SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: LEVELLERS COLLECTIVE (THE LEVELLERS) – TOGETHER ALL THE WAY

Levellers Collective (The Levellers)
Together All The Way
On The Fiddle Recordings

The Levellers formed in 1988 and their debut album was released two years later in 1990 (A Weapon Called The Word). Together All The Way is their 13th album, and  it gave them an opportunity to visit some older songs and re-work them in a more acoustic and folk manner. For this album they go under the name Levellers Collective as they do have a couple of guests throughout. The end result is a strong album full of rich lyrics and incredible melodies. It is also worth noting that the album was recorded live off the floor.

The first thing that one notices when the album starts is Mark Chadwick’s incredibly strong vocals. Sure his voice is not exactly the same as it was 22 years ago, but there is such a power and passion that each song sounds like his very life depends upon getting the song to the listeners. The album opens with “The Game”, originally on 1991’s Levelling The Land. This is the perfect song to introduce the album. Here it is stripped down and the folk influences can be heard. This can be said for every song on the album. Perhaps it is most apparent in the song “Wake The World” (from 2002’s Green Blade Rising).

The two new songs here are much more within the folk genre than anything they have done before. “Sitting In The Social” and “Man O’ War” are two of their strongest songs and sit comfortably with their classics, but they do stand out. The Levellers have come up with two songs that could be anthems for protests of today and tomorrow. Here they address social issues and they do it with such incredibly poetic lyrics.

Together All The Way showcases what a band can do with older material to not only keep it in the public’s mind but make it fresh and very new sounding. Having said that, The Leveller’s music has aged very well. However, this album, with a more sparse and intense sound, turns these songs into instant folk/rock/alternative classics. These are songs about and for the people. The Levellers have come up with a new way to present their music that will keep them timeless.

This may be the album fans have been waiting for them to make. Together All The Way is a beautiful album that may just be the entry port for many into folk music.

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