Amy & Gavin Davenport
A Boat of Promises - Review by Allan Wilkinson Sept. 2019
This is the first outing on record for the husband/wife team of Amy and Gavin Davenport (Albion Band, Crucible), though they've been singing together for a good while. Both come from families known for their singing and therefore it was only a matter of time until the duo produced their own debut album. Like their Sheffield-based pals Nancy Kerr and James Fagan, the duo sing and write their own songs with further emphasis on the reworking of both traditional and contemporary material, both singing throughout, with Gavin's guitar and cittern accompaniment, as well as guest appearances by Tim Yates, Tom Kitching and Jon Loomes.
There's a strong focus on the sea, emphasised not only in Amy's evocative cover painting, but also by her background as an experienced tall ship sailor, with fine readings of such songs as Stan Rogers' The Jeannie C, John Connolly's The Widowmaker as well as Gavin's own A Boat of Promises, from which the album takes its title. The duo's combined singing voices work well together, especially on such songs as Drowsy Sleeper, a version of Silver Dagger and Archie Fisher's The Return, a sequel to The Witch of the Westmorland, yet it's with such songs as I'm a-Fading Day by Day and Anne Bonnie, that brings Amy's surprisingly strong and convincing voice to the fore. Nancy Kerr's Droving Dreams is a fine optimistic opener, given to the duo as they set out on their further adventures, first London and then Liverpool, their current home, a song that I'm sure resonates throughout their lives, whilst serving as their own particular signature. Living in a city with strong connections to both the sea and music, A BOAT OF PROMISES could perhaps be seen as an organic continuation of its seafaring history and its strong musical heritage.
Amy & Gav's Bandcamp Page is here……
Amy and Gavin both come from well-known musical families and have shared roots in their current home city of Liverpool. Both have strong and distinctive voices, whether singing lead or harmony, and this is matched by instrumental accompaniment on guitar and cittern from Gavin.
A Boat of Promises is the first duo album from Amy and Gavin Davenport. The couple met through a shared love of singing at a Cheltenham Folk festival session back in 2011. This, their first joint recording collects songs about life, love and loss with a strong maritime undercurrent reflecting Amy's former career as a professional tall-ships sailor and builds on Gavin's experience in acts including The Albion Band, Crucible, The Morris on Band and solo work.
They are joined on four tracks by guests Tim Yates, Tom Kitching and Jon Loomes providing double bass, fiddle and hurdy gurdy respectively.
UPCOMING DATES
Humberfest
Barton on Humber
18th to 20th July
Whitby Folk Week
15th to 22nd Augst
Hartlepool Folk Festival
The Headland, Hartlepool
3rd to 5th October
All above with 'The Davenports'