Lee Patterson “Stella Maris” (LPMusic, 2009)

Stellar slice of contemporary folk.

Lee Patterson is something of an enigma. He gets good reviews (here on AUK among others) but appears to have a very low profile. Based in Leith, near Edinburgh, this is his third album and it settles down like a very old friend reminiscing over a few quality malts, occasionally loud, occasionally reflective, and eventually comforting.

Whether it’s because this reviewer has been wallowing of late in lashings of John Martyn following his sad passing, when listening to this album, Martyn kept coming to mind. Patterson’s vocals at times are reminiscent of Martyn’s slurred brogue. The bowed bass on “Winter Bonnet” allied with Patterson’s fingerpicking again recalls the heyday of Martyn in the seventies. This is indeed emphasised by the following song “Little Girl” which has touches of Martyn’s urgency and his sonic adventures on guitar.

This is not to say that Patterson is a copyist. He is able to capture a feeling that pulls one in to his own worldview. From the opening song, “The Captain and the Pony” the lyrics are impressionistic, often referring to the sea, the elements, voyages and homecoming. The aforementioned “Little Girl” has touches of accordion and bursts of frenetic scrubbed guitar that drive the song.

“Mary, Queen of Scotch” is a plaintive, unadorned folk song describing a denizen of the port of Leith. “Haar” (a Scottish word describing a sea borne fog) has a strange out of this world quality with spooky slide guitar. The mood overall is one of resignation. The album ends with a scratched, old time 78 sound on “The Good Old Way” with a lonely banjo and a weary vocal that that recalls Tom Waits’ cameo on Gavin Bryars’ "Jesus Blood Never failed Me Yet." Definitely recommended.

Date review added:  Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Reviewer:  Paul Kerr
Reviewers Rating:
Related web link:  Safe harbour here