I discovered discovered Canadian fiddle player Natalie MacMaster some time ago, when she played a duet with Alison Krauss. I bought a couple of her albums, noting that she's exactly one week older than I am. For some reason, her music tends to make me really emotional. Anyway, I reviewed a couple of her albums and feel compelled to give them a home on my music blog.
Nova Scotia native Natalie MacMaster first popped up on my musical radar when I heard "Get Me Through December", her collaboration with fellow fiddle player and Rounder artist Alison Krauss. I ended up buyingIn My Hands, the 1999 album from which that song came from and really enjoyed it. With that in mind, I decided to buy Yours Truly (2006), an album MacMaster released just after the birth of her first child, Mary Frances Leahy. I bought this album totally on a whim and had no idea what I was in for, other than MacMaster's masterful fiddle playing and perhaps the same eclectic style she demonstrated on In My Hands.
Yours Truly runs for 53 minutes. As most of the tracks on this album are instrumentals, there are no printed lyrics included in the liner notes. There are, however, beautiful pictures of Natalie MacMaster and full personnel listings for each piece. Michael McDonald is a guest vocalist on "Danny Boy", one of my favorite songs to sing... especially when I'm a little tipsy.
The music
Yours Truly begins with an energetic six minute romp called "Volcanic Jig". Natalie MacMaster wrote this piece, which is just brimming with energy and Celtic style. She plays the fiddle and is backed by Brad Davidge on guitar, John Chiasson on bass, Miche Pouliot on drums, Allan Dewar on piano, and Rushad Eggleston on cello. Out of all the supporting musicians, it's Eggleston I hear the most as the cello provides a deep string contrast to MacMaster's intricate fiddle playing. This is great for the morning.
"NPG" is a somber sounding piece arranged by Natalie MacMaster and including "The Sunday Reel" by Bruce Gandy and "The Old Ladywood Reel" (Traditional). I really like this track, which starts off sounding like it's going to be slow as Matt Mac Issac plays bagpipes. Suddenly, the piece erupts into something very exciting as MacMaster and Mac Issac play in perfect symmetry. John Chiasson's bass gives this piece a sturdy backbone.
"Flea As A Bird" is another MacMaster arrangement, this time incorporating "Flea as a Bird Clog", "Tribute to Stan Chapman Reel", "The Night We Had The Goats Reel" and "The Marquis of Tullybardine". I like this track for its jaunty mood. Natalie MacMaster plays the fiddle with dizzying accuracy and subtly jigs. Brad Davidge's guitar and John Chiasson's bass give this track a "plugged in" sound that make it almost seem like popular country. Allan Dewar's piano playing gets a chance to shine here, too.
"Farewell To Peter" is a track that was written and arranged by Natalie MacMaster in honor of the late Peter Jennings. Brad Davidge's gentle acoustic guitar begins this lovely instrumental that gives listeners a chance to catch their breaths after the frantic fiddle playing of the first three tracks. Rushad Eggleston's mellow cello playing is soothing against Natalie MacMaster's sweetly sensitive fiddle. Somehow, I think Peter Jennings would have appreciated this moving tribute to his memory.
"Matt & Nat's" is a cute title for a track that Natalie MacMaster and Matt Mac Issac wrote together. This track is very cool because it shows that Natalie MacMaster could have been a rock star. Her Celtic styled fiddle is backed Matt Mac Issac's electric pipes, Denis Keldie's mini moog, and stabbing electric guitars by Brad Davidge. This track has kind of a sci fi appeal to it, with space aged electronics collaborating with MacMaster's fiddle.
"David's Jig" is another high energy Natalie MacMaster creation. On this track, Natalie MacMaster shows that she's not just a fiddle player. She's also credited with step dancing on this. I like this track for its unconventional and complex sound, as well as Matt Mac Issac's amazing whistle playing.
