Poor Man's Heaven

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk review
Seth Lakeman's fourth solo album, IPoor Man’s Heaven/I, moves him ever closer to the mainstream, his frantic fiddle playing backed with a small, tight band fully aware of the power they generate. But the Dartmoor-based folk singer still digs into local folklore for material. The pounding opener "The Hurlers" refers to an ancient stone formation in Cornwall, while "Solomon Browne" commemorates the more recent loss with all hands of the Penlee lifeboat - Lakeman knew some of the bereaved as a schoolboy. Clearly a larger recording budget--his breakthrough record, 2004’s Mercury nominated iKitty Jay/I, was recorded in his kitchen for three hundred quid--hasn’t mollified his Saturnine tendencies. Having emerged from the purist folk scene, rather than the more chilled folktronica side, Lakeman must now be wondering how far he can go. The jaunty "Race To Be King" features maybe the loudest Jew’s harp ever recorded, while Kathryn Roberts' haunting backing vocals on "Cherry Red Girl" add depth (though he might be overdoing it on the old red though, included songs called "Crimson Dawn" and "Blood Red Sky"). The title track though is the giveaway, a blatant and undeniably effective reminder that Led Zeppelin defined the heavy folk-rock crossover decades ago. Lakeman yelps like a West Country Robert Plant, sounding like a man with stadia in his sights.--Steve Jelbert

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2009-04-15 rating:
I am now a convert!
This album has an instant draw that is very rarely apparent in modern music. When you have people over to your house, you put music on in the background and hope that people will say `wow, this is so good - who is it?' This happens every time with this album, and is an excellent way to demonstrate the instant appeal of Seth Lakeman. br / br /The music is instantly interesting - with a full sound, all jangly guitars, violins (fiddles?!) and interesting rhythms. The melodies and lyrics that accompany them are just as impulsively likeable. br / br /My favourite here is Solomon Browne, a magically written tribute to the Penlee lifeboat disaster which sends shivers down your spine. The other highlight is probably Crimson Dawn, and there is something about Haunt You that instantly pulls me to it. br / br /The whole album is a hit with me, and I'm sure it will continue to grow with familiarity. As a newcomer to Seth I can't compare it with his other releases, but I am a convert and will be searching out some more Lakeman for my stereo!

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review by: date: 2009-03-21 rating:
Seth Lakeman Poor Man's Heaven
Interesting listening and a distinctive sound, but a rather bizarre mix of trad folk themes from a distant pre-industrial world, strange and often sad stories told poetically in very few words (and you don't get the lyrics) but sometimes hard to follow. It just seems a little removed from reality to lyrically re-enter a re-imagined rural society of the 17th or 18th century- can he write songs dealing with contemporary issues as well? Guitar and fiddle playing are great

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review by: SPT date: 2009-02-09 rating:
More invention needed!
I loved Freedmom Fields and the live performances that accompanied it. Kitty Jay was also very good. Poor Man's Heaven starts off well enough but gets very 'samey'. The most recent live performance that I saw was ok, but not as good as previous ones - maybe because Seth replaced his percussionist with a conventional drummer, but whatever, I think Seth would do well to listen to Eliza Carthy or Spiers Boden for some invention, maybe bring in a young 'squeezer' to add something to his sound or just stay away from his guitar for a bit. The Cornish people and the girlies seem to love this album however - so what do I know?

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review by: date: 2009-01-10 rating:
Too same-y
This is my first album of Seth's. I was excited to listen to it, but was surprised when I found I was half way through Track 3 already as it all sounded like one song. Solomon Browne and Crimson Dawn stand out but the rest of the songs are disappointingly similar. Maybe I'll try his earlier stuff.


review by: date: 2008-11-17 rating:
Disappointing
Well, album number 4 from Seth Lakeman finds him backed by a major label. Not good news for someone who's used to recording albums in kitchens. So, it was with some scepticism that I listened to Poor Man's Heaven and it was to say the least, a huge letdown. For a start, I don't personally LIKE the songs. They are bland to the extreme, and as several reviewers have already noted, mostly at the same tempo. Did his metronome break or something? Not good. On the plus side, I do like Crimson Dawn and Solomon Browne. The latter is a slightly obscure subject but is poignant and comes across well, despite sounding cluttered - a sparser sound may have suited it better and let the lyrics breathe a little. br / br /To me it all sounds far too mainstream orientated, which is a pity. Then again, it's hardly surprisng given that Relentless made him re-record Freedom Fields. I mean, WTF?

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