Eric Eller penned this review.
Rosa Mundi, June Tabor’s latest album, is a collection of songs from different eras to celebrate aspects of and ideas surrounding the rose. Framing an album around a central theme or idea is a popular choice when an artist wants to evoke certain feelings or a certain reaction from the listener. The choice and arrangement of songs on this type of album is very important; without proper song selection the entire framework and organization of the album can fall apart. Tabor covers a lot of symbolic ground; different songs on the album present the rose as itself or as an allegory in secular, religious, and romantic life. Primarily composed of traditional songs with new arrangements, Tabor draws on a range of traditions to fully explore her theme. Songs from England, the United States, Germany, and the Channel Islands all contribute to a well rounded effort. Well known works are handled as well as traditional pieces. For example, “O my luve’s like a red red rose” is a nice interpretation of the well known Robert Burns poem.
With her cool, resonant voice, Tabor creates an ideal setting for the exploration of various themes surrounding the rose and its allegorical use in tales of love and longing. “Deep in Love” is particularly clever in this regard. The varied choice of pieces, ranging from the 15th century German piece “Rhosyn wyn / Winter rose” to the World War I-era “Roses of Picardy” and the religious “The Crown of Roses” demonstrate Tabor’s skill at melding songs from different eras and cultures into a coherent album. The liner notes provide Tabor’s thoughts on each song’s background and how it fits into her treatment of the rose to round out the structure of the album.
Tabor uses her voice to best effect when telling stories in verse. A thoughtful singer, Tabor encourages the listener to thoroughly explore each song’s meaning. The slow, almost languid way she dwells on the lyrics draws the listener in to the tunes. Rosa Mundi sports several great story-telling songs that use Tabor’s voice to great advantage. “Barbry Ellen,” one of the most popular of the Child ballads — about unrequited love, is a stand-out example. The slow, jazzy style of many of the tunes sets the right mood for listening along to the stories Tabor presents. It also provides a good background for pondering the songs’ meanings. What Tabor really brings to these songs is atmosphere – with the combined effect of Tabor’s voice and the spare instrumentation, I couldn’t help but feel I should have been listening to the album in a dark, smoky bar somewhere.
Sustaining a theme effectively across an entire album can be difficult, but June Tabor succeeds in a well organized and executed tribute to the rose. Mixing tunes from different countries and eras, she sustains a consistent theme and tone while providing insights into how the rose has been interpreted in the past in its secular, religious, and romantic aspects.
(Green Linnet, 1990)
