Honey and the Bear: Away from the Fret review – another spirited hymn to Suffolk

The “fret” of the title refers not to anxiety but to the sea mists that invade the East Anglian shores where married couple Lucy and Jon Hart live. This third album since 2019 completes a trilogy inspired by their homeland, a set of original songs hymning the Suffolk landscape and such local heroes as pioneering feminist doctor (and Aldeburgh mayor) Elizabeth Garrett Anderson and 1920s astrophysicist Cecilia Payne, who appear alongside stalwart lifeboat crews and historic smugglers.

Like its predecessors, Away Beyond the Fret is a lively set, led by Lucy Hart’s strong, melodic voice and backed with a vibrant mix of the couple’s guitar skills (including bouzouki and ukulele), with support from cello, fiddle and more. Seafaring is to the fore. The country-flavoured 5500 Miles is the tale of a Salvadoran fisherman cast adrift in a small boat for more than a year, “burning under the sun, frozen under the moon”, while smugglers are saluted on Do You Keep It Underneath, two minutes of fine vocal harmony with just bodhrán in support. There are a clutch of more personal songs to leaven the mix, including Make This Land Our Home and Stay With You, a pledge to the couple’s family borne along by a local choir.