Nurdum ad Absurdum
Self-Produced & Small Label Celtica
By Celtonerd Steve Winick

Well, fellow travelers, this time out I've received a bumper crop of self-produced Celtic CDs to tell you about. In fact, I could go on and on...nurdum ad absurdum, you might say. So I'll try to keep it brief. Here goes!

I'll start off with a young band from Canada called Scrüj MacDuhk; their debut CD is called The Road to Canso [self-produced SM00 (1999)], and it's definitely a fun ride. Scrüj's music is an energetic and robust blend of Irish, American and Canadian traditional songs and tunes with original material. On such tracks as "Cider Mill" and "The Road to Canso," their sure touch on fiddle, flute, five-string banjo, guitars, and keys is impressive. Now and then, a surprise djembe or snare drum will enliven the band as well. Speaking of surprises, the original song "Things in Life" has great lines like "The fairest love I ever knew/ Now sleeps beneath the clay/ I live in thoughts and dreams of her/ that we'll meet again someday," and sounds just like an old-time country lament. Maybe the biggest surprise of all is the pure and sweet voice of Scrüj's singer, Ruth Moody. Her renditions of Irish standards like "The Rambling Irishman," "The Maid Who Sold Her Barley," and even "Roddy McCorley" remind me of great singers like Dervish's Cathy Jordan. Any bad things about Scrüj? Well, besides the name (it probably seemed like a good idea at the time...), there's the insert that contains lyrics and notes in illegibly small letters on a garishly colored background — I think I'm blind from trying to read it. Also, in their youthful exuberance, they tend to play a mite fast — or maybe it's the bluegrass influence. In any case, the band's tightness and skill make it work pretty darn well. [sure@voyageur.ca]


There are eight more recordings reviewed in this article in Dirty Linen #87 (Apr/May '00). To read it all, buy it on the newsstand or subscribe!