The Whole Music Experience

Ruth Moody The Garden Red House Records I didn’t know what to expect from Ruth Moody’s (Wailin’Jennys) solo outing The Garden . I thought the musician-songwriter would bring out the Celtic music influence, but you won’t find any Irish fiddling on this album. Y ou will find fabulous musical arrangements that fall between country, bluegrass and folky pop ( Travellin’Shoes ) and you’ll find some of Moody’s best song crafting of her career thus far. Moody expands her vocal range singing in a whispery voice on Never Said Goodbye (she also plays piano on the track), and then giving Emmy Lou Harris a run for her money on the duet We Can Only Listen . On Tell Me she recalls Patsy Cline’s classic hits. Moody also crafts catchy tunes with witty turn of phrases. The other thing Moody does that amazes me is she takes old worn out phrases such as “birds of a feather stick together” and she turns it into art. I’m not sure if she’s using these phrases as clever devices o

The Byrd Ensemble (Seattle) Our Lady (Music from the Peterhouse Partbooks) Scribe Records The Tudor period represented a traumatic time in English history.   We are reminded of the vengeance of Henry VIII against not only his wives (plural, he had 6 of them), but also against the Catholic Church.   During his reign monasteries were sacked and musical composers displaced unless they could adapt to composing for the protestant church.   Somehow these Catholic compositions on Our Lady  were saved for posterity.   The church music of this time (renaissance) featured polyphonic and monophonic vocals.   One of the most famous composers of this period of English history was Thomas Tallis, who greatly inspired both the Seattle-based The Byrd Ensemble and the Tudor Choir. While I’ve reviewed recordings by The Tudor Choir, Our Lady is the first recording I’m reviewing by The Byrd Ensemble (formerly The Renaissance Singers).   I’m out of touch with Seattle’s early music commun