A Quiet Eye

1	The Gardener 5:21
2	A Place Called England 4:42
3	I Will Put My Ship in Order 6:13
4	I'll Be Seeing You 4:01
5	Out of Winter/Waltzing's for Dreamers 5:57
6	Pharaoh 6:02
7	Must I Be Bound? 5:02
8	The Writing of Tipperary/It's a Long Way to Tipperary 9:38
9	The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face 3:10
10	The Water Is Wide/St. Agnes/Jeannie and Jamie 8:42

Barnes & Noble

At first glance, a program that includes the World War II-era pop classic "I'll Be Seeing You" alongside the 16th-century Child ballad "The Gardener" might seem like quite a stretch. But when top British folk song interpreter June Tabor applies her soulful alto to the tunes, the combination works. For her first recording in three years, Tabor pairs up with the Creative Jazz Orchestra for a collection which, while evincing a jazz tinge, really hews to the heart of folk singer's work: focusing on the words and the melody. Tabor, known for her collaborations with Steeleye Span's Maddy Prior as well as Martin Simpson and the Oyster Band, continues her explorations of folk music in a chamber setting, with a thoughtful rendition of "The Water Is Wide," a bluesy version of Richard Thompson's "Pharaoh," and a strong take on Maggie Holland's challenging view of patriotism, "A Place Called England." A QUIET EYE was named one of the Top Ten Albums of 1999 in the British magazine Folk Roots. Kerry Dexter

All Music Guide

As June Tabor ages her voice seems, paradoxically, to become clearer and sharper. She is also becoming increasingly interested in expanding her repertoire beyond the traditional British and Irish folk music on which her early career was built. There are no fiddles or guitars on this album; instead there are Huw Warren's piano and the Creative Jazz Orchestra, a big band complete with French horn and two trombones. So has she finally crossed the line that separates a mere singer from a chanteuse? Not yet, thankfully. While one of these songs does come from a musical, a plurality of them (including such standbys as "The Water Is Wide" and "I Will Put My Ship in Order") are traditional, and there are two Richard Thompson covers ("Waltzing's for Dreamers" and "Pharaoh") and a fine version of Ewan MacColl's immortal "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face." The big-band arrangements are surprisingly effective, especially on the Maggie Holland composition "A Place Called England" and on the dour "Pharaoh." Not everyone will prefer this album to her earlier work, but Tabor herself has never sounded better. Rick Anderson