The Strange Reviews of Dr. Winick & Mr. Nerd
Self-Produced English and Celtic Music
By CeltoNerd Steve Winick

Mild-mannered columnist Stephen Winick has finally earned his doctorate, putting the horrors of graduate school behind him. But all is not well in Nerdland. Sometimes when Winick sleeps at night, he is subject to a startling transformation. In place of the handsome and respectable doctor, a new, dark force emerges, a hideous and opinionated creature who incessantly prattles on about English and Celtic folk music. It's the frightening Mr. Nerd!

Mr. Nerd's beaker really runneth over with CDs this time out, so no more time for chit-chat. Probably my favorite of this batch is The Widow's Promise [Wild Goose Studios TERR CD 0011 (1998)] by Mick Ryan & Pete Harris. I must admit, it was a little odd to come across a CD with a quotation from my writings on the cover, especially when I was sure I hadn't seen the disc before. But a quick look explained all: This CD is compiled from two cassette albums, one of which, Another Place, Another Time, I reviewed in this column back in the April/May 1997 issue of Dirty Linen. At that time, I was impressed with several songs, including Ryan's originals "The Man I Killed" and "The Widow" (renamed "The Widow's Promise" on the CD), as well as a traditional gypsy version of "Poor Old Horse." Happily for me, these songs are all included on this disc, as are a few other choice cuts from Another Place, Another Time. The rest of the CD is made up of tracks from Drink Up the Sun, including fine and moving versions of classic traditional ballads like "Bonny Light Horseman," "Salisbury Plain" and "Adieu Adieu," as well as a few more originals. Ryan has got a really fine, sweet voice reminiscent in places of Martin Carthy (British Mag Folk Roots called him "the most underrated singer in the country"), and Harris backs him up in style on guitar, bouzouki, mandolin, mandola, banjo, bass and whistle—quite an arsenal for one player. The resulting sound is full, but not overblown, perfect for the songs. Any complaints, you ask? I have but one: With two albums to choose material from, they might have found another song or two to include. Still, at its current length, it's a fine disc indeed. [Wild Goose Studios/ May Cottage/ Wherwell, Hampshire SP11 7JS/ UK; www.wildgoose.co.uk]

This is a feast year for Ryan's fans; there's yet another CD from his prolific mind, hand and voice. It's The Voyage [Wild Goose Studios WGS 290 CD (1998)] by the group Fieldwork, made up of songs from a musical drama written by Ryan. The drama and its songs concern emigration from Ireland and England in the mid-19th century. It features a cast of good singers, including Ryan; a weakness of the sleeve notes is that they don't identify the lead singers on any of the tracks, so I can't comment on anyone in particular. But the songs themselves are a really nice use of traditional themes and turns of phrase; "I wouldn't lie down and I couldn't lie down, and if I'd any pride then I shouldn't lie down," from the song "Lying Down," echoes Matty Groves' "I can't get up and I won't get up, I wouldn't get up for my life," while "How Deep's the Sea" takes the form of a classic riddle ballad like "Riddles Wisely Expounded" or "Captain Wedderburn's Courtship." The other comparison invited by any project of this sort, particularly with a theme like this one, is with Peter Bellamy's classic musical drama "The Transports." Happily, this one stands up rather well to such a comparison; "When We Take 'em Over," like Bellamy's "Roll Down," is a fine outward-bound neo-shanty, and some of Ryan's characters, like the Old Soldier, are as memorable as Bellamy's were. Finally, in a non-comparative vein, songs like "The Sea" are simply harrowing, moving, and memorable. This is the "ballad opera" concept at its best.

