Second Helpings

There?s something about these delicate British guy/gal folk groups - a certain magic in the air that fills their music with an undeniable charm. Carpenter?s Apprentice. Presence. Caedmon. Aslan belongs right beside all these greats. Second Helpings is even more endearing than the excellent Paws For Thought, with more original songwriting. My heart melts as they casually stroll through the happy/sad ?The Ballad Of Thomas Cook?, cruise ?Earthbound? with jet sound effects, or waltz gracefully through the ?Song Of The Seasons?. The backing instruments take a breather for the minor-key a cappella traditional ?Three Kings?, as well as the spoken poem ?Outside?. Conversely, the vocals are set aside for the tick-tocking instrumental ?Interlude?. All the instruments from Paws return, plus samplings of piano, violin, harp, accordion and saxophone. The glockenspiel, autoharp and recorder in particular combined with the quaint harmonies give Aslan their refreshingly unique identity. Member Pam Burgess also recorded a couple solo tracks for the This Side Of The River compilation on the same label. (Ken Scott - Archivist)