CD Review: Rachel Hair Trio's 'No More Wings'

Rachel Hair Trio
No More Wings
March Hair Records

Scottish group, Rachel Hair Trio, is a brilliant folk ensemble with a full-range of vocal melodies and instrumental delights. The music is inspired not only from Scotland, but Galicia, Brittany, Sweden, Wales, the USA, and other places with string and folk traditions. The eleven musical morsels are steeped with evocative harp, rhodes, accordion, sax, percussion, and jig-friendly guitar stylings with a hint of double bass to beef it up a bit. The rather acoustic and intimate feel of the album is not an accident. The whirling sax on "Swedish," signifies an almost Klezmer approach to jig music. Jenn Butterworth's smooth, folk-centric vocals on "Grey Funnel Line," takes on a slight Shawn Colvin resemblance amidst the folk guitar, light percussion, and harp. Fans of harp and folk music from Europe will love the contemporary musings of the Rachel Hair Trio. This album may be titled No More Wings, but it still soars away with happy melodies and compelling instrumentation. ~ Matthew Forss