Minka is the first release from the now well-established band from Swansea, South Wales. Rag Foundation was founded by singer Neil Woollard and fiddler Kate Ronconi-Woollard while they were still at art college. They were joined later by guitarist Richard Cowell. "Minka," they explain in the sleeve notes, is "a red striped flannel woven by the Tanner family of Gower" -- perhaps it has become the band's local talisman.

For a band that has moved towards a more indie/pop sound in recent years, as in their latest release Uplands, this is a perhaps surprisingly traditional-based album although with considerable vocal and instrumental experimentation within the acoustic sound. Despite such distinguished guest musicians as Julie Murphy (voice), Andy Cutting (button accordion) and Ceri Rhys Matthews (bombo, pibgorn and pipa cwd), it is the main trio that makes the greatest impact on their debut album.

Woollard has a distinctive voice that is very expressive but takes some getting used to. His contemporary style of singing of traditional songs is a marked characteristic of the album. Another feature is the unity of the whole album as the impact is carefully built up track by track. Cowell's sublime guitar and Ronconi-Woollard's lyrical fiddle is overlaid by Woollard's signature vocals. I have found this to be an album that greatly rewards careful listening as there are many subtleties hidden away. The Welsh language is only heard in a couple of songs despite a bilingual presence in the sleeve notes.

"Four Loom Weaver" is a good example of Woollard's raw urgency balanced by the relative quietness of guitar and fiddle. Ronconi-Woollard also sings on "Green Bushes" with a certain ethereal beauty -- it would have been good to hear more of her voice. Generally, most of the album's emotional power is generated by Woollard's singing, although in "Bonny Bunch of Roses" the fiddle is memorably let off the leash (for the last couple of minutes of the track) and joined by the guitar in what becomes a very enjoyable instrumental flourish. Again, more in this mode would have worked well as it captures a live style very successfully. By the penultimate number, though, the passionate "The Coal Owner," the singing had really started to grow on me as it confirms its authoritative stamp on the album.

This is an album of interest both for those new to the band and followers of their later work.

- Rambles
written by Andy Jurgis
published 6 March 2004

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