
The album is a mix of styles from Scottish folk music that are about 200 years old in some cases and in spite of their age, the songs are timeless. When you listen to The Speyside Sesssions you are listening to what “Sessioners” have aptly described as “a love letter to Scotland”. The upbeat songs like“Charlie is My Darlin” just make me wish I was in the room when they were recorded because it seems like such a great time was had. Like “Charlie”, “Raggle Taggle Gypsy” and the raucous“Barnyards O' Delgaty” features majority of the musicians, its easy to see how much of a group effort was needed for these pieces. Complex songs like “The Muckin' o' Geordie's Byre” really made me appreciate the skill it takes to belt out some of these tunes because of how intricate the lyrics are in speed and dialect.
The ballads on this CD are nothing but gems. “These Are My Mountains” is a very emotional song that will make you homesick for Scotland
even if you have never been there. The harmonies of the men and women vocals on “Both Sides of the Tweed” are chilling. “Fareweel Tae Tarwathie” is a beautiful acoustic piece that inspires fantasies of running along the lush green of Scotland. The women who sing on The Speyside Sessions have such unique voices and its refreshing to listen to female musicians that aren't trying to sound like the Taylor Swifts and Adeles of the world. The male “Sessioners” are just as eclectic in their range of talent in vocals and instruments (such as the fiddle) from what I've seen on the teaser video for The Speyside Sessionson YouTube.
In a nutshell, The Speyside Sessions is the perfect album for anyone that has an interest in folk music of any kind, and would like to support a charity at the same time. Thank you to Kevin McKidd and all those involved in The Speyside Sessions for recording this album,
hopefully there will soon be a Volume 2.
Many thanks to Maya for her review
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