Michael McDonald puts in a gentle performance of "Danny Boy", the one actual song on this album. He does an okay job, though I've heard other versions I've liked better than this one. His voice is so rich and distinctive, though, that it's hard not to recognize it from a distance. This song offers a little bit of a break from the very manic compositions that make up most of this album.
"Traditional Medley" consists of a string of traditional reels arranged by Natalie MacMaster. This track is a lot of fun to listen to and does indeed sound very traditional, with a notable lack of electric instruments. MacMaster's fiddle is backed by Brad Davidge's acoustic guitar and Betty Lou Beaton's piano.
"Cape Classico" was written and arranged by Natalie MacMaster and I immediately hear the sound of a banjo played by Jens Kruger. This track is very complex and interesting, with dramatic piano playing by Erin Leahy.
"Julia's Waltz" is another Natalie MacMaster composition. Alexander Sevastian leads off this track with a somber accordion introduction, followed by Brad Davidge's guitar and Natalie Haas on cello and finally MacMaster's fiddle. As each musician falls into the melody, I picture a young woman dancing to this graceful melody in waltz time. It's very pretty and shows that not all of Natalie MacMaster's fiddle creations are super energized.
"Mother Nature" is a track that practically percolates with the energy of world music. Tom Jackson plays drums and sings accents that sound inspired by Africa.
Yours Truly ends with "Interlude", a gentle farewell featuring Erin Leahy on piano, Natalie MacMaster on fiddle, and Mary Francis Leahy... Mary Francis Leahy was about six months old when she appeared on this track, cooing and crying. Natalie MacMaster thanks everyone who has made her music possible and the audience for coming out to listen. The melody is very lovely and I actually get a lump in my throat when I hear Natalie MacMaster express how much she loves music and thank God for her baby girl.
Overall
I really like Yours Truly. It's a nice mix of very exciting and interesting fiddle playing combined with a few slower, more introspective pieces. This is a nice album to play in the morning or perhaps as background music at a dinner party. I might even exercise to this if I were so inclined to haul my butt out of my computer chair. I would recommend this album to people who like Celtic instrumental music or those who just enjoy listening to music that has a style of its own.
Natalie MacMaster's Web site: www.nataliemacmaster.com
Natalie MacMaster's manic fiddle playing... in like a lion, out like a lamb
May 27, 2008
Review by
knotheadusc
Rated a Very Helpful Review
Pros:Awesome fiddle playing. Lots of experimentation.
Cons:May be too eclectic for some.
The Bottom Line:Definitely Celtic inspired music with a twist.
Once again, I credit bluegrass phenom Alison Krauss for leading me to new music. This time, she's helped me discover Natalie MacMaster, a Canadian fiddle player who hails from Nova Scotia and was born a week before I was in 1972. While MacMaster has apparently enjoyed a very successful career touring Canada and Europe, I had not heard of her until I bought fellow Rounder artist Alison Krauss's latest solo album, A Hundred Miles of More: A Collection, which came out in the spring of 2007. That CD had Krauss's collaboration with MacMaster, a beautiful song called "Get Me Through December". I liked it so much that I bought Natalie MacMaster's 1999 album In My Hands, which is where the song originally appeared.
The first thing to know about Natalie MacMaster's music is that it's primarily instrumental and has a decidedly Celtic flavor. However, as is apparent on In My Hands, MacMaster is willing to do plenty of experimentation of different genres. She starts In My Hands with the title track, a song that sounds like a hybrid of progressive rock and Celtic, with whispery sensual spoken vocals. The track progresses like a freight train, with electronic instruments blending with MacMaster's nimble fiddling, acoustic guitars, and a tambourine. It gets the album off to a spirited start.
On Welcome To The Trossachs, MacMaster plays what sounds like a traditional Celtic jig on her fiddle, backed by a jolly sounding piano. The piece is fun to listen to and makes me wish I could dance. It makes me appreciate my heritage. The thing that really strikes me about this track is the very complicated tempos and MacMaster's very expressive playing. The song culminates with electric guitars and percussion, giving it more of a rough edge.
