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There Y'are Now (2008)
Ceilidh Minogue
01. The Gay Gordon's (Dornoch Links/ Barren Rocks/ Heilin' Laddie/ The Black Bear/ Jim Anderson's Delight) |
'Remember back in the '50s when Scottish dance bands would include a trumpet or trombone? No? Neither do I, but the concept has been resurrected by these piano-box-led punsters. They're not blonde, they're not cute, they're not particularly small, and they most definitely don't sing, but otherwise Ceilidh Minogue provides all you could wish for in a ceilidh band. Their marches are crisp, their reels are fluid, their jigs impertinent and their waltzes sublime. I count at least ten of my favourite tunes on this recording, and the rest aren't bad. There's an unexplained fondness for the compositions of Ronnie Cooper, the late great Gaelic-speaking Shetlander, including Jim Anderson's Delight, Sunset Over Foula, Ronas Voe, Frank Jamieson and Da Tushkar. There's a couple of Gordon Duncan jigs, a few more pipe tunes from modern composers, and fiddle music from Gow through Skinner to Holland. The range of dances is more than adequate for an average ceilidh: Gay Gordons, Dashing White Sergeant, Strip the Willow, Barn Dance, Two-Step, a couple of waltzes and plenty of jigs and reels. Ms Minogue can handle classics like The Deveron Reel and The Sailor's Wife, as well as continental waltzes and the big band sound of Looking For a Partner. ‘The "punny" name of this band might lead one to expect a sultry lead singer who belts out danceable songs while strutting across the stage with a short dress and attitude. Come to think of that, that doesn't sound like a bad idea. But that's not Ceilidh Minogue, and Ceilidh Minogue is doing just fine the way it is. There's nary a voice to be heard on There Y'are Now, their second CD release, but this Scottish ceilidh band serves up a blast of danceable sets that will keep the feet tapping, the blood pumping and, quite likely, the neighbors pounding on your door to turn it down. This is good stuff. Really good stuff. And, while the 12 sets on the album would be more than suitable for any Scottish dance event, Ceilidh Minogue doesn't simply follow tradition; it accentuates it. The foundation of Ceilidh Minogue is core musicians Gregory Lowrey on accordion, Gavin Marwik on fiddle, Bob Turner on piano and Alastair Morrow on drums and percussion. On this CD, Duncan Findlay provides guitars and banjo. And, while the core group alone can really get things going, the music just soars when the horn section -- Ryan Quigley on trumpet, Konrad Wiszniewski on sax and Steve Hawkes on fluglehorn -- is brought to bear. Why, I find myself wondering, aren't horns already included among Scottish traditional instruments? The only shame here is that this band, still playing after 15 years, has released only two CDs over that period. They need to get back in the studio soon, or at the very least record some of their live performances for posterity. I'll be watching my mailbox.’ - Rambles.net |
