Jim Moray – at his best in a (sort of) best of.

Release Date: Available now

Label: Bandcamp

Format: digital / CD

Acoustic versions of songs from the Jim Moray repertoire mark Beflean as a souvenir of twenty-one years of recording. It might appear a tad underwhelming, but remember, less is more. With Abbey Road hosting and indeed inspiring the sessions and with a supporting cast of star names from the fantasy folk league, things certainly look interesting. There’s also the fact that Jim Moray has an enviable back catalogue from which to draw and there might be a folk song or two all ripe for plunder. It’s seen him take Folk music (like those frontier-stretching Star Trekkers) into new worlds whilst amongst his legacy lies the wonderful Upcetera (and it still irks me that it didn’t win Folk Album of the Year).

Like Richard Thompson and Martyn Joseph, it’s our considered (and humble) opinion that Jim might well be at his best when serving up his songs accompanied by his own acoustic guitar. However, he’s still able to call up fellow False Lighters, Tom Moore and Archie Churchill Moss, plus Jon Boden, Angeline Morrison, Cormac Byrne, Jamie Francis, BJ Cole, Murat Savaş and Jude Rees. They’re not going to snub their noses at the chance to tread the hallowed turf at Abbey Road (unless their parts were recorded elsewhere) and add some decorative touches to some remarkable songs. Beflean captures a cross between sparkling Moray solo performances and the Jim Moray acoustic band.

We’re clearly swayed by the appearance of three personal favourite Jim Moray songs. Tyne Of Harrow goes all rustic in acoustic guise with Archie and Tom joined by Cormac Byrne in a superb rolling reimagining of the tale of the wild and daring rover. It even sounds like there’s some banjo being tickled in there – maybe Jamie Francis sneaking in for a plunk whilst waiting his call on Jim Jones Of Botany Bay – or maybe not as we’ve just received the CD and it’s Jim!

The guitar picking at the start of and throughout Lord Douglas, only matched by the guitar picking at the start and throughout The Sounds Of Earth is warmed further by the contribution of Angeline Morrison. I guess Jim could do ‘Douglas’ with one hand behind his back, but the clarity of Angeline’s contribution nudges an already iconic/stately/magnificent piece into new territory. Seven minutes of his signature piece – it’s Jim’s equivalent of RT’s 1952 Vincent Black Lightning that never tires. And that’s before Sounds Of Earth forges its sublime path – the epitome of how a tale should be told.

The winding guitar part in Dog & Gun hits some bluesy and Gilmour-esque spots. Don’t forget the Floyd recorded at Abbey Road some fifty years ago. Check around the 3:00 minute mark to hear him shining on, whilst the contribution of Messers Boden and Braithwaite-Kilcoyne add a strong folk strain of Hind Etin and chipping in with a couple of Morris tunes, The Vandals Of Hammerwich/Ring Of Bells that also includes some Jude Rees bagpiping..

Alongside Douglas, fellow Lords Ellenwater and Bateman make an appearance while Long Lankin earns a rich arrangement. Always willing to reinvent and reinterpret, he calls on Murat Savaş to add an ethnic part to Lord Bateman in his newest epic arrangement. Taking the Lord Batemen And The Turkish Lady tale and stripping the Sweet England electronics back to a piece that’s closer to the mystical and evocative.

While he may never again match the colossus that is Upcetera, the likes of Beflean will certainly do and one thing is for certain. Jim Moray won’t ever stand still and ensure a well-deserved and much-anticipated longevity. Here’s to the next 21 years!

Meanwhile, feast on the riches of Lord Douglas:

Jim Moray online: Official Website / Facebook / X- formerly Twitter / Instagram

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