strength, as they tackle both original compositions and their interpretations of others songs. "At the core of the sound are Jon's multi-instrumental skills (piano, ukulele, tenor and octave mandola) with Jon and Jay sharing duties on the distinctive reed organ and vocals"

Five of the songs are original compositions by Jon and Jay. Names in the Sky is inspired by a Radio 4 programme on the 'sonic memory garden' created by Justin Wiggan at a children's hospice. Walk with Me, written by Jay, is an "ode to sharing time". Cast to the Waves recalls an old May Day tradition in Abbotsbury, Dorset. Kitty's Song (about the legend of Kitty Jay) the only instrumental track, was originally commissioned by the Off the Map dance company for a show. Ten Miles by Two, about Purbeck's quarrying history, has a stronger, more percussive beat. House is a cover version of a song by Patrick Wolf, which we first heard on one of their lockdown livestreams, and celebrates all things 'home'.

Among the Boughs is adapted from 'The Blackbird', a poem by Dorset dialect poet William Barnes. The Snows They Melt the Soonest is their interpretation of the traditional song which they have long wanted to record. Their cover of Jimmy MacCarthy's classic Ride On is popular at Ninebarrow gigs and one of the first songs Jay remembers adding a harmony to in his early days at folk clubs. The melody of The Colour of Night is adapted from a traditional Icelandic melody and the lyrics are written by Jay out of his experience of sitting at night in the Ninebarrow Woodland (a woodland of 1000 trees planted by them in 2021). The album is completed by their version of River Man as a homage to Nick Drake.

This album is a worthy addition to the Ninebarrow catalogue and is available from 1st September. Highly recommended!

​

​

THE COLOUR OF NIGHT ALBUM REVIEW

'An intoxicating triumphant way to mark their first ten years and a tantalising suggestion of what yet lies ahead'

Folking.com

​

Again featuring Lee MacKenzie on cello, double bassist John Parker and both producer Mark Tucker and Evan Carson on percussion, close harmony duo Jon Whitley and Jay LaBouchardiere’s fifth album, The Colour Of Night, their first new material in over two years, brings together a mix of originals, covers, the traditional and a setting of a poem by the Dorset dialect poet William Barnes, who inspired many of the lyrics on the previous album.

​

Crafting a nocturnal mood reflecting the album title, they kick off with a cello and piano-based arrangement of Patrick Wolf’s ‘House’, a number which, referencing Dylan Thomas, Yeats and Thomas Hardy, he wrote as a celebration of home and belonging, the duo embracing it as a lockdown anthem. Coincidentally perhaps, the first of the self-penned tracks is ‘Names In The Sky’, inspired by a Radio 4 programme of the same name about a South Wales children’s hospice called Ty Hafan, which translates as House Of Hope. The five-minute song, again anchored by cello and opening with harmonium and a fittingly elegiac, dreamlike ambience, relates the story of sound artist Justin Wiggin who created a sonic garden to commemorate the children who had passed on, fusing local birdsong with a Morse code algorithm to have the names of the children ‘sung’ from the speakers, translated into the lyrics as “I’ll sing as I build for my children a nest/Oh I’ll sing them the songs that lie deep in my breast” as they take to the sky.

​

The lyric mentions a blackbird and ‘Among The Boughs’ is their heavily adapted setting (no dialect) of Barnes’s poem ‘The Blackbird’, a churchy harmonium underpinned, musically sprightly celebration of the coming of spring. Sandwiched between with LaBouchardiere singing lead, the wistful ‘Walk With Me’ is built around piano arpeggios, cello and bass joining later, and inspired by their partnership, both personal and professional, and countryside rambles is, as he puts it, “an ode to sharing some time – an hour or a few decades – with someone who makes your life better just by being there”, or as the lyrics ask, “I could walk alone, but would you walk with me?”

​

Moving from spring to summer, drawing on their Dorset roots, ‘Cast To The Waves’, with its natural world imagery of birds, butterflies and flower, warm lilting picked guitar-led melody and their Simon & Garfunkel-like harmonies, relates to an old May Day tradition in the village of Abbotsbury wherein the children make two floral garlands (one each of garden and wild flowers) which are then paraded before being cast into the sea as an offering to ensure good fishing.

​

The sole instrumental, etched on Whitley’s classical keyboards, the meditative ‘Kitty’s Tune’ was commissioned by the Off The Map theatre company for a production based around South West folklore, one being the legend of Kitty Jay, a housemaid who, straying from the path through her desire to explore the world beyond her community, committed suicide after being ostracised for becoming pregnant out of wedlock and who is buried on Dartmoor. That segues into the album’s traditional component and their stripped back interpretation of ‘The Snows They Melt The Soonest’, taking their influence from the version by Dick Gaughan.

​

The second cover is their reading of ‘Ride On’, written by Jimmy MacCarthy and made famous by Christy Moore, though here taken at a slower, more melancholic pace with piano backing the vocals as it build to embrace swirling cello and bass. The two remaining originals line up back to back, the first, Carson’s percussion in the spotlight, ‘Ten Miles By Two’ returning to local matters with a number rooted in the county’s quarrying history, reed organ and strings building the muscular intensity and taking its title from the area in which the prized Purbeck marble (a form of limestone used in building St Paul’s Cathedral) was found and the 1904 incident when the quarrymen broke through the barriers erected by the local landowner (who could level a toll on any stone removed) to stop them exercising their right to dig, Listening, it’s hard not to draw comparisons with Seth Lakeman, minus the fiddle.

​

Local colour also informs the harmonium-shaded, atmospheric hymnal-like title track, written by LaBouchardiere about night in Ninebarrow Woodland and, more especially, how the anxiety-inducing eeriness as he stood there, calming himself by imagining it in sunlight, the words set to an old Icelandic folk tune ‘Vökuró’ (itself recorded by Bjork), the poetic lyrics about metaphorically looking for the light in times of darkness.

​

They end with the final cover, a contemplative piano-based homage reworking of Nick Drake’s enigmatic time-signature challenging ‘River Man’, closing on a single suspended piano note. Released, as ever, with an accompanying full colour booklet of illustrations, annotations and lyrics, perfectly capturing the stillness of the world evoked by the title alongside the energy of daylight hours, and the often unobserved magic of the two, The Colour Of Night is an intoxicating triumphant way to mark their first ten years and a tantalising suggestion of what yet lies ahead.

​

​

THE COLOUR OF NIGHT ALBUM REVIEW

'Ninebarrow continue to evolve as one of the most evocative acts on the folk circuit. 'The Colour of Night' evokes a spell of tranquil artistry in 11 exquisitely presented tracks'

Three Chords and the Truth

​

From their Dorset base, Ninebarrow continue to evolve as one of the most evocative acts on the folk circuit. The duo of Jon Whitley and Jay LaBouchardiere are clearly at one with the natural environment on many levels and this astutely filters into a sound spilling over with a sensual beauty. THE COLOUR OF NIGHT evokes a spell of tranquil artistry as we are guided through the mist of eleven tracks sourced, created and exquisitely presented. 

​

Ninebarrow take their name from a Dorset landmark, but never refrain from prolifically sharing their music with folks in every corner of the land. Acclaim has tumbled their way across the first four album releases, countless shows and many innovative projects harnessing a passion. This fifth release continues the forward motion, and sinking into the delights of this enthralling piece of immersive art reaps a sense of unison and awareness. 

​

The album is a mixture of a trio of covers; a traditional arrangement; five original songs; an original tune and a poem re-working. Proof that Jon and Jay leave no stone unturned when pooling ideas for records. It is the work of an artist the pair have covered before that gets things underway. There is strong contemporary feel to 'House', a song by Patrick Wolf whose material appeared on the previous album. The inclusion of this song is a bequest of lockdown throwback and the ideal platform for the omnipresent gorgeous harmonies to kick in. 

​

The second cover crops up in the second half of a 45-minute running time when the Jimmy MacCarthy song 'Ride On' made famous by Christy Moore gets the blissful Ninebarrow makeover. This song goes back a long way in the duo's introduction to folk music and gets a version that extends its presence further down the road. The final straight up borrowed song is a brave effort to pay homage to Nick Drake by putting the Ninebarrow stamp on 'River Man'. It closes the album in a similar vein to the tempo that best drives this type of music - thoughtful and considered. 

