Reviews of Restless:
Rock 'n' Reel Magazine May/June 2008
"Fran McGillivray and Mike Burke are a duo with a history in roots music, but Restless, their debut duo album is an attempt to take things back to the musical roots with a more stripped down acoustic sound. Both are capable guitarists, and McGillivray’s relaxed yet intimate vocal style allows the songs to come alive, whether it’s a narrative ballad such as traditional song ‘Geordie’ or their own ‘London Blackbird’. The gritty combination of acoustic blues, country, folk and Celtic influences combine seamlessly on the fluid picking of ‘Thousands’ the breathy vocal presence of ‘Night Witches’, the ragtime flavours of ‘In my Girlish Days’ and their emphatic reworking of epic traditional ballad ‘Reynardine’. Satisfyingly uncluttered and fresh."
Sam Wise Acoustic Magazine April/May 2008
"Fran McGillivray and Mike Burke hail from London but play a very American folk blues around the British folk circuit. To me, this sounds like a recipe for an unconvincing performance, but it works really well. McGillivray has a smoky down-home voice, which is complemented by Burke’s smooth, Pierce Pettis-esque guitar playing. Restless consists largely of original compositions, interleaved with a couple of traditional numbers, and it’s very hard to know which songs are the traditional songs, which must be the ultimate compliment. "
Friday February 1, 2008 - The Guardian
"The annual British folk awards are looming, so it's an appropriate time to pay tribute to the impressive, hard-working musicians who never quite make the headlines. McGillivray and Burke are just such a duo. They have been playing for the best part of 30 years, in the blues band So Long Angel and as acoustic folk-blues gutarists. Much of what they do is very impressive. McGillivray has an agreeably controlled and laid-back vocal style, often with an American twang, while Burke is an excellent blues guitarist. This new set includes a bit of everything - from the pleasantly rhythmic Don't Wait Up, with its slinky echoes of JJ Cale, through to a confident blues workout on Ain't It Hard to Stumble, and a traditional English ballad, Reynardine, given a bluesy edge and echoes of that classic version recorded by Shirley Collins and Davy Graham back in the 1960s."
From Jim Marshall of "The Folk Diary":
"Fran and Mike have been around on the folk scene for many a year, both as an acoustic duo and as part of the electric band, So Long Angel, but this is surprisingly the first time I've managed to hear them. Am I impressed? Well, yes, I am! This is an acoustic set comprising mainly their own songs in a style perhaps best described as a mixture of blues, folk and jazz. Fran's vocals are delivered in a highly confident, yet relaxed manner and the same goes for Mike's excellent guitar work too, making this a thoroughly enjoyable feelgood album."
Here's a lovely review of "Restless" from Neil Fatea who has an acoustic music website on myspace:
"'Restless' feels like a road movie in song. It's folk blues, tinged with Americana, that switches between driving and drifting. Along the way it encounters people and places, occasionally pausing to throw in a traditional song, that they adapt to their style. Fran and Mike pull a richness into their music that belies the simplicity of it's construction. Fran has a really expressive voice that delivers emotion so well, almost like June Tabor in a blues context. "Restless" captures that sense of wanderlust."
And here's a really nice one from Colin Irwin who is a Folk
Roots Magazine Reviewer:
"I play this album all the time in the car
- its colourful vignettes and gripping tales offer both soothing warmth to the
madness of the city and joyful accompaniment to the freedom of the open road.
Fran McGillivray sings with a controlled passion highlighted by Mike Burke's
instinctive blues guitar heart to create a highly distinctive character. The
material is beautifully, grippingly balanced - heartbreakingly poignant one
minute, rousingly upbeat the next - and the acoustic settings give it all an
illuminating freshness. No journey should be without it."