Sandy Denny was all of 19 when this one-off was recorded in 1967. Recruited at an open-mike night by Strawbs cofounder Dave Cousins, the bellwether of British folk music was just passing through the group; the following year she skipped over to Fairport Convention, with whom she did her most celebrated work. Sandy Denny and the Strawbs' charms are considerably more modest than those of classic Fairport records such as Unhalfbricking and Liege and Lief. Still, this is an engaging portrait of a preternaturally gifted newcomer who'd soon become a pivotal figure in folk-rock circles. The arrangements straddle the border between the courtly folk of the early '60s and the Beatlesque explorations that closed out the decade. And Denny gleams like a new penny, particularly on the closer, "Stay Awhile with Me." --Steven Stolder
