Scottish Folk at Its Best (ARC Music, 2008)
The Scottish Folk at Its Best compilation includes a selection of some of the finest Scottish artists who released recordings with the KRL label. Under Lochshore and other imprints, KRL Records produced some of the most interesting new acts in Scotland. The most famous is the now legendary Old Blind Dogs, who participate with two tracks. Other favorites are the spirited Tannas, with a style similar to early Capercaillie.
Anna Murray is known both as a singer and also as an excellent piper. Her specialty are the bagpipes. She plays both the small pipes and the Highland pipes. I happen to prefer the more melodic sound of the small pipes, which Murray uses frequently. You can sample both her vocals and pipes on the two tracks selected. Other artists featured are attractive discoveries: Canterach, The Iron Horse, The Hudson Swan Band, The Mick West Band, Ross Kennedy & Archie McAllister, Wendy Weatherby, and Coila.
Scottish Folk at Its Best combines traditional and innovative contemporary Scottish folk songs and instrumentals, ranging from ballads to jigs, reels, and airs. A majority of the lyrics are in Gaelic, with English translations included in the booklet.
Buy the CD:
- In North America: Scottish Folk at Its Best
- In Europe: Scottish Folk: at Its Best
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
