Faro Annie

Album Review

Pentangle singer/guitarist John Renbourn often takes a folk-rock approach, and often investigates American folk songs, on Faro Annie, beginning with the traditional "White House Blues," a song about the 1901 assassination of President William McKinley. "Buffalo Skinners" is a song associated with Woody Guthrie that Renbourn gives an unusually calm treatment to, adding for the first but not the last time a background sitar part. "Kokomo Blues" is the first overtly folk-rock track, finding Renbourn joined by the Pentangle rhythm section of bassist Danny Thompson and drummer Terry Cox. The first song with a distinctly British derivation is "Willy O'Winsbury," but before long Renbourn is evoking Robert Johnson on "Come on in My Kitchen." That Delta blues is followed by "Country Blues," and then the original instrumental title tune. Throughout, Renbourn and his cohorts explore the various folk styles with delicacy and restraint; that's the British element coming through, and it gives an elegance to the material.