Hutchings’ standing in Britain’s folk pantheon is indisputable. Co-founder of Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span and The Albion Band, he’s also an arranger, producer and broadcaster whose tireless work ethic has recently involved poetry readings at London’s Globe Theatre, spreading the word to schools and working on BBC4’s tribute to ex-Fairporter Richard Thompson. Human Nature exposes the often tenuous relationship between man, plants and animals via a stellar guest list (Ralph McTell, Rory McLeod, Ken Nicol among others), string quartets and bursts of brass. Partly traditional but often beautifully soulful, it’s the sound of a man still twisting the familiar into brave new forms
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