Kim Bates' Music Picks
2007 was a bit of a quite year on the music front, in my humble opinion. The Celtic diaspora has been strangely uninspiring (with no other tradition charging into the void), the world tires of new forms of folk mixtures, and the scattered successes of the year seemed small and personal to my rather jaded ears. Still, the time to prepare for the next wave of activity is during the lull, and I'd like to call your attention to some small triumphs.
One of my favorite albums last year is fairly predictable: Oysterband's two new offerings were both a pleasure. Northern Lights is a reprisal of some of their early, live recordings, and an album that shows their strength as live musicians, at the same time that it fails to capture the excitement of their live shows. There long awaited studio album, Meet You There did not fail to deliver. I found it pleasantly rough around the edges, with an appealing immediacy in both lyrics and music.Who could match Oysterband in their iconic status, road-worn experience and acoustic ability? Los Lobos, of course, whose Acoustic En vivo is surely a triumph. I happened to catch them live last summer, and can vouch for both this recording and their formidable stage presence. They've only grown better, and more real, with time.
Kathry Tickell's CD Strange but True was another great offering from a veteran performer of the Northumbrian pipes whose playing garners a lot of well-deserved attention. Equally deserving, and hopefully soon-to-be recognized, is Kelly Hood, whose self released recording on the Scottish smallpipes and uilleann pipes, Little Woolly Lullabyes. You may be thinking "Lullabyes on the pipes?" But, although I am undoubtedly biased here, it works as a simple, yet sophisticated treatment of the material, and an antidote to the deluge of nauseatingly cute recordings for children that pass through the GMR environs. (I should also disclose that our reviewer, Lars Nilsson, did not like the concept of the recording; he was hoping for songs that children could sing. But like many people who have been stuck with...er...taken care of children, I think a soothing lullaby tastefully delivered goes a long way in preserving the sanity of the adults, without delivering the musical equivalent of a saccharine overdose to the children.)
My final nod goes to David Francey, whose Right of Passage was a real step forward, with some of his best material to date. (And that's saying something!) If you haven't yet heard this Canadian balladeer, and you appreciate a good story, an appealing, friendly masculinity, and a great hook, now is the time t check him out.
