This review is written by Dai Woosnam, daigress@hotmail.com, 6/05
Somebody recently asked me how often I listened all the way
through to a CD before reviewing it. I was tempted to answer in jest
that I never listened before reviewing as it would prejudice what I had
to say, and sabotage my pre-planned jokes! But the truthful answer is
three times. No less. Why three? And not twenty-three? Well, partly
time constraints, but also the fact that while there is a real
"learning curve" from 1 to 3, the Law Of Diminishing Returns sets in
from 4 onwards.
This album consists of 13 tracks. Despite my regulation three
listenings on successive evenings, I found I was never able to get past
track 11 without falling asleep. Now in the normal course of events,
that would either be a savage criticism of the CD's content, or else an
indication of the reviewer being afflicted with acute narcolepsy.
However in this case, it is the most emphatic of thumbs-up signs. For
this is an album of Scots lullabies. And wonderful they are. Lynn
Morrison has surrounded herself with talented musicians and produced an
album so deliciously atmospheric....not only are the high and low
whistles and wind-synth every bit as dreamily ethereal as any Romanian
pan-pipe player you want to name, but there is inspired use of what
they call "natural sounds". No, not babies burping (ha!), but some
limited use of the sounds of thunder and rain falling; and above all,
steady use of the sound of waves gently lapping a dreamy beach.
There is an excellent CD sleeve booklet, with lots of source
information. Much better deciding on this, than choosing to print the
lyrics. Why? Well, for one thing, several tracks are in Gaelic, and
thus the printed words would fall on stony ground in my case. But when
it comes to listening, one hardly notices the changes of language. And
isn't that how it should be? When you were a tiny tot, one did not
necessarily know the meaning of the words one's mother sang one. But it
just didn't matter. Nor does it cause monoglots like me a problem here.
No branch of Mothercare would be complete without copies of this CD for sale.
Dai Woosnam
Grimsby, England.
daigress@hotmail.com
Copyright © 1998-2008 Kevin & Maxine’s Celtic & Folk Music CD Reviews. All rights reserved.
Ownership, copyright and title of this UK folk music CD review belongs to Dai Woosnam. Ownership, copyright and title are not transferable or assignable to you or other parties regardless of how or if you or other parties use, copy, save, backup, store, retrieve, transmit, display, publish, modify or share the CD review in whole or in part. Please read the "Terms, Conditions and Disclaimer" section on my web site for additional information about using, quoting, or reprinting this CD review.
Return to Kevin and Maxine’s Celtic & Folk Music CD Reviews home page.
To return to the last web page you visited, click the "Back" button that appears immediately below: