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TITLES BY
ISLA ST CLAIR
ROYAL LOVERS & SCANDALS
MURDER & MAYHEM
WHEN THE PIPER PLAYS
AMAZING GRACE |
TRACKS
1. BARON OF BRACKLEY
2. BATTLE OF
HARLAW
3. BARTHAMS DIRGE
4. TWA CORBIES
5. BANKS OF SWEET DUNDEE
6.
HELEN OF KIRKCONNELL
7. EPPIE MORRIE
8. REYNARDINE
9.
LAMMIKIN
GUESTS:
Joe O'Donnell on
fiddle
Danny Prendergast on guitar
REVIEW:
"Isla St. Clair, an accomplished ballad singer from
Aberdeenshire in northeast Scotland, showcases the ballads of Scottish
tradition with two discs of well-chosen songs. St. Clair recently returned to a
singing career after an extended sabbatical as a mother and is dividing her
time between recording music and supervising and performing in children's
television shows. Like Kingdom Folk Band (see their album 'Restless'), she also
chose simple guitar accompaniment, as any good singer-songwriter would. Many of
the songs on these discs were adapted on the North American continent and can
be found in their new forms in Niles' Ballad book that I recently reviewed.
Listening to these albums, part of a series of traditional songs, it is easy to
understand why St. Clair has enjoyed continued popularity as a traditional
singer. Murder and Mayhem includes songs that are likely to be less familiar to
audiences outside Scotland, such as "The Baron of Brackley" or "Helen of
Kirkconnell." The liner notes provide a bit of a score card for the
uninstructed, including historical details and a glossary of local terms that
might be difficult to decipher ( for example, "lichted" means "dismounted"...
who knew?). St. Clair's version of the popular "Twa Corbies" is haunting, as is
tale of the vampire "Reynardine." All of the songs are well done, classic tales
of a turbulent people willing to take matters into their own hand to secure
love in the face of daunting odds, Byzantine politics, and betrayal by odious
villains." Greenmanreviews.com |
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| CD
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£ 5.99* |
| BARCODE |
722932053328 |
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PAL video is for the UK, Europe,
Australia
NTSC video is for N America/Japan
* p&p : A ONE OFF POSTAGE CHARGE APPLIES TO ALL
ORDERS - £2 within UK
£3 OVERSEAS &
EIRE |
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The Scottish ballads in this album are brimming with
intrigue, murder, blood feuds and betrayals, supported by the pride and courage
of heroes or victims. This special edition is a unique collection of
traditional ballads about Scotland's turbulent past.
Isla St Clair was
twelve when she recorded the first of many ballads for the School of Scottish
Studies, and which are still used as reference works. Today Isla is one of
Scotland's top traditional singers.
duration:
40 mins approx |
