Art & Soul Magazine - Issue 18 (September 2008)
14th AUGUST 2008 - UNITY @ THE SOLSTICE, PETERBOROUGH
Sheffield lass, Charlie Barker, leaves her manager at the back and steps onto the stage, small-framed and unassuming. Immediately taking hold of her surroundings, she works on a rapport with the audience, chatting away and telling stories as though she had known every one of us for years.
With many of her songs proudly displaying her love of folk, the story telling blends in well, although some of us at the back couldn't hear all of her words when she talked, so we just wanted her to sing more, and when she sings every word is crystal clear!
Covering Nanci Griffith and Alison Krauss, a few original tunes and ending with Eva Cassidy's Fields of Gold, Charlie has a soothing and genuine feel behind all that she sings and her classical training gives her the confidence to deliver an engaging set which offers our evening a beautiful start.
Having played cello in a number of orchestras in her native South Yorkshire, and fronting a 13-piece soul band as lead vocalist at the Royal Festival Hall in London, this young woman is totally in her element on stage as a solo act alongside her guitar.
Many of Charlie's original tracks draw on experiences from her own life or from other people's stories and despite her ability to sing enchanting echoes of others work, my only dissappointment was that she didn't give us more of her original material on this occasion.
- Mel Elliott
Art & Soul Magazine - Issue 16 (July 2008)
3rd JUNE 2008 - MILLSTONE ACOUSTIC SESSIONS, BARNACK, STAMFORD
Tonight's headline perfomer is Charlie Barker and she's driven all the way from Sheffield. Looking pretty cool and relaxed sporting a single black fingerless glove, I thought, "ooh, that's a bit funky." But it turned out she'd sprained her wrist and it was a support splint! Charlie engaged us with a mix of original songs, including 'Not The Way' about when she was in a soul band and a variety of American cover songs finally breaking our hearts with her perfect, melancholy rendition of 'Fields of Gold'. With her beautiful voice, strident guitar work and relaxed manner, Charlie is a charismatic performer.
- Jules Morgan
Cambridge Rock Festival - 18th August 2007
GRTR! RISING STARS, STAGE 2
I had the good fortune to catch two sets by Charlie Barker over the weekend, on two different stages, in completely contrasting circumstances. The first was a rather unfortunately timed slot in the early hours on Stage 3, where her quieter approach made unlikely listening for the assembled crowd, most of whom had undoubtedly sampled many of the 70+ real ales available. On Saturday afternoon, when she opened the proceedings on Stage 2 it was an entirely different kettle of fish.
Situated within the main restaurant, Stage 2 was an ideal setting for folk singer/songwriter Charlie Barker and her acoustic guitar. A good sized crowd fully appreciated her gentle, good natured approach and meaningful lyrics. Not normally enamoured by between song chitchat, I was surprised to find Charlie both humorous and informative, finding myself trying to pick out the storylines within her songs. She was a breath of fresh air, a welcome change of pace and fully deserved the rapturous applause she received.
- Dave Hunter
Folking.com - 18th August 2006
"Sleeping at the Station" is Sheffield-based Charlie Barker's debut album. Charlie has already been a semi-finalist at the prestigious BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Awards and, at the age of just 20, her debut album immediately reveals Charlie to be a mature and assured performer and writer, suggesting at huge promise for the future.
I was immediately seduced by Charlie's beguiling voice, which is showcased to dazzling effect on a number of tracks where Charlie is accompanied solely by her own guitar, and sings her own exquisite harmonies. Charlie's voice is possessed with a depth and sensitivity that takes you straight to the heart of even the most subtle emotions in all she sings.
One of five tracks on the album composed by Charlie, "Poppies," is an absolutely stunning song and provides the highlight of the album for me, and a fine testimony to the superb quality of Charlie's writing. Influenced by Charlie's own Grandfather, who was a soldier in World War 2, and her own childhood experiences selling poppies for Remembrance Day, the song provides a stark reminder of what Remembrance Day is all about, by sharing a story told very much from a family perspective. "Ten thousand poppies, I'll remember you this way."
