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John song was new to me but has become a firm favourite. In Fiona Hunter, Malinky have found a singer who is every bit as impressive as the aforementioned Ms. Treat yourself to a copy. If I had to choose a few of my favourites it would probably be Fiona's outstanding interpretation of Archie Fisher's `The Shipyard Apprentice'.
This enormously enjoyable album has never been far from my CD player since it first arrived. Of these I particularly enjoy `Cows and Cottongrass', a pair of traditional tunes that feature some fine guitar from token Sassenach David Wood.This is an album from a band at the top of their game; it oozes class through to the very last note. I was really taken with the first two albums by the Scottish band Malinky and remember recommending them heartily. I enthused particularly about their lead singer Karine Polwart.When Karine Polwart left to make her solo albums Malinky somehow disappeared off my radar until this, their latest offering, dropped onto my doormat. Polwart. All of this is perfectly underpinned by Fiona's fine cello giving Malinky a very distinctive sound.All of the songs included here are from the top drawer and will grow on you with repeated listening.
Steve Byrne's sensitive vocal over Fiona's moody cello create the perfect atmosphere for this tremendously moving song.As well as the songs there are three stirring sets of tunes which give the band a chance to show off their considerable instrumental prowess. This version has made me fall in love with this exceptional song all over again. Composed by Liam Weldon, the fine singer/songwriter from Dublin, Mark's authoritative vocal certainly does justice to this powerful song. This Pete St. Bouzouki player Steve Byrne and Antrim born flautist/whistle player Mark Dunlop also possess fine voices. Another treat is `When Margaret was Eleven' an incredibly moving anti-war song seen from the perspective of a child who sees their father return damaged by the war. I now realise that I have been missing out in a big way.
Mark Dunlop's powerful delivery on `Dark Horse on the Wind' also impresses greatly. The interplay between the guitar and bouzouki provide the ideal backdrop for the impressive fiddle, flute and whistle parts. With each listen I discover new musical delights and my enthusiasm for it grows. Support from fiddler Mike Vass and guitarist/bouzouki player Dave Wood make Malinky as impressive vocally as they are instrumentally.As well as the varied selection of songs, it is the tasteful and attractive arrangements in which they are set that make `Flower and Iron' stand out from the crowd.
My other favorite song is "Why Should I." I often skip the prelude music to that song (track 10) about a minute, 6 seconds into it because I listen to the actual part of the song "Why Should I." over and over, not that I don't like the preceding tune ("Janice Leask of Lerwick"). But they're just dandy to listen to anyway, knowing the words or not. Absolutely a fun song that will be in your head for days. Though the song is long, you'd wish it was longer.
If you want to know how Robert Burns would have spoken, Malinky is the right band for you because some of the songs are in Scots English. It's such a fun, catchy melody, but to a recurring theme throughout time: forcing a daughter to marry a man for power and wealth rather than for love, but the daughter stands up and stays with her one true love. The opening duet starts out rather slow, but turns into a beautifully harmonized love tune. Of course, the ever-lovely Fiona Hunter makes every song worth listening to anyway. The instrumentals are melodious and beautiful, especially when Fiona's solos come in. It seems to me that all of the male-sung songs are much better this time around.
I think I've even got the Scots English accent down word by word (and this one is tough), and I've only had the album for two days. The raw emotion in this song will make you weep, especially the crescendos and decrescendos. This song is perfectly done. I'd say it could be done a capella or with music. Back to highlighting some songs, the fifth track "Dark Horse on the Wind," is one of my two favorites, an Irish political song by Liam Weldon (partial to neither "side", much like Tommy Sands with "There Were Roses"). Fiona's cello and Mike's fiddle and Steve's Shruti box contribute even more to the beauty of the song. Her lead on the second tune "The Broomfield Hill" is so much fun to listen to; her Scottish lilt makes me want to be Scottish.
The wobbles, the roughness, the reality. This is the most beautifully performed song by the guys on any of the Malinky albums. To understand some of the songs, you might need to study the lyrics a bit. Here, Mark Dunlop cranks it up to 11.
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