Guest review
A Clatter O Fowk
The Ulster-Scots Collective of Performing Artists. CD, 16 tracks; total playing time
45 minutes. £11.00.
A CLATTER O FOWK
is a real breath of fresh air in comparison to the usual musical exports from
Ulster. The Scottish influence is rampant throughout the work. Not only because
of the use of traditional instruments like the bagpipes, flutes and whistles,
but also because the way the melodies have a Scottish ‘flavour’ as distinct
from the Irish.
This difference is eloquently portrayed in track 8 - Bagpipe
& Lambeg Medley. Incorporating the traditional Ulster instrument,
the Lambeg Drum, you’ll not forget where this music is coming from. This
difference between Scottish and Irish music is also evident in track 12 (Scotch
Medley) which features a medley of Scottish reels and jigs, played on
the fiddle and accordian and accompanied by the bones. Scottish influences can
also be found on tracks 14 (Caledonian Heartbeat) and 16 (Over
The Water). For me, track 14 is the highlight of A Clatter O Fowk,
as it sums up what the CD is about. Additionally, track 16 could quite easily
bring you to tears.
On the other hand, tracks 3 (Will Ye Go Lassie Go),
6 (My Darling’s In Tennessee), 7 (Margaret’s Waltz)
and 9 (Tam Archer) take you far off to the other side of the water
to America. You can imagine yourself being entertained in Grizzly Adam’s log
cabin and thinking of home with the Hillbilly’s, getting blattered on
moonshine!
My Darling’s In Tennessee is performed by Roy
Arbuckle and Trevor Owens. However, I’d like to hear it sung by Laura
Sinnerton, who, along with Elizabeth McLeister sing some traditional
songs on this CD. Both have stunning voices, and the songs they sing really
compliment their talents.
The McNeilstown Pipe Band, as the name implies, play
the bagpipes. However, as a fan of the drum, I find their drum patterns quite
complex and exciting. It’s actually a similar style to some of the more
experimental types of drum and bass music that you’d find being played at any
rave or in any inner city nightclub.
And finally, Natty Shaw’s rendition of John
Clifford’s Wullie’s Motor Car is amazing. If this is what
the Ulster-Scots voice sounds like, well, I’m speechless! The basic Ulster
accent is mixed with the Scottish. But for me, there’s hints of Cornish and
West Country English in some of the phrases. It’s quite hard for me to
understand as I’m from the English Midlands, where our accent and dialect is
relatively easy to understand. A Clatter O Fowk should be in
everyone’s music collection and on every jukebox in every bar and pub
everywhere. Excellent.
Russell Ewins
Available from: Glenwood Publications, First
Floor, 316 Shankill Road, Belfast, BT13 3AB.
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