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CD Review
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Cranky Crow, CD Review >>
Canada's Cape Breton is the only place outside of Scotland where Gaelic is spoken. Scottish Gaelic singer, Mary Jane Lamond has a mission in life to preserve the Gaelic language through performing historical milling songs and laments. The singer who resides in Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Island (New Scotland), presents 11 such songs all sung in Gaelic on her CD, Storas. The English translation of Storas is treasures and the songs presented here are certainty historical treasures, songs of hope, love and great loss as in The Battle of Inverlochy in which a Campbell woman laments the loss of her husband, father, three sons and farm to war or Lament for Angus where a woman also laments the death of her husband and sons who drowned. Drowning, the sea, sailors seeking fortune, maidens pining for their lovers and plaid caught in the rain are the themes sung in these treasured songs.
Although the normal custom is to sing milling songs and these laments a cappella, and you will hear some of that on Storas, Mary Jane brings in light instrumentation. The core band includes, Geoff Arsenault on percussion, (you'll hear him beating the way on what sounds like a bodhran), Chris Corrigan on guitar, Wendy MacIssac on fiddle and Ed Woodsworth on bass. Guests vocalists, strings, bagpipe, cello and guitar are also sprinkled throughout Mary Jane's repertoire. The vocalist breaks away from tradition while keeping the traditional melodies intact. "My philosophy is you always give the song the first voice. If you were to take away the accompaniment and harmonies from the songs on Storas, you would be left with a melody that has been sung for generations."
Storas is a 2-CD recording with the first CD featuring light acoustic arrangements and the second featuring a more contemporary production of traditional songs. While there are sweet moments on the second CD, I much prefer the lighter acoustic treatment of the first CD and I especially enjoy a cappella vocals which features Mary Jane singing solo or with other women vocalists. She ends the CD with My Plaid is under the rain, with several women singing a cappella. You can hear elation in the women's vocals. According to Mary Jane, even the saddest laments are fun to sing. "I was talking to an older guy last summer about how sad the songs are. There are more songs about death and drowning than anywhere else. And his response was, 'These songs are sad. But there's a lot of joy in singing them.'" Also one could mention that the average person's problems would seem minuscule in comparison to a Campbell women losing everything imaginable during the 17th century. The laments do put a perspective on listeners' lives. Perhaps that is why the laments were created in the first place. 12/22/05 >> go there
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