​

Perhaps the slightly more upbeat moment on a record described more as a relaxing stroll than a frantic sprint is a loose musical adaption of a William Barnes poem. 'Among the Boughs' takes its inspiration from 'The Blackbird' and portrays the duo's influence from alternative art forms. Similarly in this sphere is the outlier track 'Kitty's Song', which is a short piano instrumental written for a dance piece with all the graceful poise of the physical art of movement. 

​

From a traditional standpoint, Jon and Jay in their own words have 'plucked up the courage' to do a version of 'The Snow They Melt the Soonest' made famous by Scottish folk luminary Dick Gaughan. Aficionados can compare; the rest can just enjoy. 

​

While folk music by its nature is rich in interpretation and uncovering, attention to storytelling through the original song is a vital cog. A possible standout track on this album is the telling of the Dorset tradition of offering floral tributes to the sea. 'Cast to the Waves' tunnels a similar path to much of the album, but possesses a distinct spark in the melody that resonates. The album title appears as a track in the penultimate spot with 'The Colour of Night' highlighting how darkness can be perceived with a different mindset. 

​

Another personal inclusion is the song 'Walk With Me' that pushes the importance of a rural stroll. An activity Ninebarrow have extended by promoting their own musical walk breaks. A significant part of this song is a writing structure filtering in the words - walk, talk and sing at opportune moments. One for those who look for patterns in lyrics. The final two original songs take their inspiration from contrasting influences. 'Names in the Sky' appears as the second track and draws from birdsong identified in the garden of children's hospice in South Wales.

 

Another fascinating find from delving deep into Ninebarrow's work. The final offering takes us back to the Dorset roots and the limestone quarrymen of an area rich in geological relevance. 'Ten Miles By Two' opens in a different way to much of the album and is quite profound in telling a story. 

​

From a personal perspective, this is the second Ninebarrow album to get fully immersed in after 2021's A POCKET FULL OF ACORNS. Previously, it was taking a chance on an unknown artist at a folk club in the West Midlands. It is good to see a review of that night in 2018 nestled alongside other more esteemed press coverage on the band's website. Maybe another Ninebarrow show is long overdue in these quarters.

​

Live shows apart, there is so much depth and wealth in the recorded content. THE COLOUR OF NIGHT is a compelling project to explore, experience and ultimately enjoy. The wanderings, discoveries and folk enlightenment of Ninebarrow continues to blossom with no doubt much more to build on with the all round strength of this latest record. 

​

​

THE COLOUR OF NIGHT ALBUM REVIEW

'They seem to effortlessly continue to clear the high bar they’ve set; a decade of their evocative musical charm is encapsulated in The Colours of Night.'

At The Barrier

​

Another exquisite set from Ninebarrow – it feels like we’re almost compelled to use the same words as when we reviewed A Pocketful Of Acorns back in 2021. The old maxim of ‘if it ain’t broken why fix it’ comes into play with another beautifully presented CD digipack and booklet to add to the swelling ‘N’ section on the shelves.

Clearly subscribing to the same cliche bank as ourselves, the Jon Whitley and Jay LaBouchardiere are joined once again – ‘if it ain’t broken…?’ – by cellist Lee Mackenzie, John Parker on double bass, with Evan Carson (whose recent hairstyle modifications certainly don’t subscribe to the ‘if it ain’t broken…’) on percussion.

​

As the album title suggests, the duo works a balancing act between light and shade. The carefully crafted fragility that is their trademark is offset by more lush and textured arrangements; five songs and one tune being Ninebarrow originals, amongst a selection of covers and an adaptation and arrangement of a Victorian Dorset dialect poem by William Barnes. The ‘tradition’ isn’t snubbed though, as the folk box is firmly ticked; the pair, inspired by Dick Gaughan’s take on The Snows They Melt The Soonest, gird their loins and take up the challenge to produce a stately and reverent effort that ranks up with the finest versions of the song.

​

Finally overcoming the feeling of trepidation at attempting such an iconic piece by such an iconic singer, they do it again on Nick Drake’s River Man which has the honour of closing the album. Dripping with the sort of passion that’s earned many admirers, the gentle cadence of Jon and Jay’s homage is a genuinely felt tribute.

