Rachel Hair has that uncanny knack of picking just the right tunes to take her audience on a spectacular acoustic musical tour.
For instance the highly syncopated opening track ‘Back Home’ which, given a great jazz feel propelled by her accompanying musicians Paul Tracey (Guitar), Angus Lyons (Keyboards), Andy Sharkey (Double Bass) and Scott Mackay on drums brings her into Deborah Henson-Conant territory.The following track ‘Kilmartin Sky’ ably demonstrates Hair’s own compositional skills with a beautifully crafted slow air joined by the smile-inducing jig ‘Francie’s’. Joy Dunlop adds haunting Gaelic vocals on a couple of tracks with ‘A Fhleasgaich Oig As Ceanalta’ reminiscent of the soundtrack to the film ‘The Wicker Man’.
This is a very enjoyable recording that will capture the hearts of listeners with splashes of tasteful jazz colourings and is a must purchase for those who like their ‘folk’ with a bit of attitude.
Pete Fyfe,
www.folkandroots.co.uk