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An apt choice of title from a group that would appear to have an aversion to the recording studio, given that their last release, ‘May Ye Never Lack a Scone’, in 2001 was their first, excluding re-releases, since 1983. But good things are worth the wait, and this CD makes that point emphatically.
With many groups, an observation that they still sound the same as they did four years ago would be taken as a criticism, but with the Bairns the converse holds true. The singing, the playing, the harmonies and the sheer undiluted quality remain as the benchmark for any others who aspire to understand and convey traditional Scottish music in its finest guise.
I suppose that it’s one of the advantages of having performed together for so long that all the members of the band just know what the others are going to do – they have a feeling for the harmonies which will work, they instinctively understand what gladdens the listeners’ ears and hearts, and then they get on and do it. No fuss, no frills, just a natural ability to get inside the meaning of a song and present it as it should be. Yet, despite all this easy familiarity, there remains the freshness of approach which gives that typical Bairns’ sound, with voices and instrumentation layering lightly and innovatively.
The selection is, as ever, well-balanced, with a blend of familiar and lesser-known songs and tune sets both traditional and contemporary, which all allow the individual members to excel in their own ways. Proof, if any was needed, that this really is one of the finest groups ever.
A case of rare being exceptionally well-done!
Gordon Potter
Rating:  [5 of 5 Stars!] |
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