Campion: Fair, if you expect admiring

“In most respects this makes an ideal introduction to Dowland's art since it includes many of his most popular songs. Moreover they are sung with wonderful artistry by James Bowman, whose countertenor timbre is ravishing, and who brings sensitivity and intelligence to each song.” Penguin Guide, 2011 edition

“Can be recommended without reservation … the wonderful By beauteous softness, from Queen Mary’s Birthday Ode of 1689, given this performance, I could quite easily listen to for ever … there’s a remarkable technical ease and innate literary intelligence about Blaze’s singing which together with the astounding beauty of his voice makes this one of the most outstanding recitals of its kind on disc” BBC Music Magazine

“Robin Blaze has the special ingredients to transcend any latent prejudice [of countertenors], especially in a recital as wide-ranging and intelligently programmed as this. Blaze has the means to colour his texts, not just with superior diction, but timbral variation to keep the listener hearing each song afresh … there are too many highlights to list … superb. Another fine achievement from two of Britain’s brightest and best” Gramophone Magazine

“Robin Blaze has the versatility and range of nuances needed to encompass such an eclectic repertoire and the precision of focus in his limpid countertenor makes even a trifle like The delights of the bottle an invigorating experience … an enterprising recital disc” International Record Review

“Like Nicholas Lanier, his younger contemporary, Thomas Campion (1567-1620) is another of those remarkably versatile figures who played a major role in the flourishing secular arts of the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras. ... The American countertenor Steven Rickards has here chosen 28 of [Campion's] songs, a well-varied selection ranging from religious moralities to the charmingly insouciant Jacke and Joane, a panegyric in praise of simple country life. Campion's approach to the subject of love is in general considerably more light hearted than that of Dowland, and Rickards is particularly successful at brining out the sly insinuation in a song like It fell upon a sommers daie. But his singing is distinguished throughout by a freshness and lack of artifice that admirably suits Campion's direct, uncomplicated style. Diction is very good, too. The lute parts, by no means as complex or demanding as those of Dowland, are sympathetically performed. It would in fact be idle to suggest Campion's lute songs approach those of his greater contemporary, but the high quality of his poetry, easy melodic appeal, and often humorous approach make them a very appealing antidote to the near-unremitting seriousness of Dowland. Yet another excellent bargain from Naxos.” Early Music Magazine, August 1999