Kronos Quartet

Folk Songs

Nonesuch

BY comparison with some of the epic undertakings in its 40 year history, and the ground-breaking re-thinking of the capabilities of a string quartet, this might seem a relatively small project from San Fran's Kronos Four. But it is a lovely souvenir of the group's contribution to the 50th anniversary celebrations of the label it has been associated with since 1985 and for which it has released

almost 50 albums. For 2014 concerts in New York and London, and since captured in studios on both coasts of the USA, the quartet became the backing band for four labelmates – Sam Amidon, Olivia Chaney, Rhiannon Giddens and Natalie Merchant – on music that is mostly "traditional" in origin, and entirely "in the tradition".

Given bespoke arrangements by Nico Muhly, Donnacha Dennehy, Jacob Garchik and Gabriel Witcher, this is mostly gentle music, even when the stories – as on Merchant's two contributions, The Butcher's Boy and Johnny Has Gone For A Soldier – are far from cheery. Those are superb, as are Giddens's songs, Factory Girl and Lullaby, which were the only ones I had heard previously (as a paid-up member of her fanclub). Which is not to suggest that either Chaney or Amidon in any way let the side down, they just have a little less expressive character.

Keith Bruce