Peggy Seeger
Bring Me Home
“The arrangements are very simple on Bring Me Home, acoustic guitars, banjos, and harmonium, allowing Seeger’s vocals to hold the center. What makes Bring Me Home more fascinating than the average traditional album is that Seeger and a few other musicians proceed with relaxed confidence: they easily fall into the moment, allowing each song to unfold naturally. This easy-flowing confidence makes Bring Me Home easy to like. (4-1/2 stars out of 5)”
– Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., All Music Guide |
“. . . A wonderfully understated piece of work. The arrangements are stripped back to just one or two backing instruments, with three of the songs sung unaccompanied – all the better to appreciate the power and beauty of these magnificent old songs. . . . The autobiographical title track – which is also the sole original here – brings the album to a fittingly elegiac close, summing up an entire lifetime in seven elegantly structured verses.”
– Sarah McQuaid, Evening Herald, Dublin |
“I love Bring Me Home - it is so, so good – like old friends, good music, a warm fire and a cold night outside.”
– Mike Harding, BBC Folk On 2 |
“. . . A haunting collection of songs that feature minimal instrumentation (mostly banjo, guitar, and concertina), and a couple of a cappella cuts. Seeger’s voice is a bit rough around the edges, but I think this serves to make the songs seem more real and immediate. . . . A solid effort from one of the most respected folk musicians.”
– Bob Olsen, MusicTAP: The Digital Bits |
“It’s really unfortunate that Peggy Seeger never got the same attention as her half brother. I know people will call this blasphemy, but I think they are fairly on par: both genius songwriters, genius players, and, well, essentially play the same songs. Younger than Pete by 16 years, and Mike by a few less, Peggy was born into music: musical parents, musical brothers, and a legacy to hold up. She did well, let me tell you. . . . She doesn’t rely on fancy technology to make her music sound good. Most of the tracks star only her and her 5 string banjo or acoustic guitar, just how folk should be. ‘Hang Me’ holds banjo playing that is a step up from phenomenal . . . I honestly cannot get enough of this! ****Shelton's Single of the Week: "Peacock Street"****”
– John Shelton Ivany Top 21 (syndicated) |
“Back to tying up her Home trilogy after a detour with her great birthday concert recording last year, the grande dame for the first family of folk music does not disappoint. . . . The view of Seeger’s vision of home rounds out the trilogy nicely. When taken with the two preceding sets, this is a pretty grand contemporary folk statement. With a gentle message and touch, Seeger knows that love can take you home again . . .”
– Chris Spector, Midwest Record |
“[Bring Me Home] consists for the most part of newly-recorded versions of some of Peggy’s favourite traditional (or near-traditional) folksongs from the US and UK, to which 12-track sequence is appended the beautiful, poignant, reflective self-penned title track, which forms the most fitting conclusion to (and consummation of) the trilogy that one could imagine. It’s a deeply personal composition (how could it be otherwise, with lines like ‘The first time ever I saw his face, his heart became my own’?), and yet its sentiments and experiences also can be seen to have an embracingly universal import; this aspect, together with its very simplicity of expression, renders it profoundly moving. As for the traditional material, well these new renditions are uniformly superlative and often intriguing; not only do we get here the voice of a master interpreter of these songs of many years’ standing, one who loves and knows the songs in depth and clearly truly understands them, but Peggy’s also a lady who has immense experience of actually thinking about these songs and carefully choosing the ideal versions for her to perform. . . . This is an exceptionally lovely release; in fact, the whole trilogy has proved eminently treasurable – thanks, Peggy, for everything.”
– David Kidman, NetRhythms |
“. . . Peggy Seeger has long captured the darkness and betrayal of life’s tragedies in song. Seldom have I heard her do so as eloquently as on Bring Me Home, the final component of a trilogy of recordings made with her sons. Like Jean Ritchie, Seeger removes all adornment from timeless Anglo-American folk songs. . . . People have been singing some of these songs for hundreds of years; because of people like Peggy Seeger, they will be sung for hundreds more. This is what folk music is all about.”
– Red Deer Advocate, Red Deer, AB, Canada |
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