CD Review: Ailie Robertson's 'Little Lights'

Ailie Robertson
Little Lights
Lorimer Records

Scottish harpist, Ailie Robertson, is joined by Natalie Haas on cello and Tim Edey on guitar and accordion for a truly folk-riddled album of instrumental magnificence. The bouncy melodies are spritely and imaginative with great sounds all around. There are eleven tracks in all with many songs arranged in jig or waltz-like orientations. For instance, some of the songs have two titles side by side, which relate to the different tones and progressions characteristic of instrumental folk music from Scandinavia and Northern Europe. It is nice the album is not too short (46:46) either. Fans of instrumental harps and koras, along with roots, folk, and fusion interests, will love Ailie Robertson's new release. It's a little album with a big impact. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Julie Fowlis' 'Gach sgeul'

Julie Fowlis
Gach sgeul
Machair Records

Scotland's talented Gaelic singer, Julie Fowlis, delivers us a folksy, Gaelic-soaked album of traditional tunes and original songs across eleven tracks. Julie begins the album with a solemn ballad, "A Ghaoil, Leig Dhachaigh Gum Mhathair Mi," which is led by Julie's vocals and string accompaniment. Throughout the album, various instruments take over, including the bouzouki, fiddle, guitar, harmonium, piano accordion, double bass, assorted percussion, cello, flute, uileann pipes, bodhran, whistle, viola, and highland pipes. The jaunty "Danns' A Luidheagan Odhar" is a lively and uppity tune with Julie's stellar vocals taking the charge. The songs are more melodic on this recording than previous releases, which probably makes it more accessible to Gaelic, folk, European, and vocal music fans. Whatever it is, Julie knows how to create beautiful music. Gach sgeul, which means "every story," accurately depicts different stories in song form. Whether it is traditional or contemporary, Julie mesmerizes all who listen. Check it out today! ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Joy Dunlop's 'Faileasan'

Joy Dunlop
Faileasan
Hearth Music

Scotland's Joy Dunlop combines vibrant, Gaelic vocals a slew of folk instruments and whirling rhythms that are bright, edgy, and historic. The quick vocals are quite fitting with other Gaelic performers, including Julie Fowlis. There are fiddles, pipes, whistles, piano, drums, percussion, and other instruments and sounds on Joy's newest release, Faileasan, which means, 'reflections.' There are slower tunes, such as "Eilean Luinn" and "Cumha Chailein Ghlinn Lubhair," as well as energetic tunes, like "Puirt A Beul Earraghaidhealach" and "S Daor A Cheannaich Mi 'Phog". Joy's angelic vocals carry the songs into very relaxing worlds of comfort and solitude. There are traditional themes here, but the songs are created for today. There are vocal traditions indicative of Inuit, joik, and Inner Asian derivatives. Importantly, this recording is made in Scotland and it does not steer too far away from that tradition. There are eleven songs total. Yes, the music is as beautiful as Joy. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Talitha Mackenzie's 'Spiorad'

Talitha Mackenzie
Spiorad
Sonas Multimedia

Talitha Mackenzie’s 1996 release, Spiorad, is reissued here. There are eleven toe-tapping tunes spanning the gamut from Balkan, Gaelic, Breton, Caribbean, and reggae-type music. “Fionnaghuala” is a Caribbean-tinged, Gaelic song that is rather robust and energetic. The lively Breton song, “Changerais-tu?” is a steady melody with reggae-infused beats, despite the clear Breton references. The Scottish melodies are rather contemporary with loads of majestic percussion, reeds, horns, dance elements, and beautiful instrumental accompaniment. Anyone familiar with Scottish or Gaelic music will find enjoyment throughout Spiorad. Fans of folk will rejoice, too. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Kathy Muir's 'Far From Entirely'