Gramma begins with the warbly voice of a woman (Gramma, I presume), then leaps into a very intricate instrumental backed by acoustic guitars. It's fun to listen to, but I start wondering when things are going to slow down a little.
I don't have to wonder long about when the tempo will come down a notch or two, for the next track, Blue Bonnets Over the Border is a slow, pensive air that having me longing to visit someplace green and peaceful. This track is very lovely and new agey, giving listeners a chance to digest the dazzling technical prowess of the first three.
New York Jig begins with a gentle melody that almost sounds like a lullaby, until MacMaster jumps in with her fiddle and turns the track into a cheerful romp. I don't know which part of New York inspired this... I'm guessing it must have been the upstate! It's kind of a laid back jig that sounds more like a celebration of the pastoral rather than the bright lights of the big city.
In My Hands gets a splash of Latin with Flamenco Fling, a fun song complete with horns, plucky percussion, and more mad fiddle playing by MacMaster and lusty flamenco guitar playing by Jesse Cook.
Space Ceilidh changes the dynamic again, with outer worldly electronic keyboards, funky percussion, and a heavy bass groove. This track is a great reminder that there's more to fiddle music than the bluegrass, classical, and country styles. This track sounds like it would be at home on a sci-fi soundtrack.
Olympic Reel launches with a few heavy electric guitar licks, then a high spirited melody played on MacMaster's fiddle. Listening to this album's pace, at this point, I'm thinking that it would be great music for a workout. Just when I think this track is sounding very Charlie Daniels, MacMaster reminds me that she cut her teeth on Celtic music with a reel toward the middle. Then it goes country again, with electric guitars and a piano solo that makes me think of the background music on The Dukes of Hazzard.
With a gentle sigh of fiddles, MacMaster plays Father John MacLeod's Jig, a song that sounds gentle and sweet compared to the more fiery numbers on this album. The slower tempo is welcome, giving me a chance to catch my breath and enjoy the simple beauty of MacMaster's instrument.
Next is Get Me Through December, the luminous number that prompted me to seek out this album in the first place. Alison Krauss is on vocals, lending her angelic touch to the dreamy melody highlighted by MacMaster's fiddle and a thoughtfully played piano. Although Alison Krauss is also a fiddle player, I don't think she contributed strings to this. It's really a lovely song; Krauss and MacMaster work beautifully together.
The Farewell begins with sweet accordion playing, then MacMaster joins in on the fiddle playing a simple Irish melody backed by an understated guitar.
Moxham Castle features pounding percussion, MacMaster's frenzied fiddle, and a jocular piano in the background. It sounds like a piece meant for a party with lots of dancing, drinking, and good times.
Mom's Jig begins with a quiet acoustic guitar leading into MacMaster's easy fiddling, slowly building in intensity. It sounds very traditional, yet ambitious.
In My Hands ends with Flora MacDonald, another piece that sounds inspired by the new age style, with soft, echoey pianos, gentle guitars, and MacMaster's fiddle. It ends the album on a more relaxed note.
In My Hands runs for just over an hour. I am intrigued by this album because it does seem very ambitious, dipping into a number of different styles yet still using the fiddle as the main instrument. Personally, I enjoy listening to In My Hands, but I recognize that some may not like it as much because it's very eclectic and technical.
When I listen to Natalie MacMaster play, I am in awe of her ability to embellish and play with precision, the same way I might be if I were listening to someone like Celine Dion or Mariah Carey sing a procession of marathon notes held forever. But, to be perfectly honest, while I admire the technical ability to embellish, I don't always enjoy it. I do enjoy Natalie MacMaster's efforts at embellishment, but I recognize that it might be too complex for some listeners. Anyway, say what you want about embellishment and MacMaster's experimental spirit, the woman can play. She fiddles like a virtuoso.
In My Hands represents my first taste of Natalie MacMaster's music, but I have a feeling I'll be going back for seconds (and possibly thirds) very soon.
Natalie MacMaster's Web site: http://www.nataliemacmaster.com/
