For some there’s a future to find, but I think they’re leaving me behind

Nick Drake: Family Tree

Family Tree is kind of a grab-bag, with an apparent intention of displaying how Nick Drake as an artist came to be, his early growth and the musical nature of his family life, featuring a couple songs performed by his mother, or with other members of his family. As should be expected from amateur home recordings, the sound quality is highly variable but rarely impressive. What I found quite unfortunate about it is that few of the songs have the lustre of what appeared on his three gorgeous proper albums nor does his voice often have the same ghostly, beautiful quality.

There is a lot to love on here. “They’re Leaving Me Behind” is a beautiful, pure folk moment that is laced with dread of the future. The duet with his sister “All My Trials” is a lovely inclusion. “Rain” is just gorgeous and pristine. “Way to Blue” is as stark and burned out as ever.

The trouble is that the high moments of clear-eyed beauty can easily get lost among these twenty-eight tracks. The contributions by Molly Drake are pretty enough but they feel out of place, quite incompatible with Nick’s rolling, exceptional, fragile folk, where he is timeless she is very much of a time. There are a lot of sketches and fragments here which I suppose is intended to give the impression of this being a found reel of tape in the family’s basement unedited, but when there are known to be other finished songs of note that are omitted, these spare parts are somewhat unfulfilling.

Complaints aside, it is a worthwhile companion to his albums and successful as a portrait of the man before he was the folk musician we love and worship, with a great booklet of biographical notes accompanying the music.

70% => ***1/2

~ by jshopa on May 19, 2008.