Since Eva Cassidy covered Sting's "Fields of Gold," many inferior, karaoke-like copies have emerged. I am pleased to say that Charlie's cover exceeds all expectations, bringing a whole new layer of warmth and tenderness that even Cassidy would struggle to match. Because Mary Black has also recorded this song, it pains me to say this, but Charlie's sublime rendition is by far my favourite. Sorry Mary!
"Sleeping At The Station" includes a fine cover of Nanci Griffith's "Outbound Plane," on which Charlie turns in a confident, measured performance. The Jay Turner (of duo Mundy-Turner) song "Naked" receives a most beautiful treatment courtesy of Charlie's heavenly harmonies and leaves you teetering on the edge of tears, being a most insightful song into the intimacy of a tender relationship.
A number of Charlie's own efforts, notably "Not The Way" and "New Horizons," hint at wider success beyond the folk genre, and could easily lead Charlie to benefit from the kind of mainstream popularity that other roots-influenced artistes such as KT Tunstall are currently enjoying.
"So I'm just a two bit singer, just a ten a penny girl," Charlie sings on another of her own songs "Not The Way." She most certainly isn't. I can assure you.
- Mike Wilson
BBC Radio Sheffield - 20th July 2006
SY FOLK SENSATION AT ELY FESTIVAL
Everybody has a theory on how to cure a hangover. Hair of the dog, plenty of water, a pint of milk before you go out [as one shop assistant informed me years ago] and so on. Well here's a new one: South Yorkshire's very own blonde-bombshell, singer/songwriter Charlie Barker.
To be more precise it's the soothing vocals coming from the voice of an angel. Somewhere between the brilliant 'Fields of Gold' and the delightful 'Big Yellow Taxi' the headache and battle fatigue from the previous night suddenly evaporated.
The crowd were also suitably impressed with the days first act. Evidence of which was shown at the end of her set when a few people mobbed Charlie for her autograph. You can understand why the organisers invited her to play after hearing Charlie's album 'Sleeping At The Station', and why Charlie thoroughly enjoyed herself.
Although her manager informs me that some who are not in the know do expect a grizzled male, with a Stetson and boots to walk on stage, Charlie is as instantly recognisable as a cowboy. Not only is she wide-eyed, petite and blonde, she is also extremely down to earth and mature for her 20 years.
The singer from Bradway would actually admit that she does have the occasional dizzy spell, but she most enjoys spending her time with friends and family and studying at Hallam University towards a media degree.
Early beginnings
Charlie is a classically trained musician who instead of coming home one day from school at the age of seven and asking for a dog or a cat asked for a cello after seeing one being played.
She has a certain instinct for music passed down to her by her Granddad who is one her greatest influences, "The sort of guy who could pick up any instrument and make it sound at least half decent," Charlie explained.
Like a football player starting to kick a ball as soon as he or she could kick one, Charlie started learning guitar as soon as she could hold one.
Charlie certainly isn't shy either, the sort of person that wouldn't be afraid to yell across a crowded room just to introduce herself and still retain an element of grace.
She goes on to describe herself as not just outgoing but open minded and creative, add wit and honesty to that as well. Her music is described by Charlie in three words "folk, Americana and acoustic" which is influenced by musicians such as Alison Krause, and especially Nanci Griffith.
By the age of 17, Charlie was fronting a 13-piece soul band at the National Festival of Music for Youth, and had previously appeared on the BBC One programme 'Next Best Thing'.
She has also reached the semi-finals of Radio 2's 'Young Folk Awards' and in 2005 finished second in the 'Young Acoustic Roots' competition at the Wickersley Folk Festival. Here she met Pete Thornton-Smith and Chris Sweeney of RootBeat Records, resulting in the recording of her debut album 'Sleeping At The Station'.
Off the back of the album and her live performances a lot of people in the know are saying Charlie Barker is will go far as a musician, because all the right ingredients are there. The talent certainly is, so are the looks and she still has her feet firmly on the ground.
If she can find the sort of crossover appeal that A'n'R people consistently drool over, those people in the know could well be right.
