Flowers of Scotland
Some of the Best in Scottish Folk
by Steve Winick

Scotland's folk and traditional music scene has never been more active, and it seems every week we hear of new bands, new formations, and new directions. What follows is a random sampling of Scotland's recent folk activity, including singers, soloists, groups, and folk orchestras of all descriptions.

It's no secret by now that Linn Hi-Fi's record-producing subsidiary, Linn Records, is preparing an exhaustive CD compilation of Robert Burns songs performed by folk revival artists. It may be a surprise, though, that Ian Bruce, a performer hitherto known best as a singer/songwriter, would take his participation enough to heart to record a whole disc of Burns songs for Linn. All but five of the songs on that effort, titled Alloway Tales [Linn CKD 112 (1999)], have already appeared in the Burns series, so collectors who are buying the Burns discs should think twice about shelling out any cash for this one; indeed, it's quite possible that the five unreleased tracks will be featured in future Burns volumes, making this completely superfluous to those who are collecting the series. Having said that, though, this disc is very much worth hearing. Bruce has a sweet and clear voice perfect for the material, and his performance on an unaccompanied rendition of "A Parcel of Rogues in a Nation" proves he has the knack for melody and ornament to sing in the traditional style. On most songs, he is accompanied by an all-star Scottish folk band made up of current and former members of Ossian, The Tannahill Weavers, The Battlefield Band, Capercaillie, The Easy Club, and Jock Tamson's Bairns. Sometimes their arrangements are overdone: "A Man's a Man For A' That," has a bit too much jazz swing, for example, and sounds too self-consciously bouncy to fit in. But usually the arrangements sound as appropriate and natural as the singing, making this a standout among Burns recordings.

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