Marry Waterson and Oliver Knight The Days That Shaped Me

In The Days That Shaped Me Marry Waterson and Oliver Knight use the simple singer/accompanist formula to craft a variety of folk tunes from traditional to complex.  After proving adept at and comfortable with the duet format, Waterson and Knight are not afraid to introduce some novel ingredients, which makes this an unexpectedly varied album.

Waterson's alto, which carries most of the tracks, is well equipped for that responsibility and Knight provides the right level of accompaniment. As successful as this pairing is, the format begins to wear thin after the fourth straight track; however, Waterson and Knight avoid this approaching tedium by shaking up the formula for nearly every remaining track.

The Loosened Arrow sees the pair adding polyrhythmic percussion and violin to the mix and on the back of four, largely percussion-less tracks, the impact is significant.

Windy Day adds piano and clarinet, adopting a jazzy vibe that is later revisited in Run To Catch A Kiss.  Knight mixes things up in Sleeping Flame by alternating between gentle picking and a more aggressive strumming.  This dichotomy increases the emotional tension and impact of the song.  Yoke Yellow Legged stands out for the fantastic harmonies created when Knight adds his vocals to Waterson's and Rosy trades the expected guitar for violin and cello.

Angels Sing marks the biggest departure from the formula.  Its layered vocals evokes, appropriately, a chorus of angels.  This vox-like effect and heavier guitar effects add some electronic flair.  The track builds to a trumpet climax, the fullness of which contrasts nicely with the album's overall starkness.

But despite all these interesting twists, the album remains rooted in its inherent pairing of two solid musicians.  Without this foundation, the diverse instrumentation and impressive variety would be moot.  Each track on The Days That Shaped Me is surprisingly catchy, while being hauntingly ethereal. Waterson's voice hovers like a spectre above and around Knight's chords creating a surreal soundscape from the classic folk formula.