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ANNA MASSIE "Glad Company" Footstompin' Records CDFSR1722

The Scottish Highlands are awash with traditional music talent and it is gratifying that this involves so many young people. It is not surprising then, that the winner of the prestigious 2003 Young Scottish Traditional Musician of the Year Award should hail from such parts.

One of the prizes as a result of the award is a recording contract so this is Anna Massie's debut album. She is joined by another two fine musicians, Jenn Butterworth on guitar and vocals and Mairearad Green on accordion and Border pipes. Despite her youth, Anna is already a multi-instrumentalist performing on mandolin, fiddle, guitar, tenor guitar, tenor banjo. She first performed with her father's ceilidh band at a young age so she has had many years to develop her musical skills.

The album is an excellent mixture of traditional tunes and compositions from both Anna and Mairearad. The slow tunes are particularly pleasing. Glad Company, the album's title track, is a beautiful slow waltz written by Anna with simple guitar backing while the slow gaelic air An Clunnie Mi Mo Nighean Donn is also particularly pleasing, once again with only the guitar. For me, the best tune on the album is A Hundred Years Since, beautifully weaving accordion, fiddle and guitar in a slow dreamy manner. If, on the other hand, you like your tunes fast and spirited, then there is also much in the album to please.

Dave Dewar

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This album was reviewed in Issue 55 of The Living Tradition magazine.