Ninebarrow – The Hour Of The Blackbird: Album Review

By Mike Ainscoe on 1st October 2025 • ( Leave a comment )

Ninebarrow get choral, taking their trademark of quality to another level.

Release Date: 3rd October 2025

Label: Winding Track

Format: CD / Digital

IF IT’S GOOD ENOUGH FOR RAY DAVIES…

Knowing how much I enjoyed Ray Davies taking The Kinks into choral territory with the Crouch End Festival Chorus, the prospect of Ninebarrow doing similar is quite mouthwatering. A similar MO, albeit with no Crouch Enders; instead, the Chantry Singers and Hampshire’s Hart Voices do their thang with a selection from the Whitley/LaBouchardiere catalogue; one that already fills a nice space on the ATB HQ shelving with their beautifully presented asongbook and CD combos.

That attention to detail is at the core of their latest work. One that revisits and reimagines a selection of songs of the catalogue. Those recorded works being just the starting point for how a song or a tune might develop. Oft it is a rock band becoming unplugged (with varying degrees of success) or combining (…with varying degrees of success…) with an orchestra.

Having tested the waters in the lockdown era with what has become the title track, via a painstaking gathering and a testament to the technical prowess of engineering contributions from all over the world via all manner of devices, which in turn raised a nice sum for MIND, Ninebarrow now turn their attention to taking the plunge.

A SUCCESS ON SO MANY LEVELS

The full catalogue is mined for suitable gems for choral embellishment, from the most recent The Colour Of Night and back through Where The Blackthorn Burns, A Pocketful Of Acorns, Releasing The Leaves and The Waters & The Wild. The result is quite an achievement on so many levels. They have chosen wisely in the selection that lends itself to light, shade, power and subtlety.

The inspiration is of the common Ninebarrow themes found in the natural world – birds, water, and of individuals, places and traditions alongside and general air of well being that comes from taking in the open air. All come soundtracked by arrangements that take the Ninebarrow trademark of quality into a different dimension. At the core is both (a) a careful selection of beautiful Ninebarrow songs and (b) not to oversimplify or undersell their contribution, the ethereal and angelic oohs and aahs or quasi-Gospel contributions of the choirs.

ALL ROADS LEAD HERE

It feels like all J&J’s work so far seems to have been leading to these arrangements. The recorded versions of these songs being just a starting point for letting their imaginations (and that of arranger and conductor Roy Rashbrook) run wild. The finale in their take on Ewen Carruthers’ Sailors All includes the lines: “We are sailors all, Until we’ve landed.” The smart money is on how these songs have journeyed from record to stage but have truly landed and found their home.

The joy comes in the anticipation of the embellishments as J&J lead in with a delicate piano or guitar introduction and their Simon & Garfunkel harmonies and so many magical moments on which to focus.

MAGICAL MOMENTS

The choice of Names In The Sky as an opening piece and the first spectral appearance of the choir; the line “a choir of voices begins to swell” in The Hour Of The Blackbird that sums up the choral contribution. Summer Fires and Nestledown – just the whole pieces – in the former where the drone of reed organ bleeds into a gentle tumble of guitar notes and then strums and the latter the sort of perfect lullaby that lulls into (or out of) the land of Morpheus. The jaunty bounce of The Weeds where the friendly maypole jig is set against neglect and invasion. Only a heart of stone could fail to be moved.

At some point too, maybe the feeling of listening to an orchestral arrangement kicks in and of course that’s only right – the orchestra is one of massed voices. When Jon and Jay talk of their work with Roy and the choirs as the most creative and exciting collaborations of their career, you can sense their passion. A written appreciation can’t really do justice. Have a listen and you’ll understand.

Here’s a teaser, for surely you will want/need to dive in at the deep end: