Artist	Song
Rachel Unthank & The Winterset	On a Monday Morning
from Cruel Sister (2005)
Rachel Unthank & The Winterset	River Man
from Cruel Sister (2005)
Rachel Unthank & The Winterset	Cruel Sister
from Cruel Sister (2005)

Comment:

Raised in a family of Northumberland folkies, and encouraged to bring songs to parties that would also attract other like-minded musical clans, including the Elliotts (a mining family from Durham), the Unthanks, siblings Rachel and Becky, made their album debut as Rachel Unthank & the Winterset with 2005's [i]Cruel Sister[/i]. The line-up has been shuffled a bit since then — pianist Belinda O'Hooley is out, replaced by Stef Connor, and Rachel's husband Adrian McNally has joined the fold as manager and player — but one thing has remained constant: a rare talent for finding truth and beauty in the darker side of folk. The title track from 2009's "Here's the Tender Coming" deals with the throwback wartime horror of press gangs, while "The Testimony of Patience Kershaw" explores the cruelty of 19th century labour practices. Don't let the grim subject matter put you off though — the Unthanks make brilliant, strong, gorgeous, imaginative, meaningful folk. They deserve our gratitude.

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