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Dulcimers

Personnel: John Renbourn (vocals, guitar); Jacqui McShee (vocals); Tony Roberts (vocals, flute, crumhorn, Northumbrian small pipes); John Molineaux (vocals, dulcimer, mandolin, fiddle); Keshav Sathe (tabla). An after-the-fact live album by the short-lived but prodigiously talented John Renbourn Group, LIVE IN AMERICA has enough moments of sheer musical delight to make you wish that the foursome had stuck around a bit longer. Despite the billing, the real star of the John Renbourn Group is singer Jacqui McShee. McShee, whose angelic voice enlivened albums by Renbourn's previous band Pentangle, is a tremendous, though largely unrecognized talent. Her angelic mezzo-soprano meshes beautifully with Renbourn's harmonies and his virtuoso guitar playing. "Lindsay," the gorgeous "Fair Flower," and a moving rendition of the temperance ballad "John Barleycorn is Dead" are among the highlights. Reeds and woodwinds player Tony Roberts is showcased to great effect on the Indian-influenced "Sidi Brahim," one of the many songs enhanced through the subtle addition of tablas as a percussive element.

Personnel: John Renbourn (vocals, guitar); Jacqui McShee (vocals); Tony Roberts (vocals, flute, crumhorn, Northumbrian small pipes