But back to where we came in and a rich string texture that introduces House, the warmth of the sentiment about “the place you call home” bears a link with the confinement period of 2020 – their very own (actually written by Patrick Wolf) lockdown anthem. Walk With Me shares a similar intimacy, with the richness of the cello complementing the rolling piano lines in the same way as the sentiment considers friendship and the joy in sharing.

​

Kitty’s Song – a small snippet of a larger work inspired by the folklore of the South West – references Kitty Jay (a familiar figure in folk circles via Seth Lakeman’s trademark piece) giving a lovely piano breather. Not only that, the thought of them developing a fully formed larger-scale project is a mouthwatering prospect.

​

Ever a sucker for a drone, Among The Boughs sees Jon and Jay on familiar territory in calling up William Barnes and adapting one of his poems with a melody that bounces lightly, celebrating nature. Paired with Cast To The Waves, the signature Ninebarrow care and craft is in full flow. Birds, trees, water, horses and the history of quarrying all provide subject matter; the latter (whilst we’re on the subject) a brooding Lakeman-esque arrangement that tells of something approaching civil disobedience in reclaiming rights. Ten Miles By Two bemoaning how “The poor man’s rights stay paper thin, that’s the way it’s always been…” with a starker and rhythmic-based arrangement.

​

Much more gentle is the title track that conjures up visions of the famous Ninebarrow woodland (at night, naturally). Again, the effect of the simple drone and setting the song to an Icelandic folk song adds to the haunting and eerie, yet comforting ambience. A sense of reassurance, not unlike Galadriel’s gift of Eärendil’s star to provide light in the darkness.

​

The Colour Of Night is very much a much-welcomed return for Ninebarrow. They seem to effortlessly continue to clear the high bar they’ve set; a decade of their evocative musical charm is encapsulated in The Colours Of Night.

​

Mike Ainscoe

​

​

THE COLOUR OF NIGHT ALBUM REVIEW

'A lovely collection of original and borrowed songs, beautifully recorded and delivered with great skill and polish.'

Essex Folk News​

​

This is a lovely collection of original and borrowed songs, beautifully recorded and delivered with great skill and polish by duo Ninebarrow (Jon Whitley and Jay LaBouchardiere). Based in Dorset, the two have been singing together for nine years and this is their fifth studio album. Their voices are somehow both confident and gentle, and the songs and arrangements highlight the vocals and in particular the shimmering harmonies, which for me are the highlights of the album. Both are skilled musicians, accompanying the songs with piano, reed organ, tenor guitar, ukulele and octave mandola. Guest musicians add cello, double bass and percussion which further complement the sound.

Six of the eleven songs are original compositions, and another, Among the Boughs, is a setting of a William Barnes poem. Nature and the land are recurring themes throughout the album. Walk With Me reflects the pair's love for walking in the countryside; Cast to the Waves recalls the coastal tradition of offering garlands of flowers to the sea to ensure good fishing. The emotive Ten Miles By Two tells of historical injustice done to quarry workers. The theme persists in the covers they have chosen, including a sensitive re-working of Nick Drake's River Man, and the much loved traditional song The Snows they Melt the Soonest, which is given the Ninebarrow treatment of lyrical piano accompaniment and rich harmonies. Their own sensitive and harmonious compositions do not seem out of place even next to folk club favourites like Jimmy MacCarthy's Ride On.

​

Anna Bass

​

​

THE COLOUR OF NIGHT ALBUM REVIEW

'Ninebarrow’s Jon Whitley and Jay LaBouchardiere craft another quality album, their voices dovetailing perfectly throughout.'

