CD-Charts Position 1
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Mighty River of Song [4CD + DVD]

Search: Stumbling On
by: Watersons

Release Date February 16, 2004
I came on this as I actually wanted to buy a copy of For Pence and Spicy Ale, which I have on vinyl, and maybe one more.

I'm glad I took the trouble to check what songs are on it - as splendid as I'm sure it is, it is missing 9 of the 15 tracks from For Pence and Spicy Ale, including the great "Country Life", and the incomparable "Bellman".

So no sale to me then, but thanks very much to Piers Cawley for highlighting "Sound Your Instruments of Joy" & "Hal-an-Tow" to point me at Frost and Fire as my other purchase.

CD-Charts Position 2
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The Definitive Collection

Search: Stumbling On
by: Eliza Carthy

Release Date October 06, 2003
1) She's part of folk royalty (if you didn't know) - her dad is Martin Carthy, her mum is Norma Waterson (both legends in their own right), her aunt and uncle are Lal and Mike Waterson and Oliver Knight is her cousin!
2) She can't half play the fiddle.
3) She has one of the most beautiful voices you'll ever hear, and she can really sing, I mean, really. I saw her live and the first song she did accapella... gobsmacking. And she's from Yorkshire! What more do you want?!
4)Her versatilty. Some of her songs are thigh-slappingly folktastic but then you get songs like Stumbling On, which is more or less jazz, or Billy Boy, which starts of sounding almost like dub reggae, goes folky and then has a Santana-ish guitar solo. And it's not just ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 3
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Lal

Search: Stumbling On
by: Jo Freya

Release Date October 08, 2007
This is a thoughtful, heartfelt and beautiful tribute to Lal Waterson, one of the most original and interesting
Brit folk singer/songwriters. If Freya's voice doesn't exactly have the vinegary, ironic edge of Lal (whose does??),
she still finds the poignant heart and wonderful mix of traditional and contemporary sensibility there. And she sings really well, with excellent phrasing & nice choice & variety of material (if okay, I do miss a bit "Fine Horseman"!). The arrangements too are very fine-- if admittedly somewhat different from The Watersons or LW's albums with Oliver Knight. The record isn't a substitute for Lal's own work; but a lovely statement on it's own.

CD-Charts Position 4
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Red

Search: Stumbling On
by: Eliza Carthy

Release Date February 17, 2003
i bought red with the album rice and have for some reason always preferred rice,probably as its more of a traditional album.
the red album gave eliza carthy the chance to experiment a bit more and this album has grown on me through the years,there are some outstanding songs on this album,namely 10000 miles,walk away and adieu adieu which when played live have always been crowd pleasers.
eliza carthy has the knack of making a song her own,when she sings contempary cover songs and with walk away written by ben harper,its a far more richer interpretation of the song,than bens original.
hopefully eliza will continue pushing the boundaries of folk music further,because after a few plays,you realise red is a cracking album.

CD-Charts Position 5
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Once in a Blue Moon

Search: Stumbling On
by: Lal Waterson, Oliver Knight

Release Date March 12, 1996
This is an absolutely stunning album - for me one of the very finest ever!

Firmly rooted within the folk tradition, the tracks are almost all written & arranged by Lal Waterson and Oliver Knight.

Lal sings with Oliver on guitar; some tracks have varying degrees of help from Norma Waterson/Jo Freya/Martin Carthy to mention but a few but the whole revolves round Lal's wonderful vocals with instruments never becoming too obtrusive.

Every track is a corker - personal favorites include Phoebe, Altisadora (arranged by Jo Freya) and Some Old Salty - the fine conlusion to the album with Coope Boyes & Simpson joining in.

CD-Charts Position 6
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Red Rice

Search: Stumbling On
by: Eliza Carthy

Release Date May 01, 1998
Eliza Carthy belongs to that group of so-called 'folk babes', as the media has procliamed (Hey, they're female, they play folk music, let's coin an original term). Cynically I could suggest that being an attractive young female and having famous folk parents helps to shift an album, but all cynicisim here should be left at the door. This is a thoroughly stunning album, which mixes folk with electronica and a tiny bit of popular music. The first CD, Red, is the more poppy of the two, but contains some excellent catchy tracks, such as her cover of Ben Harper's 'Walk Away' and the gloriously upbeat 'Stumbling On'. Whilst Carthy may not have the best voice in the business, it fits perfectly with the folk tunes and juxtaposes brilliantly with the more ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 7
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Migrating Bird - The Songs Of Lal Waterson

Search: Stumbling On
by: Various Artists

Release Date October 22, 2007
I have been watching and listening to members of the Waterson family ever since I started going to folk clubs in the 1960s. The songs on this album are wonderful but as for interpretaion and production, words fail me.