Hannah Sanders & Ben Savage – In The Dark We Grow (Album Review)

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Since partnering up in 2015 for their debut album, Before the Sun, Hannah Sanders and Ben Savage’s reputation and popularity has continued to grow. They are enchanting performers, and their repertoire of freshly arranged folk songs, exquisitely selected covers, and stellar songwriting makes them an in-demand festival and live act.

Fairport Convention also recognised that talent, inviting them to join them to perform the classic Reynardine at Fairport’s Cropredy Convention (twice), play their own set at the festival and join them as their special guests on last year’s Winter tour.

Playing with Fairport and others inspired Hannah (vocals, dulcimer, acoustic and electric guitars) and Ben (vocals, acoustic guitars, electric, dobro and lap steel guitars, and drums) to create a bigger sound on In The Dark We Grow which features 11 special guests including Jon Thorne (Lamb, James Yorkston) on double bass, Findlay Napier on vocals, Jess Morgan on vocals, harmonica and Kazoo, Jade Rhiannon (The Willows) on vocals and Liz Simmons (Low Lily) also on vocals.

It contrasts 2022’s introspective Ink of the Rosy Morning, which featured just the duo’s two guitars and vocals, the fuller arrangements, intricate vocals, and instrumentation of In The Dark We Grow greatly enhances the stories and songs.

There’s a sustained quality across the album matched by the breadth and diversity of the material. It starts boldly with the heart-wrenching child ballad Border Widow’s Lament. Hanna’s voice perfectly captures the grief and determination of the narrator, whose idyllic life with her beloved knight is savagely transformed when he is killed, leaving her destitute and alone to bury his body.

The album is dedicated to Johnny Dickinson, who died in 2019, a renowned Northumbrian singer, songwriter and guitarist. “Johnny was one of the great guitarists of our time,” says Ben. “But it was his ability to transcend stylistic conventions in his own writing and his arrangements of traditional song that had such a profound influence on Hannah and I. We’ve learnt so much from the art he left in the world – we wanted to thank him for it on this record.”

They do his memory justice on the second song, Dickinson’s own Castles & Old Kings. Led by Ben’s earthy vocals and dobro guitar, the song is given a gentle Americana vibe. It’s immaculately played and performed and will hopefully encourage more listeners to seek out Johnny’s music.

First Footing and The Youngest Sailor follow, showcasing the fullest flowering of their big-band sound. All tracks are recorded, mixed and produced by Ben Savage, and they sound radio-ready here, mixing trad folk with pop soundscapes and hooky choruses.

In contrast, Hannah’s atmospheric reading of Richard Farina’s poetic masterpiece Quiet Joys Of Brotherhood starts ethereally before the band joins in. Alongside Ben’s intricate guitar lines and Hannah’s vocals, they push the already-legendary song into giddy new heights.

The mood changes for Save My Life, another Sanders and Savage original, harking back to the stripped-back sound of Ink of the Rosy Morning; it’s all the more poignant here, contrasting the songs surrounding it with an understated emotional punch.

Say Darlin’ Say is an old-time song whose lyrics also borrow lines from a well-known lullaby. The song has long associations with the Stoneman family, originally from Carroll County, Virginia. An early recording of the song was made in 1928 by Ernest V, Stoneman & the Sweet Brothers and it later appeared on The Stoneman Family’s 1957 Folkways album, Sutphin, Foreacre, and Dickens: Old-Time Tunes of the South, in which the liner notes state: “This song was undoubtedly pieced together from old remnants ••• the tune is in the hoedown spirit; the first two verses are almost identical with those of the well-known lullaby, Hush, Li’l Baby.” The relatively trivial nature of the lyrics gives Ben, Hannah, and the assembled big band the chance to be more exuberant. It’s an enjoyable diversion, greatly enhanced by the enthusiastic playing and vocals, with each of the guests getting a turn on the lead.

Hannah and Ben describe The Lilac Bloom as their psych-folk odyssey. While it never quite reaches the weirdness often associated with that genre, it is truly epic and uplifting. Hannah and Ben’s soaring vocals carry the memorable melody, with Ben’s guitar solo delivering a great outro. I suspect it’s a song that will develop and grow in live performances, particularly with a band in tow. In that way, it’s the most Fairport-sounding track on the album (think Rising for the Moon era).

Before the closer, The Lavender’s Ready offers an elegant instrumental showcasing Hannah’s Appalachian dulcimer and Ben’s dobro playing. In 2020, the duo released the traditional Every Night When The Sun Goes In as an instrumental. They originally planned to record vocals for the track, but recording at midnight on New Year’s Eve meant the sound of fireworks prevented them from putting the lyrics down. After a few years (and a pandemic), they decided to go back to Plan A. And the final track here is that instrumental rerecorded and renamed Marbletown. Thankfully, despite their reservations, lightning (and not fireworks) struck twice. It’s a fitting, if a little mournful, end to a truly fantastic album.

By expanding their setup to include more vocals, instruments and complex arrangements, Hannah and Ben have created a more accessible and versatile album that cleverly blends their folk, Americana, and pop influences. Brilliant and beguiling, well-crafted and captivating, In The Dark We Grow is an album to treasure.

In The Dark We Grow (20th September 2024) Sungrazing Records (SGR008)

Pre-order the album here: https://www.hannahbenmusic.com/store

Tour Dates – Full Band Shows

Tickets and more details: https://www.hannahbenmusic.com/shows