Northern Skies​

​

Ninebarrow’s Jon Whitley and Jay LaBouchardiere craft another quality album, the fifth Ninebarrow album to date and one carved out of the lockdown period.  The Colour of Night coincides with the duo’s ten year anniversary and features both self-penned and non-original songs, with one or two pleasant surprises.  Once again wrapped in one of Sarah Whitley’s creations, a now immediately familiar artistic style, the album features eleven songs, opening with a fine reading of the Patrick Wolf song “House”, which is taken as a lockdown song, the home being possibly the most important aspect of the last couple of years or so, a place we had to get used to for better or for worse.  The song reaches for its poetical affiliation and soon locates it with references to both Dylan Thomas and WB Yeats.  It’s a fine entrée, a moment of gentle repose.  Poetry continues on “Among the Boughs”, as the Dorset duo pay dues to their own county bard William Barnes, with an adaptation of his beautiful poem The Blackbird.  The mid-album instrumental interlude “Kitty’s Song” segues seamlessly into a sensitive reading of the traditional “The Snows They Melt the Soonest”, the two voices dovetailing perfectly throughout.  Jimmy MacCarthy’s timeless “Ride On” has been covered a few times over the years, notably by Christy Moore and later by Mary Coughlan, yet Ninebarrow find more mileage in the song here, turning in a vibrant emotionally-charged version.  Though vocally sublime throughout, there’s also an emphasis on arrangement, the duo’s credentials very much on show on “Ten Miles or Two”, a performance to return to time and again.  Closing with a faithful reading of the old Nick Drake song “River Man”, with Jon’s piano handling Harry Robertson’s complex arrangement more than impressively, The Colour of Night accomplishes what it set out to do, to provide the listener with a satisfying experience, before returning to their respective treadmills.  Lovely.

​

​

THE COLOUR OF NIGHT ALBUM REVIEW

'Now and again you hear an album which on first play tells you that you will return to it again and again because of what it does to you. This is one of those.'

Tykes Stirrings Magazine

​

The duo have been together ten years. This is their fifth album and it is far and away their best. The promise of their previews released is here fully fulfilled.

Exquisite songs, beautifully observed, tastefully selected, finely crafted, perfectly executed over both the precision of keen understanding and sharp observation and the positivism of world which, despite its acknowledged faults, offers hope and contentment.

Alongside their original songs are versions of Snows they melt the soonest, Ride On, the poetry of William Barnes and the cherry on the cake, the eleventh and final track, a remarkable rethink of Nick Drake's River Man.

Make time to listen to this album, let it wash over you, let it uplift you, bask in the good feeling it generates. Then listen again following the lyrics. Then again reading the informative and helpful track notes. Each revisit is rewarding and enhancing.

Now and again you hear an album which on first play tells you that you will return to it again and again because of what it does to you. This is one of those.

Nigel Schofield

​

​

THE COLOUR OF NIGHT ALBUM REVIEW

'Rightly celebrated as being at the vanguard of a new wave of English Folk music'

Irish Music Magazine

​

This Dorset based duo of Jon Whitley and Jay LaBouchardiere accompanied on this album by Lee Mackenzie (cello), John Parker (double bass) and Evan Carson (percussion), are rightly celebrated as being at the vanguard of a new wave of English Folk music.

Let's get right into their songs, firstly House: voice and piano, the lyrics argue that we've been too long a rolling stone, there's a relief in settling down, with the cello evoking the prospect of stasis. They conclude that being rooted in place is good.

Names in the Sky: seamless close harmony again, a splash of cymbals, linking bridges of meiody, a lullaby, deep strings and bell like chords. Walk With Me has a rippling piano intro, as the song requests us to "take me somewhere else".

Cast to the Waves: with its guitar and synth, anchors itself on the hope ofspring, collecting cowslips and daisies, wild flowers, fresh offerings to be cast to the waves like some ancient rite. This is environmentalism in the mould of Gilbert White, observational, close focused, intimate. For The Snows They Melt the Soonest, first noted in 1821 in the Northeast of England, they play it plaintive, slow and moody, a piano extemporisation, a poem of the inevitable and the ironic.

In Ireland, we associate Ride On with Christy Moore, Ninebarrow take it at a walk not a canter, a final crescendo on the piano grabbing the theme from the cello before it fades to decaying chord.

Ten Miles By Two: with drum and percussion angrily incanting the swing of a hammer on a chisel's head, a narrative framed by the hard graft and little respect that Purbeck quarrymen endured in the 19th century; a reprised phrase "break the fence and haul the block", as the finger-plucked bass matches the industrial monotony of marble cutting.

The title track, The Colour of Night: asks what does a garden and its flowers look like at night, what happens to the power of colour? Is our answer based on fear of the dark and our only solution to "drown the stars in restless light?" They conclude the "soul is blind to the colour of night", a metaphor for the unbecoming of us all.