Kathy Muir
Far From Entirely
Self-Release

The Scottish folk-pop singer, Kathy Muir, adds a talented repertoire of country-pop guitar songs with an equal element of roots, blues, and rock. With a voice like Bonnie Raitt, Shawn Colvin, and Stevie Nicks, Kathy comes through with flying colors and equally-airborne riffs. "Fairytale Lies" is a fitting song with Stevie Nicks' signature all over it, but it is inherently Kathy Muir all the way. The steel, slide guitar opening matches the upbeat tambourine and percussion kit with a rhythmic voice and catchy melody. "You Surround Me" opens with a pensive piano melody with accompanying strings that do not include percussion until mid-song. The song is void of vocals, but it is reminiscent of a lighter incarnation of something from the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. "Heaven In Your Eyes" is a folksy song with a bluesy presence and chilling percussion, guitars, and vocals. "Sweet and Easy" is a breezy, folk song with light pop elements that are jazzy and easy to listen to. Throughout the entire album, Kathy's vocals do not contain a Scottish accent and the musical arrangements resemble North American productions. Overall, the music is varied, folksy, bluesy, and a pleasure to listen to. ~ Matthew Forss  

CD Review: Karine Polwart's 'Traces'

Karine Polwart
Traces
Hegri

Scotland's Karine Polwart continues to amaze listeners with another poignant folk music release titled Traces. In this project, there are 'traces' of history, love, poetry, sadness, and social issues. Karine is the vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist, and she is joined by her brother on backup vocals and guitars, and Inge Thomson on accordion, percussion, and backup vocals. This is perhaps the most varied album to date from Karine, which mainly applies to the plethora of instrumentation not normally used in Scottish folk music. For instance, the marimba, vibraphone, and harmonium are some of the diverse instruments used. Overall, the music is warm, inviting, and delightfully-appetizing. This is Scottish folk at its best. ~ Matthew Forss  

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

CD Review: Five Men In A Boat's Self-Titled Release from Norway

Five Men In A Boat
Self-Titled
Etnisk Musikklubb

Five Men In A Boat are a Norwegian group composed of performers from Norway, France, and England. There may be five men in the group; three nationalities represented; and one unifying quality that makes it all work. The traditional folk music of Ireland, Scotland, and England may be seen here. The pensive strings, giddy concertina, and guitars make the sound come together. The vocals are what one would expect for male folk music from this region. The voices are folk-driven and varied, according to the rhythm. Some of the songs possess a seamen's ambiance. Every song contains, rugged charm, soulful yearning for nostalgia, and good old fashioned stories in musical form. Extensive liner notes in Norwegian and English are included. ~ Matthew Forss 

CD Review: Annlaug's 'November'

Annlaug
November
Fivreld

Annlaug's Norwegain roots shine through on her latest release from Scandinavia's fiddle country. However, the songs feature not only strings, but guitars, shruti box, accordion, banjo, ukulele, and percussion. Recorded in Scotland, Annlaug explores the music of not only Norway, but the British Isles as well. The guitars and percussion add a lively touch to the music. This is not simple violin or fiddle music with a solo voice. Instead, Annlaug's rich, musical arrangements retain a sense of roots and tradition, while concomitantly surging forward into the modern world with a slightly experimental and pop feel thrown in (though, not haphazardly). Annlaug's Norwegian song titles are translated into English in the liner notes. Also, English song lyrics are provided in the liner notes. November retains the sound quality of Faroe Islands' Valravn and the quirkiness of Denmark's Sorten Muld wrapped up in the arrangements of Heidi Talbot or Karine Polwart. Clearly, Annlaug knows how to create catchy, engaging, and vivid pieces of musical magic. ~ Matthew Forss   

CD Review: Simon Thacker & Nava Rasa Ensemble's 'Nada Ananda'

Simon Thacker & Nava Rasa Ensemble
Nada Ananda
Slap The Moon Records

Classical guitarist, Simon Thacker, is a stunning, Scottish performer of Western, European, and South Asian musical styles. Together with the Nava Rasa Ensemble, Simon creates wonderful musical pieces with musicians as diverse as Brazil's Mario Caribe on bass; Sarvar Sabri on tabla; Jyotsna Sriknath on violin; and Nigel Osborne and Shirish Korde as composers. The album is divided into two segments: a three-part concerto for guitar and chamber ensemble and a six-track portion composed by Nigel Osborne, featuring the classical guitar and various strings. The Nava Rasa Ensemble features not only Simon Thacker on guitar and Mario Caribe on bass, but also contributions from the Edinburgh Quartet, Tristan Gurney, Philip Burrin, Michael Beeston, Mark Bailey, and Iain Sandilands. The entire album only runs about forty-minutes. However, the music is quite dramatic, brooding, and contemplative. The mix of classical and Indian music is brilliant, moving, and creative. The instrumental--and slight avant-garde album--is ideal for fans of L. Subramaniam or Matthew Montfort. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Scotland's Julie Fowlis with 'LIVE At Perthshire Amber'

