| This Week's Highlights |
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analysis w/e 14.5.11 |
DVDs out 9.5.11 |
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@ DVDfever Youtube |
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May 11 2011 
DVDfever co uk
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In 2006, Julie Fowlis won newcomer at the BBC Folk Awards. The album title, a noun pronounced ‘kul’i’ means treasury, sanctuary, retreat and secret hiding place. This release follows her 2005 CD Mar A Tha Mo Chridhe (As My Heart Is). Sung entirely in Scottish Gaelic, the beauty here lies with the delivery and the fabulous simplicity of the music and singing. Not many would tackle it this way. Some of it ballads, some of it gentle foot-tappers like track 5, Puirt-a-beul Set are set to stories of ships and lullabies which she has learned from others or covered. One in particular, track 9, is a song written by Finlay Morrison about men who were promised land, A Land Fit For Heroes, if they went to fight during WW1. Ones who returned got nothing. Another is about a boat, the Lochmor. Written by Peter Morrison, it tells the story about a memorable journey on the well known boat that served the Hebrides and the west coast of Scotland.
The lullaby, track 12, is sung as a warning shot for the intending sleeper who might be a guest or Hugh (in Ireland), "Aoidh, don’t sleep at all / You’ll get no peace with the raid underway / Ensure your sharp sword is on your thigh / And take to the hills immediately." Song 7, My Own Donald, written by Neil MacLeod of Skye, Fowlis learned from Flora MacNeil for a BBC Scotland radio series called Trad Roots. Songs from Uist, tracks 1 & 2, were introduced into the set after she got together with some pals in Glasgow. The elopement of Jessie of Balranald, and this is one of many about her. She was engaged to marry Cooper, but used her engagement celebrations to elope on the ship Eliza Jane with a ‘McDonald’ man from Skye.
All the songs are beautifully presented vocally, which makes for a wonderful listening experience. If you’re further interested in knowing more about these great stories, visit her website, linked below, click on songs, see the song titles and click on lyrics. It’s also a delight to hear real instruments being played with such style and technique. An absolute delight from start to finish.
Weblink: juliefowlis.com
The full list of tracks included are :
As of April 2009, Blu-rays and DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TH-37PX80B 37" Plasma TV with a Sony BDP-1500 Blu-ray player and played through a Yamaha DSP-AX820 amplifier. PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
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Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2010.