- John Gibbons
Stirrings Magazine - Issue 127 (March-May 2006)
"Taking a leaf out of the Bill Jones book, Charlie's a she not a he. That's the first thing to get clear - not that the cover shots of a fresh-faced young blonde lass would leave you in any doubt! And her wide eyed expression also belies any feeling that she'd ever be caught "sleeping"... So, having dealt with the question of image, let's proceed to the music on this, her debut full-length CD (there was an earlier demo, New Horizons, which you may have read about in these pages, which contained two of the same songs that appear on this new CD but in differently arranged versions).
This 19-year-old singer-songwriter, a Sheffield music student and classically trained cellist, sings her chosen repertoire with a maturity beyond her years, if at times still a little plainly in the approved manner. In that her intrinsic purity of tone and expression betrays shades of Alison Krauss (especially on The Lighthouse's Tale) or Nanci Griffith (an obvious influence too), Charlie might easily be mis-identified on a blind-listening exercise. Half of the ten tracks are her own compositions, firmly in the contemporary acoustic folky-Americana mould familiar to admirers of Lucy Kaplansky, Nanci Griffith, Janis Ian and Dar Williams, but without quite displaying comparable depths of insight - give Charlie time, and I might predict an interesting future.
As for her choice of covers, these are generally better than reliable, with Jay Turner's Naked coming off particularly well and her treatment of the ubiquitous Fields of Gold giving Eva Cassidy a run for her money interpretation-wise; only Nanci G's Outbound Plane I thought a bit under-characterized. Turning from the voice to the musical import now, I really liked the uncluttered settings, with arrangements all by Charlie herself - just over half of the tracks use only Charlie's own simple acoustic guitar, some of these gently boosted by her cello, with on the remainder some subtle and well-controlled augmentation from Kerfuffle members Sam Sweeney (whistle, fiddle, drums) and Chris Thornton-Smith (mandolin, additional guitar).
The recording's another triumph for Chris - admirably clean in the best BPAS manner, although the sheer clarity of the sibilances in Charlie's voice can intrude where they sometimes feel too close or mildly over-emphasised. So there you have it - I'm sure we're destined to her more from Charlie in years to come as she develops her individuality in both performance and writing."
- David Kidman
Music Maker - Issue 91 (March-April 2006)
"A nice title for a nice album. Charlie Barker is obviously a seasoned performer of gratifying modesty and integrity, who creates arrangements which speak for themselves, whether self-penned or written by illustrious artists like Sting of Nanci Griffith.
If there is any problem with Charlie or the album, it is only that they are both a little bit too nice and unlikely to set the world on fire; if you know what I mean. But if you like a pure voice and a pleasant song, and are not in the market for anything incendiary, then this could be a welcome addition to your collection.
You will certainly find no fault in the quality of musicianship. Chris Thornton-Smith's guitar lends the essential oomph that gets "Outbound Plane" off the ground which in turn gives the necessary punch to "Not the Way", where, for a while at least, I got the enjoyable sensation that Charlie was actually getting angry, so much so that she quotes her irritating ex and his disparaging comments - "so I'm just a two-bit singer, just a ten a penny girl" - on the inside of the album cover. Modesty aside, she obviously disagrees with this dismissive write-off and self belief is a wonderful quality that has gotten her where she is today, with a little help from her friends, which are exhaustively mentioned in the credits.
Half of the songs are her own, and although in many ways the title track is the weakest link, "New Horizons" lifts the spirits with it's mandolin and fiddle parts and "Poppies" has a strong chorus with a great visual image - she doesn't mention the war but presumably it's about the so called 'great one'.
But it is really as an interpreter of other people's songs that she excels, and the more paved down the arrangement, the more the simplicity and sincerity of her vocal style shine through. 'The Lighthouse's Tale' is a tragic ballad with an unusual perspective which she delivers with great sensitivity, and her style is equally well-suited to the traditional feel of Sting's classic 'Fields of Gold', 'Naked' is a beautifully honest song which benefits from her straightforward delivery but it is really on 'I Hope You Dance' the perfect track for a finale, that her voice and spirit really soar. Several of the numbers leave you with an unexpected tear in the eye, a litmus test of some sort, but this one builds to an emotional climax and while it sounds as though it's planned for a lover you are waving off onto the next stage of their journey. It plays like a gift to the listener and I guess something offered with such good grace ought to be excepted with the same."
- Sue Saunders
© Charlie Barker Music 2008