The Rose
Mediaeval Baebes
(Nettwerk)

Seventeen tracks of mostly very old tunes sung by a bunch of attractive women. One of the tracks is a Welsh 15th century ode to the vagina, while another is adapted from Danteís Inferno, along with a few pieces of totally original music as well. While on the theme of vaginas, there is a 15th century track dedicated to Mary's womb. The group tackle Don Giovanni, with a track which contains random words from the Opera called 'Spiriti'. As with all of their CDs, the music is wonderful played and the words sung brilliantly. If you like things like Blackmooreís Night, then all this groupís CDs should be part of your collection. Not the most raucous stuff in the world, certainly no In Extremo (in fact more like the polar opposite) but entertaining none the same. There is even a Spinal Tap-esque track name; 'Lick the Maypole'. If you know the band and thought Undrentide was not that great, this is a return to their earlier excellent form. The perfect music for a good book (William Blake, perhaps), some good wine, and an evening alone.

Rating: 4.5