To stay in England for the moment, let's visit the Vale of White Horse with Chris Bartram & Keith Holloway's CD From the Vale, Music and Songs from the Vale of White Horse [Wild Goose WGS 285 CD (1998)]. The Vale is an area in the south of England named after a huge horse-like figure carved into the chalk of the Berkshire Downs during the Bronze Age. Still, this album isn't about ancient wonders but about modern memory…about traditional songs and tunes remembered by country people in the Vale and passed on to the musicians who interpret them on this disc. For some time I've been aware of Bartram and Holloway as Morris and ceili musicians who perform traditional tunes on melodeon, fiddle, cello, mandolin, guitar, and several other instruments. Their music is always satisfying, and this disc is a sterling example: Traditional tunes both well known and obscure mingle with their original dance music. Their unusual arrangements include their own arsenal of instruments, plus guests who add percussion, oboe, cor anglais, and other goodies…a great show on the tune front. What's news (to me) about this disc is that Bartram and Holloway are both singers, as well, and have a fascinating repertoire of traditional songs from their local area. Both funny, lighthearted songs like "The Prizewinning Hereford Bull," "Butter, Cheese and All" and "We'll Sit Upon the Gate," and serious ones, like "White Horse Shepherd" and "The Rifles," were more or less new to me. On the other hand, local versions of "Six Nights Drunk," "The Outlandish Knight" and "The Card Song" show how nationally and even internationally known songs can adapt to a local niche. If Bartram and Holloway's voices aren't quite at Mick Ryan's level, they make up for this with the freshness of their material and the enthusiasm with which they present it.

One last English album worth mentioning is Benji Kirkpatrick's Dance in the Shadow [Wild Goose Studios WGS 291 CD (1998)]. The son of John Kirkpatrick and Sue Harris, Kirkpatrick has for several years now been touring and recording with the group The Hedgerows. This disc marks his debut as a solo recording artist, and it's a strong first effort. It highlights Kirkpatrick's instrumental skills on bouzoukis, guitars and mandolins, as well as his singing and songwriting. In general the standards of playing on this disc are quite high. I particularly like his takes on traditional tunes; one set of reels contains a lot of what Kirkpatrick calls "riffage" accompanying the basic tune, which makes for an interesting sound and a fun track. Kirkpatrick's own compositions are very impressive, as well; a pretty set of jigs written in honor of the house where he was brought up is both touching to think about and enjoyable to listen to. Kirkpatrick's singing does fall somewhat short of spectacular, however, and the effect of an album based on bouzoukis and mandolins is a somewhat tinny listening experience. From what I've heard, then, Kirkpatrick's skills work best in a band environment. Still, this disc shows he can go it alone, as well.

If after listening to Kirkpatrick, you want something more focused on songs, try Jill Anderson's CD Cool of the Day [Red Chair]. Anderson, an actress and singer from Omaha, Nebraska, has a clear soprano voice, one a little less bloodless than that of your average mystical "Celtic" crooner these days; it has a certain shrill edge that's very appealing. She uses it to sing some classic songs and ballads from the Irish and Scottish folk tradition, including "Red is the Rose," "The Leaving of Liverpool" and "The Lea Boy's Lassie." As you can tell, the songs are pretty much standards, but Anderson's voice and the simple, supportive and mostly acoustic arrangements make it a cut (or three) above your average Irish bar band's versions. I've actually kept listening to this one for weeks, finding it consistently fresh and listenable, which is unusual for a disc of Celtic standards. A word about the notes: Anderson is quick to apply the sobriquet "traditional" to songs from the revival. Andy M. Stewart's "The Fisherman's Song" and Ewan MacColl's "The Shoals of Herring," both intense and moving pieces of writing, are both listed here as traditional. I hope that (1) Anderson records more albums as good as this one; and (2) she's a little more careful with the notes next time. [Red Chair Records/7001 Spring Street/ Omaha, NE 68106]

A similar recording has recently been released by a Celtic band made up of three New Englanders and a Scot who now live in Nashville; both band and album are called Isla [Loudyin 001 (1998)]. Isla is made up of vocalist Deborah Packard, guitarist Peter Cairney, Bill Verdier on fiddle and mandolin, and John Mock on whistles, mandolin and bodhrán. The members have diverse musical backgrounds. Mock, for example, works a lot in adult contemporary and country settings with people like James Taylor and Kathy Mattea. Cairney, on the other hand, cut his teeth in Contraband, a Scottish group that also included William Jackson, George Jackson and John Martin, who went off to found Ossian. Even with these powerhouse players, though, the center of Isla is Packard's voice. On songs like "Proud Maisry" and "Blackwaterside," it puts me in mind of early Pentangle, though it has a sharper edge than Jacqui McShee's; maybe Cairney's fingerpicked, open-tuned guitar contributes to the Pentanglish sound. Other songs, like "Johnny O'Braideslee" and "The Lakes of Pontchartrain" come from the Planxty-led phase of the folk revival. These versions are low-key but accomplished; the way Soïg Siberil's tune "War Hent Kerrigouarc'h" is blended seamlessly into "Braideslee" is very impressive. Although the album is by far dominated by the songs, there are also a few fine sets of tunes, most notably a set of slow jigs written by Mock. It all adds up to a great effort from Isla. [Loudyin Records/PO Box 90007/ Nashville, TN 37209]

