DAN WALSH & ALISTAIR ANDERSON - Right At Home
White Meadow Records WMR2017CD
This live recording from the appropriately-named Mount Hooley (which is Alistair’s home) brings together two energetic and vibrant musicians who feed off each other to create a gutsy yet polished sound. Alistair has probably done more than any other single person to promote the musical traditions of Northumberland, and has been doing so for a number of years now. Dan is a relative newcomer, but is becoming a well-respected player and singer in his own right.
Here Alistair provides concertina and Northumbrian pipes, and Dan banjo, guitar and vocals, and their combinations cover a great range of material, from Northumbrian and Scottish traditions, American bluegrass and old-time standards, Alistair’s own peerless compositions, and even a lesser-known Saw Doctors song. No complaints about variety, then!
The playing lifts this CD into the higher reaches of excellence, with a lot of good-natured trading of leads. Try to count the different number of interplaying arpeggios on the likes of Nancy Clough or the Road To The North / Lasses Pass The Brandy encore to hear what I mean. Only musicians who have both a mastery of their own instruments and a comprehensive understanding of each other’s abilities can achieve this level of chemistry whilst making it all sound really laid-back and casual.
Dan’s singing needs to be singled out as well. He has a nicely raspy edge to his voice, which gives a great depth to the songs, which he delivers in a naturally relaxed style.
Top marks, not just to the musicians, but the production as well.
www.danwalshbanjo.co.uk
www.alistairanderson.com
ordon Potter
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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. |