The Whole Music Experience

World / Folk   The Henry Girl December Moon   Independent recording Hailing from Ireland, the sister trio (Karen, Lorna and Joleen McLaughlin) The Henry’s Girls are the UK’s answer to Canadian women folk bands the Wailin’ Jennys and the Good lovelies. However, they’re no copycat act since Henry’s Girls possess authenticity while even giving Irish music a facelift on their fourth recording December Moon .   One listen to their cover of Elvis Costello’s Watching the Detective (given a cabaret treatment here) turns heads.   And overall, their harmonies sound more bluegrass swing than Celtic.   The girls add some West African flavors via Gameli Tordzro’s kora on Moonstruck , an interlude sandwiched between the send-up December Moon and the lament Rain and Snow . Anyone looking for a warm acoustic album (banjo, fiddle, harp, accordion, kora, double bass, dobro, percussion, horns, piano, mandolin, ukulele, and Mexican guitar) will feel right ...

Folk/Bluegrass   Brianna Lea Pruett   Gypsy Bells Canyon Records Singer-songwriter Brianna Lea Pruett debuts with Gypsy Bells on Canyon Records.   Equal parts contemporary folk and bluegrass, Pruett focuses on the personal canvas of young love and friendship.   Her well-crafted songs are backed by guitar, lap steel, bass, drums and flute.   I’m reminded of Navajo singer-songwriter Sharon Burch’s contemporary folk and the 1970s American folk diva, Laura Nyro, especially on the tracks, New Life and Seeds of Love .   Marry that Boy recalls the old folk standards once sung by Odetta, and Barbara Dane. Michelle Lee’s flute adds a nice touch to the song as it weds the lilting vocals. Piano on Under Your Win g adds warmth to the recording. Pruett claims Cherokee as one of her nationalities and on the track, Red Jacket she appears to addresses her Native American ancestors and tradition.   And on Sun on the Mountain , she tells a sto...

Heather Masse Bird Song (2009) Red House Records The Wailin’ Jennys Bright Morning Stars Red House Records The music industry is rife with irony.   For instance Heather Masse, a musician with a solo career and a member of two bands, marks the third alto vocalists for the Canadian band The Wailin’ Jennys.   The first two altos left the band to pursue solo careers, but neither of them became a "Prairie Home Companion" darling in the manner that Masse had.   However, each alto brought her own signature to the band such as the old English ballads influence of Cara Luft and the mandolin-tinged bluegrass of Annabelle Chvotsek and each vocalist helped to transform WJ. Heather Masse, the only American vocalist in the band, brought her music conservatory experience, mainly as a jazz vocalist and her love of old timey blues and jazz.   While you can certainly hear these influences in the form of bluegrass swing ( Cherry Blossom Love ...

Annalivia Barrier Falls 5-String Productions I don’t know how many Irish ballads I’ve heard with the title John Riley since I began covering world music, but a few. And since each ballad has its own distinct signature, I visualize Irish phonebooks containing pages of John Riley. The version that appears on Boston-based Celtic quintet Annalivia’s Barrier Falls , delights my ears. Lead vocalist/guitarist Liz Simmons possesses one of those voices, clear, immaculate, and chockfull of delicate emotions that does the Irish tradition proud. Annalivia with its Celtic chamber sound comprised of banjo, dual fiddles, acoustic guitar, double-bass and vocal harmonies, hits the spot on this rainy Sunday afternoon. The band performs both melancholic love ballads and heartwarming jigs and reels, hailing from Cape Breton, the British Isles, and the US. The musicians polish each track, adding a few twists and 3-part vocal harmonies in the opening and closing tracks. I envision this band pla...

Mike Marshall And Caterina Lichtenberg Adventure Music Two parts Bach, one part Brazilian with Venezuelan and French seasonings describes American mandolin player Mike Marshall’s latest recording on Adventure Music. The virtuoso has literally traveled around the world with his mandolin and on this recording he teams up with Early Music mandolin player Caterina Lichtenberg, thus the simple and direct CD title. Opening with a Bach violin sonata in which Marshall plays double-duty on cello, the duo then launches into their musical journey which hop scotches its way through American bluegrass, Brazilian jazz, Early Music, Bulgarian and Venezuelan classical. And yes, this exhilarating recording leaves a listener breathless. Jean-Marie Leclair’s Sonata VI for Two Violins (French baroque) sounds absolutely gorgeous when played on two mandolins. The movements alternate between gentle and lilting to enchanting. The short Bulgarian folk tune oddly doesn’t feel out of place following...

The Wailin’ Jennys Live at the Mauch Chunk Opera House Red House Records Anyone who has listened to a recording or attended a concert performed by Winnipeg’s The Wailin’ Jennys, knows that it all ends too quickly. The sweet strains of harmonies that the trio of women vocalists, (Ruth Moody, Nicky Mehta and Heather Masse), have the ability to amaze and thrill. Then add the fiery bluegrass fiddle of Jeremy Penner, and the listening pleasure must be repeated a few times in order to feel completely satiated from this a cappella and accompanied music. Live at the Mauch Chunk Opera House (Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania), offers both, a live concert and a recording. And listeners no doubt, will press the repeat button to enjoy an encore performance of these 14 delicious tracks. The recording not only offers a clean and crisp sound, but the musicians create a warm and inviting atmosphere with a little bit of on-stage banter and a beautiful delivery of previously recorded songs and some ...