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Gwydion Pendderwen is one of the more chatoyant figures of the folk music underground and it is a shame actually that we have to label his works underground for what he laid down on both of his albums 'Songs For The Old Religion' (1975) and 'The Faerie Shaman' (1982). It was far above the average standard folk of his time, especially on this, his second album from 1982. The confessing neo paganist and environmentalist tried a different path seven years after his rather haunting debut album by mixing bluegrass, country, gospel and dixie into the classic folky singer/songwriter tunes of enchanting beauty. Most of the time the atmosphere on this album is rather friendly and lightweight in the sense of bright melodies and a cheerful mood on most tunes. Just take a walk in spirit through the garden of sound created by the delicate arrangements and rich, mostly acoustic instrumentation. Will you ever wish to return to what people consider as reality? I would doubt that. This album breathes a flamy joy of life and you would not think it was shortly after that Gwydion Pendderwen lost his life in a car accident. The music presented on 'The Faerie Shaman' literally swallows you like a river and you may ride like a Valkyrie upon the raging waters or dive deep inside and be enchanted by the magic world beyond the surface. This should have been a classic and it is a real gem for fans of Planxty, Hamish Imlach, Dulcimer, Pentangle and Steeley Span.
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