Oysterband
"Rise Above"
Omnium Records
Released 2002
England's Oysterband has been plying its particular brand of politically-charged folk rock for 30 years, and this outing from 2002 stands as one of the group's strongest.
After albums like "Holy Bandits" and "The Shouting End of Life," "Rise Above" is comparatively understated - only "Wayfaring" hits the energy level of earlier classics like "When I'm Up (I Can't Get Down)," making the album a more contemplative listen. Adding uillean pipes throughout the album, courtesy of guest piper James O'Grady, gives "Rise Above" a more global feel as well, expanding it beyond traditional English folk rock.
While early works were fueled by a hatred of Margaret Thatcher, latter-day Oysters takes a more global approach to its politics, which lie slightly to the right of anarchist tub-thumpers Chumbawamba (Incidentally, Oysterband joined Chumbawamba for the song "Farewell to the Crown," a b-side to the hit "Tubthumping").
Globalization and drug over-prescribing are targets on songs like "Uncommercial Song" and "Shouting About Jerusalem." But most of "Rise Above" is geared more towards the personal than the political.
"If You Can't Be Good" and "The Soul's Electric" celebrate the sheer joy of living despite the pain and horrors around the world, while "My Mouth" yearns for improvement and the unattainable. The title track instructs the listener to "Rise where shadows fall / till the pain can't touch us all."
Oysterband hasn't forgotten its traditional roots, either. One of "Rise Above"'s highlights is an anthemic rendition of "Blackwaterside," a sad tale of love spurned popularized vocally by Sandy Denny of Fairport Convention and instrumentally by Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin (as "Black Mountain Side"). Contrasting is "Bright Morning Star" - a spiritual performed a cappella - which brings "Rise Above" to a beautiful close.
Buy "Rise Above"
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