This is their fifth album in ten years and sees them once again bring their perfectly pitched harmonies and soothing songs to an eager fan base.

Seán Laffey

​

​

THE COLOUR OF NIGHT ALBUM REVIEW

'Musically, it's a work of art: the vocal melodies and harmony are superb, and the accompaniments perfectly shadow the twists and turns of both melody and mood.'

FATEA Magazine

​

Named after Nine Barrow Down in Dorset's Purbeck hills, BBC Folk Award nominated duo Ninebarrow, aka Jon Whitley and Jay LaBouchardiere release, on the 1st of September, The Colour of Night, their fifth album. Eleven tracks, seven of them original, tending to the poetic rather than the punchy, with tight harmonies and a strong grasp of the melodic.

​

The opening track, a cover of Patrick Wolf's song House, employs tight harmonies and a warmly evocative cello and piano based arrangement to convey the time-honoured message that love makes a house into a home.

​

In Names in the Sky, Lee McKenzie's cello again helps shore up a dreamlike ambience as the harmonies weave what seems to be a kind of surreal lullaby - very sweet, very atmospheric.

​

Walk With Me, inspired by the duo's frequent countryside rambles, is described by them as "an ode to sharing some time - an hour or a few decades - with someone who makes your life better just by being there." A gentle cycle of piano arpeggios evokes the idea of rolling hills and seascapes. The underlying theme is that such experiences are best shared: "I could walk alone, but would you walk with me?"

 

There's an awareness and appreciation of nature that runs through this album. The next track, Among the Boughs, perfectly illustrates that as it depicts the wintry winds blowing through the trees giving way, as spring arrives, to the song of the blackbird.

Cast to the Waves similarly demonstrates a deep appreciation of the natural world. There have been so many environmentally preachy releases that have stressed the message at the expense of the medium, but Ninebarrow herein demonstrate a light and optimistic touch with their lyrics, allied to a lilting melody that sells the song as much as the message.

​

Seasonal changes are tied in with the cycles of human affection in Ninebarrow's take on the traditional Newcastle streetsong The Snows They Melt the Soonest (the mood for which is set by the paradoxically-titled instrumental Kitty's Song). It's their cover of the song, but it fits in so well thematically and melodically within this collection that it could have been written for it.

​

Jimmy MacCarthy from Cork wrote Ride On - probably most famous for Christy Moore's version, and no-one has ever known for sure exactly what it's about. Is it about Shergar, the horse notoriously kidnapped by the IRA and never found, or is it about the love of the singer for someone who could never be his? Or a conflation of both? The duo's treatment of the song is warm and respectful to its emotional content, but given its omnipresence at every folk session in the land, perhaps a different choice of number would have had more original appeal.

​

Ten Miles by Two, another self-composition, could have jumped straight out of the traditional repertoire of 19th century workers' songs, as it celebrates the hard work of the Purbeck quarrymen and the scant respect their labours earned them.

The title track, The Colour of Night, was inspired by a nightime vigil in the Ninebarrow Woodland. It suggests that the vibrant colours of a garden during the day may be reflected by nameless nocturnal colours we cannot see and try to drown out with light.There's an obvious metaphor there for humanity's way of looking at the world and trying to bend it to our liking.

​

A far more interesting choice of cover than that of Ride On closes the album. Nick Drake's River Man has its underlying "To be or not to be" theme strongly elicited by a deliberately stumbling piano line that conjures the indecision at the heart of the song.

​

Whether the River Man of the title is a spirit of freedom, or Charon, boatman of the Underworld, is unclear, and the song can be interpreted in diverse ways. As the last track of the album, it's a masterful choice. Listeners have to decide for themselves if they are supposed to be drifting away on the music or delving into existential enquiry - an interesting coda to the preceding thematic balancing act of celebration of the natural world and the questioning of humanity's actions within it.

​

This is a very listenable album and also a very literate one. Evocative imagery and reference pepper the lyrics - which, in the case of both the covers and the originals, are strong and original. Musically, it's a work of art: the vocal melodies and harmony are superb, and the accompaniments perfectly shadow the twists and turns of both melody and mood.

​

Bob Leslie

​

​

​