JOHN RENBOURN

Back to the mid 1960s we go again. I did this with BERT JANSCH so feel compelled to do the same with his friend, roommate, and later bandmate (in PENTANGLE) JOHN RENBOURN. Like Jansch, Renbourn sings with a twang, though this may have more to do with the material he chooses, traditional or trad styled southern US acoustic blues, having not yet developed a fascination with British Isles folk, or committed it to disc. Where he shines more is in his instrumental work, just as notable as his compatriot's but somehow more vivacious and, while he could never be thought of as other than a guitarist's guitarist, Renbourn's playing suggests an awareness of guitar as an instrument for the masses, and I can hear future influences on the likes of PAUL BRETT and GORDON GILTRAP. "Judy" and "Train Tune" are the best of these, and "Song" is one of the few vocal numbers in a more folk style and thus refreshing in the context of the album. This is a promising debut to another massively prolific and successful career.