Laughing with the Moon showcases both their talent for composition and their love for the traditional music of the British Isles. Their arrangements of the Playford tunes “Hunt the Squirrel” and “Long Odds”, for example, demonstrate not only Mayor’s considerable chops on the mandolin, but also James’ skill as an accompanist who knows just how to accent the tune without overpowering it. The same can be said for “Carolan’s Concerto”, which features James’ tasty guitar work. My favourite parts of this recording are her treatment of the traditional songs “The Shearing’s not for you” and “Andrew Lammie”.

Her vocal style is soft and understated, yet she conveys the full emotional content of the melody and lyrics. Four of their own compositions round out Laughing with the Moon – interesting enough, all four are based on folk tunes, and show Mayor and James’ intimate understanding of the music which surrounds them.

When my kids were small, and people would give me “children’s music” recordings, my criterion for success went something like this: If I don’t want to throw it out the car window after the fifth listen, it’s good. Children do tend to listen to their favourites over and over, and I feel safe in saying that parents will find Lullabies with Mandolins just as lovely after innumerable car rides. For a start, it’s real music – Schubert’s “Cradle Song”, the American classic “All the Pretty Little Horses, the English favorite “Over the Hills and Far Away”. Mayor and James make no attempt to sell these tunes, they just present them in very simple, quiet arrangements. It works. I predict this will become a big favorite at bedtime, and if your kids learn all the words to “Lavender’s Blue” or want to learn to play mandolin after listening to Vivaldi’s “Andante” so much the better. This is James and Mayor’s sixth recording for children, a catalogue that we parents can only hope keeps growing."

MD

Hilary James & Simon Mayor
c/o Acoustics Records
PO Box 350, Reading RG6 7DQ, England
+44 (0)118 926 8615
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