FIONA ROSS WITH TONY MCMANUS - Clyde’s Water
The Tradition Bearers LTCD1009
Not the most obvious pairing – Fiona is a fine singer in the traditional Scottish style, who learned her trade from people like Maureen Jelks and Aileen Carr, themselves only one step away from mentors like The Stewarts Of Blair. Tony is a technically blinding, sensitive guitarist. Initially, it was hard to imagine how Tony’s accurate fingerpicking would sit with Fiona’s forthright, no-nonsense approach to a song! Here comes the “however”... This is a fabulous collection of songs sung with conviction and accompanied with skill, sensitivity, a musical smile and a dash of McCuskerness.
These are all well-known – Davy Faa, Clyde’s Water, The Burning Of Auchindoun, The Bleacher Lassie O’ Kelvinhaugh - and none the worse for that. It’s good to see younger players and singers resurrecting some of the favourites from the first blast of the folk revival. Fraser and Ian Bruce, with Pete Clark and Gregor Lowrey, have done something similar with songs that have kinda fallen out of the singalong repertoire as a result of over-use. And why were they over-used? Because they are bloody good songs!
So – this is a collection of bloody good songs, most of which you’ll know, beautifully sung and accompanied. Nuff said?
www.fionaross.com.au
Alan Murray
 |
Many CDs we review are available from The Listening Post. Check to see if this CD is available. The Listening Post is the CD mailorder service of The Living Tradition magazine. This album was reviewed in Issue 121 of The Living Tradition magazine. |