The Mediæval Bæbes Albums (6)
What The Critics Say
The Mediaeval Baebes combine elements of Western European myth and folkloric tradition with linguistic fancy and overdone sensualism. An example of the latter: in photos the octet will stand at the threshold of a leafy green forest, like an artisan's glistening porcelain figurines fashioned to please the provincial lord. On the other hand they'll perform in haunting a cappella, singing in Middle English, archaic Latin and Italian, Cornish, or even Manx, a unique Gaelic dialect originally spoken on the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea. So the Baebes are a study in contrasts, their work running fluidly between past and present. Mirabilis continues that conversation, collecting folk ballads, pagan dance music, ancient love songs, and parcels of pure mystery. Where some earlier albums emphasized synths and worldbeat textures too much -- whether as a crossover tactic or at the whim of a producer -- Mirabilis is happy with its zithers and recorders, finger cymbals and glockenspiels, and above all features voice. When a keyboard does surface ("Kilmeny"), it's as a mood accompanist. Opener "Star of the Sea" feels too much like a single, its Medieval English lilt too "period film" obvious. But the Baebes are better with something like "San'c Fuy Bellha Ni Prezada," with its unadorned vocal and twining autoharp, or "Musa Venit Carmine," sung in Latin, in the round, and stippled with dynamic percussion. These selections are exuberant, even catchy, but the mystery that lies in the heart of the Mediaeval Baebes' sound is never sacrificed. "Märk Hur Vår Skugga" is even better. A vocal trio harmonizes in an ancient Swedish tongue over the pluck of a zither and a violin's mournful sway; it's weird, cool, and beautiful. The ethereal "Lhiannan Shee" is another highlight -- its layers of beckoning voices are like lures to a spirit world -- and "Cittern Segue" is a gentle interlude played on the titular instrument, a Renaissance relic which sort of sounds like a mandolin crossed with a harpsichord. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
'Mistletoe and Wine: A Seasonal Collection'
Release Date 11/3/2003
Tracks 15
Label EMI Classics
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Nettwerk's offering for the 2003 holiday onslaught is from Great Britain's pagan/early music/sensualist ensemble the Mediæval Bæbes. Ex-Miranda Sex Garden leader Katharine Blake steers the group through 15 Latin, Welsh, Italian, French, and English -- as in Old English -- yuletide standards. All of the songs, except for "The Holly and the Ivy" and "Dulce Jubilo," are culled from previous releases. Besides the occasional flourish of flute, harp, drum, and lute, these lovely secular and non-secular songs are for the most part performed a cappella. Highlights include the lush "Coventry Carol" and a beautiful rendition of the Latin chant "Gaudete," made famous by English folk-rock pioneers Steeleye Span in 1972. This is not just an anthology of joyous festival music -- the babes can get downright spooky, especially on tracks like "Undrentide" -- it's an often somber examination of pre-Santa Claus holiday piety. The gorgeous closer, "Blow Northern Wind," erases some of that gloom, brings the wheel back around, and sets things right with its dreamy Enya-like lucidity. The production is crisp and clear, and the tracks are paced flawlessly, making Mistletoe and Wine: A Seasonal Collection a cut above the usual Christmas pap. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The Mediæval Bæbes' fourth album, The Rose, stays close to the band's magical stories of Old and Middle English, but with a romance that's sweetly aged and mysterious. Katharine Blake and her eight singing sisters are enchanting on this album, a fantastic cut above 1999's Worldes Blysse due to their pleasurable soundscapes of medieval Welsh and Russian languages. They still stay close to harmonies in German, Italian, Latin, and medieval French, but an expansive change allows The Rose to be more than just a piece of work surrounded by threads of worldbeat. The Mediæval Bæbes find themselves in a different world. It's dark and haunting in spots, and the howling blackness of "The Circle of the Lustful" and eerie earthiness of "Spiriti" are miserably beautiful. Other songs are more playful with their fiddle, pipe, and string arrangements, most notably the classic Irish sounds of "Lick the Maypole." "Snake" boasts radiant harmonies, while the Mediæval Bæbes' booming worldbeat percussion reflects the album's varying tones of love. It's dramatic, theatrical, fleshy, and inspired. The women of this band possess all of those traits, making The Rose their most delicately maddening album yet. The Mediæval Bæbes aren't wistful, but a melancholy desire is there. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The 12 brazen female musicians in Mediaeval Baebes have kept their vivacious demeanors on Undrentide, the follow-up to 1999's Worldes Blysse. Undrentide features production work from John Cale as former Miranda Sex Garden frontwoman Katherine Blake leads this British troupe into soundscapes of electronica and hums of orchestral backdrops. The Mediaeval Baebes are sophisticated in their own right here and as dynamic as always. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The 12-member vocal group Mediaeval Baebes make their US debut with Worldes Blysse, a collection of ethereal, haunting music that bridges the gaps between pop, new age, and classical music. Songs like "Kinderly" reveal why the group performed at the 1999 Lillith Fair. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
What the Benedictine Monks did for chant, these group of vocal "honeys" hope to do for the secular songs of the Middle Sges. While the work here is adequate, the Anonymous 4 have kept this music alive with a much greater sense of musicality for many years. This is a more pop-oriented approach to this vocal canon. ~ Tim Sheridan, All Music Guide
