Kate Rusby - Who Will Sing Me Lullabies

Lay me down gently, lay me down low,
I fear I am broken and won't mend, I know.
One thing I ask when the stars light the skies,
Who now will sing me lullabies,
Oh who now will sing me lullabies.
From Who Will Sing Me Lullabies by Kate Rusby

Songs don't need to be complicated to share a powerful experience. Sometimes, the simpler, the better. Today's song is a great example of that...one guitar, one Irish bouzouki (sometimes known as an octave mandolin) and one beautiful voice belonging to Kate Rusby. An English-born singer/songwriter hailing from Penistorn, Barnsley in South Yorkshire, she was born into a family of musicians and has been performing since she was a child.

From her bio:

When Island Records opts to resurrect its cherished ‘Island Pink’ label, you know something special is afoot. This October, the imprint behind such cornerstones of British folk as Nick Drake’s ‘Five Leaves Left’ and Fairport Convention’s ‘Liege & Lief’  will join forces with Pure Records to release ‘20′, a beguiling new album that sees Kate Rusby celebrate 20 years of music-making.

“It’s a real honour for me, and the Pink label is a very special touch”, says Kate. “I always loved listening to ‘Crazy Man Michael’ from ‘Liege & Lief ‘ when I was growing up.”

On ’20’, Kate and her core band are flanked by a who’s who of British, Irish and American folk / bluegrass as she revisits key songs from her back catalogue. Fittingly, former Fairport guitarist and English folk luminary Richard Thompson is among the many guests (he duets and plays electric guitar on ‘Who Will Sing Me Lullabies’). Elsewhere, Paul Weller clearly relishes duetting on ‘Sun Grazers’, an ace new Kate song that beds-down nicely alongside 20’s tasteful glances backward. Other guests from the rock world include Stephen Fretwell and Radiohead’s Philip Selway.

Given the sizeable pool of guests on ’20’, we’ll forgo a full role-call here. Suffice to say that many are household names (Paul Weller, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Eddie Reader etc.), while others (e.g. flautist Michael McGoldrick, dobro ace Jerry Douglas and folk singer Nic Jones) are hugely respected figures in the world of trad music.

Kate has sung some of these songs for many years now, but a great folk song evolves with its interpreter, the singer’s life-experience eking out fresh nuances of import and understanding. That’s clearly what has happened on 20’s re-workings of  ‘Planets’ and ‘Annan Waters’. “That song’s still one of my all-time favourites”, says Kate of the latter. “It’s so very beautiful and tragic and the way the tune flows always makes it a pleasure to sing.”

Rusby's music is a wonderful combination of traditional influences paired with a contemporary approach that that sounds simultaneously modern and timeless. Who Will Sing Me Lullabies is a song to get lost in. All you need to do is let it sweep you up.

I lay here; I'm weeping for the stars they have come,
I lay here not sleeping; now the long night has begun.
The man in the moon, oh he can't help but cry,
For there's no one to sing me lullabies,
Oh there's no one to sing me lullabies.
From Who Will Sing Me Lullabies by Kate Rusby