Category: CD Review

CAPTAIN EARLY – Lindsay Street, 2018, CDBaby
Lindsay Street, a band from Bellingham, Washington (Robin Elwood, Elizabeth Elton, Patty Chambers, and Jean Rogers) “draws inspiration from past and emerging music traditions that wash up on the shores of Bellingham Bay by way of Ireland, England, Scandinavia and Quebec, with an occasional original tune thrown in the mix.” Described as “pan-Celtic, quirk and beauty,” the band creates unique arrangements that feature accordion, guitar, violin, mandolin, bodhran, banjo, whistles, and other assorted instruments and vocal harmonies. Their third CD, Captain Early, honors their long-time percussionist Bryan Early, who succumbed to a rare cancer in 2014. Continue reading “CD REVIEW – LINDSAY STREET”

Claudia Schmidt – ©2017
“I have always loved winter, and the older I get, the more I love it. I joke about how the long nights and short days give us cosmic permission to underachieve. But when I look at the way our lives seem to fill up with busy work that eclipses contemplation and dream time, I realize the underlying seriousness of the situation! So here is my love note to the oft-maligned season of winter. Bring it on. Hark the Dark!” – Claudia Schmidt

This welcome new CD by Claudia Schmidt, her 22nd recording, takes a new turn – it is a thematic journey through dark winter in various genres, moods, and styles. Only about half the songs are her original pieces; she has also gathered some musings of fellow musicians and thrown in a couple standards. For those of us who are familiar with her earlier recordings, this is a change, with a new sound, but it is still the same Claudia with her heartfelt renditions, and a voice that is as strong and expressive as ever. Continue reading “CD Review: Hark the Dark – Claudia Schmidt”

This is the first full-length instrumental recording for Kate MacLeod, an award-winning singer-songwriter, and acclaimed violin player and composer. Her previous vocal recordings have always included a few instrumental tracks, but as much as I enjoy her singing, I always wanted to hear more of her violin playing. Now I have that opportunity in a single long-awaited recording. Continue reading “CD Review: Kate MacLeod – Deep in the Sound of Terra”

David Ingerson, Portland, OR, ©2016,  Reverbnation   Soundcloud

The songs on this recording are probably ones that you’ve never heard before, and they are sung un-accompanied in a style quite different from that which we are most accustomed to hearing in singing. Yet David Ingerson has put together a wonderful collection of songs – really stories – sung in the traditional Irish, or sean-nós, style. For the uninitiated this is an introduction to a different style of folk music. And for those acquainted with this style, a source of mostly-undiscovered material. Altogether a very pleasant listening experience. Continue reading “CD Review: My Lovely Mountain Home”