Album Review

Nancy Elizabeth – Battle and Victory

• 9th Sep 2007

It’s nice to hear someone keeping celtic music alive and well. Nancy Elizabeth’s hollow vocal semblance and very pretty string work soothes and envigorates.

‘Battle and Victory’ beholds some very impressive interwoven string work. From the centre stage Harp, a vast collection of eastern influences, to more overused strings we are used to in popular/folk music.

Lancashire-born Elizabeth never becomes too preachy in her themes and brings a refreshingly northern turn of phrase to her debut. The running times are mostly short while her voice stays within the parameters of what you would expect from a folk singer. So as much as she is not breaking new barriers as a singer, she is certainly hosting mass to some fresh sounds. The music is what matters here, and rightly so as it is simply breathtaking in areas.

Although ‘Battle and Victory’ has two singles on release ‘I used to try’ and ‘Hey Son,’ this body of work links very well as a whole; it’s not just a collection of incidentals and at 13 tracks it never becomes repetative. The singles themselves are fine, but it’s the album itself that holds the true magic and experience of what is Nancy Elizabeth.