Thus far, Rachel Hair’s previous recordings – two solo and one with the trio – have slipped under my personal radar, but I’m very pleased that this one came to my attention. Hair’s a harpist of real delicacy and clarity, who takes the Scottish tradition and, with guitarist/vocalist Jenn Butterworth and double bassist Cameron Maxwell, tweaks it ever so slightly into a light, contemporary and uplifting music that’s all her own.
What’s so attractive about Trì is that, while so many musicians would labour the rhythmic drive of, for example the jig set that opens the album, the musicians let the exuberance of the melodies propel the arrangements. It’s the play of light on a clear mountain stream, rather than a rush over rapids. Though , to stretch the metaphor further than it warrants, there is also considerable depth, courtesy of some resonant bass underpinning that adds a swinging warmth deep below.
With a few traditional and original songs in the mix, Trì is a varied collection which, taken as a whole, is a real pick-me-up from a talented trio who wear their considerable skills with charm and ease.
Oz Hardwick, R2 Magazine.