To continue with Celtic bands for the moment, let me mention the CD One by the band Tre [self-produced TRE 301 (1998)]. There are some very nice things about this CD, which features both songs and tunes from the Irish folk revival and beyond. First off, the band's simple instrumentation (whistle, bouzouki, percussion) allows for pretty and uncluttered arrangements. The playing is all good, if less than subtle, and the tunes generate a lot of energy. Also, at least some of the group's material is unusual, ranging from Breton and Finnish dance tunes to obscure traditional songs like "Adam in Paradise"; this makes the album stand out at least a little bit from the usual Celtic crowd. On the negative side, however, much of the material is pretty banal, such as "Go, Lassie, Go," "Star of Munster," and "The House Carpenter" (basically in the version Sweeney's Men recorded in 1968), while the singing is only fair-to-good. The upshot: a good disc that probably could have been better. [trethree@hotmail.com]

Three albums recently arrived featuring Michigan-based singer and string player Terry Murphy. They are: Billy Dixon and Terry Murphy's 15 Years On [Rambling Robin RR0001 (1998)], Terry Murphy, Colin Paige and Gerard Smith's The Wind That Shakes the Barley [Rambling Robin RR0003 (1998)] and Terry Murphy [Rambling Robin RR0002 (1998)]. This music is what used to be called the "ballad group" sound in Ireland in the 60s and 70s: Irish standards from the likes of the Clancy Brothers, the Dubliners and the Irish Rovers, with a guitar and a few other instruments along for the ride. 15 Years On includes "The Gentleman Soldier," "The Wild Rover," and "The Black Velvet Band," along with the somewhat less commonplace "Farewell to Sicily." The Wind that Shakes the Barley presents (in addition to the title song) "Galway Races," "The Barleycorn," and "P Stands for Paddy," while Terry Murphy has "Newry Highwayman," "Johnny Jump Up," and "When I Was a Bachelor." Unfortunately, with such common material, real Irish music fans will already know better versions. Of the three albums, I'd pick Terry Murphy first, for the unusual numbers like "Peter Ambeley" and "Pound a Week Rise," though I'd still pick Jim Payne's and Dick Gaughan's respective versions over Murphy's! It also irks me that these discs are so short: Why release two albums in one year when they average under 35 minutes? Both The Wind That Shakes the Barley and Terry Murphy would have fit on one disc! As for 15 Years On, if you find that 15 years of musical collaboration have produced only 45 worthwhile minutes of music, it may be time to look for a new partner! [1816 Walnut/Dearborn, MI 48124; nimbuscat@wwnet.net ]

Finally, a few words about Phil Cooper's new CD Ruffled Petticoat [Porcupine productions PPCD1615 (1998)]. Cooper, a pretty amazing Celtic fingerstyle guitarist, offers 21 tracks of beautiful playing here. On all of them, he's accompanied by friends on such instruments as fiddle, banjo, mandolin, hammered dulcimer, harp and percussion. It's all great music and well worth hearing. One word of caution: most of the music here has been released on Cooper's cassettes, both the solo tapes and those with Margaret Nelson. Therefore, if you've already collected their albums, you won't be getting much new music. Still, it sounds great in its new format! [Strong Old Music/ 6N631 Brierwood Drive/ St. Charles, IL 60175]

So that's it, folks, the latest from your favorite pair of listeners, Dr. Winick and Mr. Nerd! Til next time….