FOLK

This is fiddler Catriona Macdonald’s first solo release since 2000, and allows us to hear her away from immediate juxtaposition with collaborators on the same instrument in her regular bands, Scotland’s Blazin’ Fiddles and String Sisters, an international line-up of women fiddlers. The album confirms what we already knew – she is an expressive performer who draws on roots in the playing traditions of her native Shetland.

At the same time, she has absorbed an international musical vocabulary that is clearly reflected in both her playing and selection of material. She majors on the Shetland repertoire (including several of her own compositions) but also features tunes from Scotland, Scandinavian and Cape Breton, with a rare vocal outing appended as a bonus. Pianist David Milligan, bassist Konrad Ivitsky and drummer James Macintosh inject a distinctl feel and texture into their interpretations of the music.