Oakhart - Oakhart

​Oakhart

Oakhart
​self-released; 2022

3.9 out of 5

​By Joseph Krebaum​

Few Celtic folk rock artists blend elements of both Jethro Tull and Loreena McKennitt as effortlessly as Oakhart. They are a five-piece from Southern England that primarily play at pubs and small festivals. Their current lineup consists of Mark Earll (guitar/mandolin/vocals), Mike Jessop (violin), Mic Poynter (guitar/vocals), Steve Chapman (bass/Djembe) and Adrian Forster (bodhran/Irish bouzouki/ vocals), with Earll, Forster, and Poynter serving as Oakhart’s songwriters. However, two of the songs from their self-titled debut Oakhart (“Across the Western Ocean” and “The Vong”) are credited as “traditional.” 

Recorded at Green Room Studios in Devon, UK with mastering engineer Mark Tucker (Jethro Tull, Show of Hands, Fairport Convention), Oakhart dazzles and mesmerizes with its collection of eleven Celtic folk-inspired songs. It does so by intentionally capturing the sound of their band playing live. In fact, aside from using minimal overdubs, the only other effect that I could detect in this album is natural reverb, which is great because it gives each song a cavernous quality, mostly in the vocals. 

There’s a song from Legally Blonde: The Musical called “Ireland,” all centered around Paulette’s fantasies of escaping to that place and finding happiness there. This album is that song personified, and it begins with “Turn and Face the Wind,” a minor key song aided by enchanting harmonies and tremendous vibrato in the vocals! Unexpectedly, “Merlins Song” is introduced with a spoken word section before the actual song begins. Here, the singer’s rich tenor reminded me slightly of Michael Stipe from R.E.M., yet again singing minor key melodies. 

If track three, “The Birdman,” sounds familiar to some, it’s because it sounds like it could be a song from Jethro Tull. The playful ¾ time signature provided a nice rhythm to this prog-meets-folk piece. However, it could have been just a tad bit longer than three minutes. “Frack Off,” the following song, is explicitly about protecting our environment, and with that urgency comes lots more violin and not too much backing percussion. What better way to talk about preserving the natural wonders of the world than with a song such as this one! 

The traditional folk song, “Across the Western Ocean,” sounds like a major-key sea shanty brimming with violin, mandolin and acoustic guitar. “All the Way to Dublin,” on the other hand, is an original composition telling the whimsical story of an Irish band. As a bonus, the ending is quite cheeky. It made me smile. 

After the instrumental folk-dancing of “Home Counties Hop,” we dive headfirst into a sea of violin and vibrato on “The Dating Game.” It’s yet another song dabbling in wit, and it precedes the second traditional piece, “The Vong,” which is another instrumental. I must say, I really admire how Oakhart decided to sandwich “The Dating Game” in between two instrumentals. 

Four-and-a-half-minute “Festival” may not have any violin in it, but the atmosphere contained within the rest of Oakhart is still here, nonetheless. Yet it’s the closer, “Stand As One,” that truly stands out as the finest example of progressive rock colliding with strands of Celtic folk DNA. It’s easily the most rock-like cut on their self-titled debut, even featuring a Pink Floydian electric guitar solo alongside more mandolin and percussion. Plus, it speaks a universal message about the importance of unity. 

​Oakhart don’t just have talent and strong hooks. They also have something incredibly meaningful to say with each song they write. That makes this band all the more engaging. It’s a shame that they don’t show any of their lyrics and that Bandcamp is the only place their music can be listened to online because I’m convinced that this is not just music for the pubs. It’s something special! Highly recommended.

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