Julie Fowlis

Live At Perthshire Amber

Machair Records

Recorded on October 29th, 2010 at the Perthshire Amber Festival in Scotland, Live At Perthshire Amber is the first live album release from Julie Fowlis. The Scottish-Gaelic singer also plays flute on this one. Additional muscians include her husband and bouzouki player, Eamon Doorley, Duncan Chisholm on fiddle, Tony Byrne on gutiar, Martin O'Neill on bodhran, and Dougie MacLean on tenor guitar. The album opens with a solo vocal performance by Julie. The instrumentation joins in on subsequent tracks with all the energy and enthusiasm of a Scottish festival without being too big to detract from its family-sized, humble roots as a perfect introduction into a quaint musical gathering. The album is scattered with introductions, applause, and praise. However, the audience is quite respectful and never overpowers the music or instruments. Thirteen tracks are culled from Julie's previous releases, Uam, Cuilidh, and Mar a Tha Ma Chridhe. The vocal calisthenics are astounding, and at first glance, difficult to discern for the listener not well-versed in Gaelic. Luckily, the music stands out high above any linguistic incapacities. Enjoy Julie 'Live...' wherever you are! ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Heidi Talbot's 'The Last Star'

Heidi Talbot

The Last Star

Compass Records

The Irish singer/guitarist, Heidi Talbot, continues to create inspiration, sweet, and tender folk songs with all the charm and charisma Ireland has to offer. The folksy instrumentation of accordion, ukulele, piano, percussion, guitar, bass, whistles, uileann pipes, harmonium, and fiddle provides an engaging listening experience. As a songwriter, Heidi composes and arranges songs with her husband, John McClusker. However, "Start It All Over Again" and "The Shepherd Lad" were attributed to Scotland's Karine Polwart. Additionally, the late-Sandy Denny is covered on "At The End of The Day". Heidi's English vocals possess the sound and sincerity of America's folk singer/guitarist, Shawn Colvin. If anything, The Last Star represents a strong release that does not outshine prior releases, but that does not make it bad. In fact, Heidi's latest release is slightly more folk than rock or pop. Liner notes include English lyrics. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Catriona McKay & Chris Stout

Catriona McKay & Chris Stout

White Nights

McKay Stout Music

Catriona McKay, a Scottish harpist, and Chris Stout, a Shetland fiddler, explore the world of music using only strings. The longing sounds of "Missing You" accentuate the fiddle's somber side, while the harp sounds offer hope and happiness. The giddy title track, "White Nights", is a folkish jaunt of creative pleasure for the mind and body. The sparkling "Eira" is a Welsh waltz for the celebration of friendship. Notably, the addition of vocalizations or other musical instruments are nonexistent on White Nights. The calming "A Home Under Every Tree" was written as a peaceful, hymn-style tune for a Norwegian silent film. On "Roddy Sinclair", Chris plays with much enthusiasm. With a running time over forty-five minutes in length, White Nights is loaded with enough care, charm, and charisma to please any fan of the harp or fiddle, as well as folk, Celtic, Scottish, Welsh, and Canadian music. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Scotland's Julie Fowlis and Uam

Julie Fowlis

Uam (From Me)

Shoeshine Records

The Gaelic-Scottish singer, Julie Fowlis, presents us with another round of intimately sweet songs of life and love in the Hebrides, Scotland, and beyond. Julie's real charm is found in her vocal style. Her voice is extremely sincere and pleasant, which makes anyone's heart who listens to it melt with delight. She is similar in sound to Heidi Talbot or Karine Polwart. Though, she is joined by her husband Eamon Doorley and others, on bouzouki, fiddle, guitar, flute, bass, accordion, piano, and bodhran. There is a nice mix of traditional instrumental and vocal tunes to enjoy. The songs are mainly in Gaelic, but a few English words pop-up, too. The liner notes provide information on the songs in Gaelic and English. The tunes are diverse enough to attract folk or Celtic music fans. Yet, anyone looking for enchanting music, then Uam is perfect. In fact, Uam means 'from me'. It does not take long to understand that this new album is Julie's gift to the world. Grab a partner and dance to the jubilant and sweet voice of Julie Fowlis. ~ Matthew Forss