Molly Evans - Molly Evans

A good EP should be a snapshot of an artist’s talent and Molly Evans’ debut EP certainly does that. She begins by pairing a well known traditional song, Lord Randall, with Halfway, a tune she composed herself. The first verse is completely unaccompanied but her strong voice is then joined by Jack Rutter’s gentle strumming.

Lovely Polly is a rather saucy song with an earworm of a chorus. Molly sings it in a rather gentle, deadpan manner so the subject matter may take the listener by surprise.

Bee-Boy’s Song is taken from Kipling’s Puck of Pook’s Hill and given a tune by Peter Bellamy (also the source of the popular Oak and Ash and Thorn). Singing the entire song a cappella was a brave but successful decision. It means that the listener doesn’t miss a single word. The song deals with the tradition of telling the bees all the family news, and topically warns of the consequences of not respecting and caring for the bees.

The EP ends in a robust mood with Ballad of the Raven King /Uskglass. The song is a setting of a song taken from the Susanna Clarke novel Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. Here Molly’s voice and fiddle and Jack’s guitar are joined by Danny Pedler’s hurdy-gurdy which adds to the magical feel of the song. The combination makes an exciting sound especially in the instrumental interludes between the verses.

A promising debut from a fine musician.