Dave Evans

British contemporary folk singer/songwriter Dave Evans' debut album was, in keeping with much of the genre at the beginning of the 1970s, a reserved and subdued affair. Evans' guitar work on this record was excellent: tasteful, virtuosic, and picked with a rich tone and unusual tunings, on a guitar of his own making. But his slightly melancholic songs about everyday events and people were ordinary, and his thin voice lacked the character of a number of acoustic British folk singer/songwriting peers, like Bert Jansch to use the most obvious example. The addition of Adrienne Webber on some harmony vocals adds some color. But really, this album doesn't stand out from the pack in its genre, pleasingly typical though it is of the more homespun U.K. contemporary folk of its era. The 2001 CD reissue adds five tracks from his 1972 album, Elephantasia, that are in same vein, though the use of piano on some tracks inserts a new element. The reissue also has historical liner notes by producer Ian Anderson (the folk musician, not the Jethro Tull leader) and Evans. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide