The Phoenix and The Turtle is the brand new studio album by Beverley Martyn
Described by Beverley as a very personal album, it features songs written throughout her entire career, from her very first song, ''Sweet Joy'', to the previously unrecorded Nick Drake & Beverley Martyn song ''Reckless Jane'' which was started in 1974 when Drake lived nearby Beverley in Hampstead. ''We started writing the song as a bit of a joke,'' she says, ''When John and I lived in Hampstead Nick lived one stop down the tube line, and he would come around and babysit sometimes. I couldn't look at it for a long time after he died, but then finally I decided to finish it.''
''When The Levee Breaks' and 'Going To Germany' are songs Beverley used to sing with The Levee Breakers. Another song, 'Women And Malt Whiskey' is, in part, about John Martyn and other friends from the scene back then.
The Phoenix and the Turtle is Beverley's first album in fourteen years and was recorded in Wales with guitarist and producer Mark Pavey; it also features contributions from bass player Matt Malley, ex-Counting Crowsand drummer Victor Bisetti, ex-Los Lobos which were recorded ''by the magic of computer'' in California. The album ''still has that in-a-room feel,'' said Beverley recently, ''it sounds like an old style analogue record. It's very me, very transatlantic.''
In December 2013, Beverley appeared at the Royal Festival Hall as part of a celebration of Bert Jansch, alongside friends and contemporaries such as Donovan, Martin Carthy, Pentangle and Robert Plant. Her powerhouse performance of ''When The Levee Breaks'' was described by Mojo as 'sounding almost Janis Joplin-esque'. A film of the event is due to be shown on BBC4 on 27th March.