Very excited this week to get the first review of my new album Anchoress, by Billy Rough of Folk Radio! You can read the whole review here and I put a few excerpts below. This week Eliza Carthy played the manx track ‘Arrane Saveenagh’ on her show for Radio Scarborough too, I’m a big fan of Eliza Carthy so this feels like a really good start for Anchoress! (buy the album here, released 23rd April 2021)
‘Singer and multi-instrumentalist Anna Tam is perhaps better known for her work with Wilde Roses and the Mediaeval Baebes, but she is a fine singer in her own right, with a strikingly crisp, crystal clear voice.‘
‘Her debut album, Anchoress, covers a selection of fifteen tracks, thirteen traditional songs and two original tunes. It’s a rich collection of songs and tunes, with a considered and sensitive ear for each song’s history and rendition.‘
‘gifted with a unique and thoroughly engaging sound‘
‘an entirely entrancing recording‘
‘Throughout, Tam’s talent as a multi-instrumentalist is evident, with her tackling a selection of traditional instruments, including the nyckelharpa, viola da gamba, and hurdy-gurdy ensuring that her arrangements of some very familiar tunes and songs are gifted with a unique and thoroughly engaging sound.‘
‘Complemented by extensive sleeve notes, Anchoress is a beautifully produced and arresting listen.’