Ragged Kingdom

Personnel: June Tabor (vocals); Alan Prosser (vocals, guitar, kantele, fiddle); Ray Cooper (vocals, mandolin, cello, harmonium, bass guitar); John Jones (vocals, melodeon); Al Scott (mandola, bass guitar); Ian Telfer (fiddle); Dill Davies (drums).Recording information: Metway Studios, Brighton (02/2011-04/2011); Rockfield Studios, Monmouthshire (02/2011-04/2011).Photographer: Judith Burrows.With Ragged Kingdom, two of the linchpins of the British folk scene, June Tabor and Oysterband, team up for a second time, 21 years after collaborating on what's considered as one of the genre's modern classics. The former's second album of the year (following her critically acclaimed solo effort Ashore) adheres to the same formula as 1990's Freedom and Rain, with a mixture of traditional obscurities and unique interpretations of contemporary pop/rock songs, but backed by Al Scott's strident production it's a much bolder and more expansive affair than its predecessor. There are still the occasional