Charlie Wheatley - Ratcliffe Cross

Ratcliffe Cross is a historic locality in the London Docklands area, a suburb shaped by centuries of trade, cultural exchanges, and mixing traditions. This is why London multi-instrumentalist and composer Charlie Wheatley chose its name as the title of his debut solo album, a collection of centuries old tunes from all across Britain.

This young and talented artist plays all the instruments on this release, not only the guitar that delivers the tunes, but also the voices that create the minimalistic substrate for these pieces, including harmonium, viola, and cello. He concentrates on the melodies, emphasising their qualities instead of forcing extreme embellishments, showing the true core of centuries-old compositions that have been played thousands of times, but that feel unique and different in this sparse setting.

From the delicate Blue Sheep to the lilting jigs When I was a Lady and Petticoat, and particularly in the slow air and hornpipe set Veni Spiritus/Rowland’s, the warm sound of the guitar accompanies the listener, beautifully contrasting with the dark, pensive drone of cello, viola, or harmonium. It is traditional music at its core, not flashy, but deeply intimate and enjoyable.

Ratcliffe Cross is a highly original debut album, one can only hope to have more of this in the future and to see what will be the next turn in Wheatley’s artistic journey.